The High Cost of Alcohol

The Next Time You See a Beer or Wine Commercial Remember These Sobering Facts:

1. By the age of 18, a child will have seen 100,000 beer commercials.

2. Two out of five children will have tried wine coolers before age 13.

3. Two out of three high school seniors have drunk an alcoholic beverage within the past month; 5% drink daily.

4. Alcohol is the leading cause of death of those between the ages of 16 and 24.

5. Nearly 18 million adults in the United States are problem drinkers, and more than 10 million are alcoholics.

6. The economic costs to Society of alcoholism and alcohol abuse are estimated at nearly $117 billion a year, including $18 billion from premature deaths, $66

  billion in reduced work effort and $13 billion for treatments.

7. Alcohol use kills 100,000 each year, 25 times as many as all illegal drugs combined.

8. Alcohol is a major factor in marital and family breakups.

9. Among state-prison inmates, 532,000 drank heavily before committing rapes, burglaries and assaults.

10. It is estimated that alcohol is involved in 54% of all violent crimes, 60% of all murders, 40% of crimes to property and 50% of rapes.

11. Alcohol use was the cause of approximately half of all traffic fatalities last year (about 23,000 deaths).

12. Up to 70% of drownings involve alcohol use.

13. Cirrhosis of the liver kills 14,000 drinkers each year.

14. Alcohol use increases the chances of getting cancer in the digestive tract, liver and colon.

15. Women who take as little as three drinks per week run a 30% greater chance of contracting breast cancer than non-drinking women.

16. Drinking by expectant mothers can cause birth defects and is a major cause of mental retardation in children.

These are facts you’re not apt to find in the carefree, exciting, romantic world of commercials.

So when next you’re asked to buy America’s favorite dangerous drug, remember...and don’t allow your future to be sucked into a bottle. – by Tim Campbel