Over 85% of the American adult population consumes alcohol at some stage with millions binging at least once per month, if not more. However, the vast majority knock back their drinks without a full understanding of alcohol or their relationship with it.
Whether you are a problem drinker or just want to feel in control of your lifestyle habits, education is the key to making calculated choices in the future. Here are four things that most people don’t know.
Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram
Most people appreciate that excessive drinking can see them gain weight, but very few truly appreciate the severity. As per MedlinePlus, the calorie totals of the most popular alcoholic beverages are;
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Regular beer 12 oz - 153 calories,
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Gin (80%) 1.5 oz - 97 calories,
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Whiskey (80%) 1.5 oz - 97 calories,
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Chocolate Martini 2.5 oz - 418 calories,
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White Russian 8 oz - 568 calories.
When combined with the impacts on your eating habits and physical activity levels, alcohol is one of the main reasons why many people fail to get fit. Tracking your drinks is an ideal way to regain control.
16 million Americans are ‘heavy’ drinkers
According to The Recovery Village, the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that 16 million American adults are heavy drinkers while 14.5 million have an alcohol use disorder (AUD). further findings include;
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This is over 70% of all substance use disorders (SUDs),
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Alcohol consumption has increased during the pandemic,
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Home drinking has increased since the pandemic too.
Even if you are not currently a heavy drinker, it doesn’t take long for habits to change. Every drinker has a responsibility to retain some control.
Binging is far easier than you thought
When you picture binge drinking, you probably think of huge parties or ‘down and out’ drunks. However, studies show that 1 in 6 American drinkers will binge at least four time per month. And it’s not hard to see why because binging is defined as;
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Consuming more than four (women) or five (men) drinks in a two-hour period,
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Drinking more than seven (women) or 15 (men) alcoholic beverages per week,
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Allowing your blood alcohol concentration levels to reach 0.08% or above.
Binge drinking poses serious immediate health threats and can develop into long-term problematic drinking habits. Even if your daily relationship with alcohol is healthy, this is an aspect that may require extra care.
Half of male liver disease deaths are due to alcohol
You may already know that close to 100,000 Americans die due to alcohol each year. However, the fact that 50.4% of adult male liver disease deaths (47.4% of both sexes) are caused by alcohol is very scary. Other stats include;
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Globally, alcohol is the fifth leading cause of premature death and disability,
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1 in 5 people with an AUD also suffer from anxiety,
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Alcohol is involved in approximately one-quarter of all suicides.
When used responsibly, alcohol can have a hugely beneficial impact on social lives and general quality of life. However, understanding how much is safe to drink and what precautions can be taken to maintain a healthy relationship with alcohol is vital.