MILITARY LIFE

Alcohol & Substance Abuse Awareness

Forty-four percent of the adult U.S. population (aged 18 and over) are current drinkers who have consumed at least 12 drinks in the preceding year (Dawson et al. 1995). Although most people who drink do so safely, the minority who consume alcohol heavily produce an impact that ripples outward to encompass their families, friends, and communities. The following statistics give a glimpse of the magnitude of problem drinking:
  • Approximately 14 million Americans—7.4 percent of the population —meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse or alcoholism (Gran et al. 1994).
  • More than one-half of American adults have a close family member who has or has had alcoholism ( Dawson and Grant 1998).
  • Approximately one in four children younger than 18 years old in the United States is exposed to alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence in the family (Grant 2000).

Alcohol consumption has consequences for the health and well - being of those who drink and, by extension, the lives of those around them. (https://ncadistore.samhsa.gov/catalog/facts.aspx?topic=3)

Drug abuse and addiction are a major burden to society. Estimates of the total overall costs of substance abuse in the United States—including health- and crime-related costs as well as losses in productivity—exceed half a trillion dollars annually. This includes approximately $181 billion for illicit drugs, $168 billion for tobacco, and $185 billion for alcohol. Staggering as these numbers are, however, they do not fully describe the breadth of deleterious public health—and safety—implications, which include family disintegration, loss of employment, failure in school, domestic violence, child abuse, and other crimes. (http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/understand.html)

 

References

  • "That Guy"
    That Guy Campaign Tool KitAn interactive and humorous site taking looking at the negative effects of drinking. This is a MUST SEE!
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
    A great website with a great deal of information. Written for easy understanding.  A great resource for parents and those wanting to learn more about drugs & alcohol abuse.
  • The Cool Spot (NIAAA)
    “The young teen’s place for info on alcohol and resisting peer pressure.”  This is a great interactive site for young teens.

Handouts

Alcohol's Effects