Alcoholism Sourcebook

Basic Consumer Health Information about Alcohol Use, Abuse, and Dependence, Featuring Facts about the Physical, Mental, and Social Health Effects of Alcohol Addiction, Including Alcoholic Liver Disease, Pancreatic Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, Neurological Disorders, and the Effects of Drinking during Pregnancy

Whether a person chooses wine, beer, or liquor, alcohol depresses the central nervous system, lowers inhibitions, and impairs judgment as it is absorbed into the bloodstream. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of all adult Americans reported drinking at least one alcoholic beverage within the last month.

Although moderate drinking, defined as a drink or two a day, has been associated with some positive health benefits, drinking too much leads to a loss of coordination, slowed reflexes, distorted vision, memory lapses, and even blackouts or coma. Chronic alcohol abuse can cause serious health problems, including chronic liver disease, gastrointestinal cancer, heart disease, stroke, depression, and death. Alcohol use is also involved in approximately 41% of all traffic-related deaths, and each year, approximately 85,000 people in the United States die because of excessive or risky drinking, making it the third leading actual cause of death.

Alcoholism Sourcebook, Second Edition presents information about the differences between moderate drinking, binge drinking, and alcoholism and describes the incidence and risks of alcohol use in men, women, children, adolescents, and seniors. It details the health risks and other effects of alcohol use and dependence and includes facts about alcoholic liver disease, pancreatic disease, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, and the effects of drinking during pregnancy, as well as alcohol's association with depression and other types of substance use.

This Sourcebook also offers information about alcohol treatment, medications, and recovery programs, in addition to tips for reducing alcohol intake and preventing underage drinking and impaired driving. Glossaries of alcohol-related terms and directories of resources able to offer assistance and information are also included.