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You go to your first doctor appointment of the year and are handed a clipboard and pen to update your information. Or you are seeing a new doctor and must list your health information before any kind of treatment will be discussed. A list of criteria is there that may or may not apply to you. You mark the ones that do, things like family history, surgeries you may have had, smoking history. Do you drink alcohol? How often and how much? They want to know your life history!
Yes, they do, so they can assist you with your health and well-being.
Last fall, it was reported that alcohol consumption was up between February and November 2020, by 39 percent. Some 25 percent of adults contacted through a national survey by the American Psychological Association said they were drinking more to cope with their stress. You are likely not surprised to learn this because Covid created a lot of stress for everyone. Additionally, binge drinking was up by 30 percent, advises Working Partners, an agency in Canal Winchester, Ohio.
The low-risk drinking guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are: one drink daily for women, two for men. This is not to say that women can't keep up with men in alcohol consumption, but rather that women's bodies metabolize alcohol differently than men. We also are talking about measured drinks: 12 ounces of beer; 4 to 5 ounces of wine; a measured shot (1.5 ounces of 80 proof liquor.)
There are risks involved when drinking, including motor vehicle crashes, violence, sexual risk behaviors, high blood pressure, and various cancers, like breast cancer. The more you drink the higher the risk. "Drinking less is better for health than drinking more," says the CDC, which urges if you don't drink, don't start.
Some people shouldn't drink at all: pregnant or may be pregnant, under legal age, having certain medical conditions or taking medications that should not be mixed with alcohol, or being in recovery from an alcohol use disorder or unable to control how much alcohol is consumed.
Women who breastfeed their babies are advised to discuss "safe" amounts of alcohol consumption.
"Most U.S. adults who drink don't drink every day," says the CDC. "That's why it's important to focus on the amount people drink on the days when they do drink...
"Binge drinking is the most common, costly, and deadly pattern of excessive alcohol use in the United States." It is drinking four drinks (women) or five or more drinks (men). It "is a harmful risk behavior associated with serious injuries and multiple diseases." Binge drinking puts you at risk of developing an alcohol use disorder.
One in six U.S. adults binge drink weekly, and is most common among the 18-34-year-old age group. It is more common among men than women, and among adults with a household income of $75,000 or more. Binge drinkers are more likely to be non-Hispanic White or live in the Midwest, the CDC advises, also reporting that 2,300 people die annually from alcohol poisoning related to binge drinking. Risks of violence from homicide or suicide, domestic violence, sexual assault, miscarriage and stillbirth, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, sudden infant death syndrome, memory and learning problems, and more.
You have so much worth and potential. If you struggle with alcohol and are ready to reach out for hands that are reaching out to assist you in recovery of yourself and your family, that help is a phone call away.
Addiction has no address, but Family Recovery Center does. For more information about the education, prevention and treatment programs for substance abuse and related behavioral issues, contact the agency at 964 N. Market St., Lisbon; phone, 330-424-1468; or email, info@familyrecovery.org. Visit the website at familyrecovery.org. FRC is funded in part by Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board.
NOTE: Family Recovery Center will launch a new, updated website on Tuesday, March 1. The website will include new features such as a Live Chat tool and the publication of the agency's weekly articles. Everyone who shares or likes the announcement post at Facebook on March 1 will be entered in a giveaway with a chance to receive a $50 Walmart gift card. Remember to set your share or like for public viewing so you will be included in the drawing.