ALCOHOLISM: A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS LAURA MISCHNICK .

ALCOHOLISM:A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS

LAURA MISCHNICK

http://www.wmur.com/money/granite-state-liquor-sales-reach-record-high/27199936

http://www.lovethetruth.com/truth_about_alcohol.htm

• Approximately 88,000 people die each year in the United States from alcohol related causes• That makes it the 3rd leading preventable cause of death in the U.S.

• This is NOT just a domestic problem• 3.3 million deaths were associated

with alcohol worldwide in 2012

• North & South America exceeds the global average statistics for:• Alcohol related deaths• Alcohol consumption• Drinking patterns• Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs)• Leading risk factors for burden of

disease

ALCOHOL USE DISORDERS (AUD)

http://victorenglish.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/193/

• Characterized by the need to drink alcohol even if it is causing disruptions in the daily life, pre-occupation with alcohol, physical dependence with alcohol, loss of control when around alcohol, or having withdrawal symptoms

• RISK FACTORS:• Age• Genetics• Mental health problems (such as depression)• Social & cultural factors• Drinking over an extended period of time• Use of certain medications

ALCOHOL USE DISORDERS (AUD)

http://www.mountainside.com/drug-rehab-center/holistic-drug-rehab-center

• TREATMENT: individual and/or group counseling, outpatient or inpatient programs• Detoxification, medications, learning new skills, psychological

counseling, spiritual exercises

• Each individual’s situation is unique and so is the appropriate treatment. It may consist of one factor or a combination of multiple factors

ALCOHOL USE DISORDERS (AUD)

http://www.alcoholabuse.com/help/outpatient-alcohol-treatment/

• The majority of people don’t seek assistance• Often because they don’t realize there is a problem

• In 2012, only 8.4% of people who needed help, received some type of treatment at a specialized facility

BINGE & HEAVY DRINKING

http://www.bloglet.com/gallery/alcoholic-drinks-throughout-history/alcoholic-drinks.jpg

• Heavy Drinking: • 15 or more drinks per week (men)• 8 or more drinks per week (women)

• Binge Drinking: • 5 or more drinks in 2 hours for men• 4 or more drinks in 2 hours for women

WHAT CONSTITUTES 1 DRINK?

http://healthjigsaw.com/blog/think-before-you-drink/

• 12 oz. of beer• 5 oz. of wine• 1.5 oz. of liquor

AFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ON THE BODY• ATTRIBUTED TO MORE THAN 200 HEALTH CONDITIONS

• LIVER:

• HEPATITIS, FIBROSIS, CIRRHOSIS

• HEART:

• CARDIOMYOPATHY, ARRHYTHMIAS, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, & STROKE

• IMMUNE SYSTEM:

• AFFECTED FOR UP TO 24 HOURS AFTER EPISODE OF INTOXICATION

• VITAMIN B DEFICIENCY:

• FOLATE NOT ABSORBED BECAUSE OF STOMACH/INTESTINAL ULCERS

• IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF DNA

• MAY BE WHY DRINKING INCREASES RISK OF MANY CANCERS: BREAST, COLON, LIVER, MOUTH & THROAT

http://raduoprea.eu/en/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/alcoholeffects.jpg

UNDERAGE DRINKING

• 2006 National Survey on Drug Use & Health:• Exposed misuse of alcohol across all age groups, beginning in adolescence• Peak usage between 21-25 years old• Estimated 3.5 million adolescents between 12-20 years old have some form of

AUD • Consequences:

• Impairment of normal brain and physical development• Increases in rates of sexual assault, physical assault, unplanned pregnancy,

unsafe sexual practices, motor vehicle accidents, poor performance in school • People who drink before the age of 15 are 5X more likely to develop AUD than

peers who start at or after the age of 21

FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME DISORDERS

http://rehab-international.org/blog/new-study-finds-1-in-13-pregnant-women-drink-alcohol

• FASDs: a group of conditions the result of the mother drinking during the pregnancy

• Causes physical and mental disabilities, difficulty with behavior and learning

• There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to consume while pregnant• Binge drinking and regular heavy drinking

cause the greatest risk to the fetus

• The number of people with FASDs is not known• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) occurs in approximately between 0.5-2 per l,000 live births

• Average cost to treat a person with FAS in 2002 = $2 million• About $4 billion is spent each year on people with FAS in the United States alone

ALCOHOL POLICIES• Congress has the power to provide financial and tax incentives to

States in order to further particular alcohol regulations• Federal Uniform Act of 1984:

• Requires the minimum drinking age to be 21 years old• If States don’t comply, they will loose 10% of their funding for

highways from the Federal government

• Each State is responsible for its regulations on:• If sales of alcohol are allowed• Controls importation of alcohol into the State• Process of distribution of alcohol• How to regulate the possession of alcohol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_law

• There are common regulations found across the country to decrease the cost to society from alcohol related problems such as:• Regulation of alcohol prices• Limitations on the availability of alcohol• The pursuing and prosecution of alcohol-

impaired driving

• In recent years more support for recovery and increased access to treatment has been provided to individuals struggling with AUDs in the Justice System

MONITORING THE FUTURE SURVEY

http://www.addictionsearch.com/treatment_articles/article/alcoholism-addiction--a-case-study-of-an-alcoholic_81.html

• Started in 1975• Approximately 50,000 students (8th, 10th, and 12th grades) take it

each year• A portion of students are sent follow-up questionnaires

through the age of 45• Asks questions about substance abuse (including alcohol)

• Collects information each year about substance use in American adolescents, college students, and adults

• Results released to the public each following fall

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

http://www.gameinformer.com/blogs/members/b/ace13_blog/archive/2013/09/03/sexism-strength-and-the-last-of-us.aspx

• The epidemic of underage and binge drinking needs to be addressed• More education should be provided to high school and college students on the

harm that binge and heavy drinking causes

• Reduce the amount of exposure that young people have to alcohol ads on television and in magazines• Create similar regulations on alcohol advertising as tobacco advertising

“The stains could be seen only in the sunlight, so Ruth was never really aware of them until later, when she would stop at an outdoor cafe for a cup of coffee, and look down at her skirt and see the dark traces of spilled vodka or whiskey. The alcohol had the effect of making the black cloth blacker. This amused her; she had noted in her journal: 'booze affects material as it does people'.” ― Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones

REFERENCES• AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION AND EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT CENTER, INC. (2008). ALCOHOL SCREENING AND BRIEF

INTERVENTION: A GUIDE FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTITIONERS. WASHINGTON D.C: NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

• CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION. (2014, MARCH 24). BINGE DRINKING. RETRIEVED SEPTEMBER 15, 2014, FROM HTTP://WWW.CDC.GOV/ALCOHOL/DATA-STATS.HTM

• FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS FACT SHEET. (2014). CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION.

• MAYOCLINIC. (2012, AUGUST 9). DISEASES AND CONDITIONS: ALCOHOLISM. RETRIEVED SEPTEMBER 8, 2014, FROM HTTP://WWW.MAYOCLINIC.ORG/DISEASES-CONDITIONS/ALCOHOLISM/BASICS/CON-20020866.

• MONITORING THE FUTURE SURVEY. (2013). RETRIEVED SEPTEMBER 15, 2014, FROM HTTP://WWW.MONITORINGTHEFUTURE.ORG

• NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM. (2014). RETRIEVED OCTOBER 14, 2014, FROM HTTP://WWW.HIAAA.NIH.GOV/ALCOHOL-HEALTH/OVERVIEW-ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION/ALCOHOL-FACTS-AND-STATISTICS.

• THE NUTRITION SOURCE (N.D.). ALCOHOL: BALANCING RISKS AND BENEFITS. RETRIEVED OCTOBER 14, 2014, FROM HARVARD UNIVERSITY, HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.HSPH.HARVARD.EDU/NUTRITION/ALCOHOL-FULL-STORY/

• MONTEIRO, M. G. (2007). ALCOHOL AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE AMERICAS: A CASE FOR ACTION. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. RETRIEVED SEPTEMBER 15, 2014, FROM HTTP://WWW.WHO.INT/SUBSTANCE_ABUSE/PUBLICATIONS/ALCOHOL_PUBLIC_HEALTH_AMERICAS.PDF

• PUBLIC HEALTH SURVEILLANCE: NATIONAL SURVEYS THAT COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION. (2014, MARCH 24). RETRIEVED SEPTEMBER 15, 2014, FROM CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION WEB SITE: HTTP://WWW.CDC.GOV/ALCOHOL/SURVEILLANCE.HTM

• WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (2014). GLOBAL STATUS REPORT ON ALCOHOL AND HEALTH 2014. RETRIEVED SEPTEMBER 8, 2014, FROM HTTP://WWW.WHO.INT/SUBSTANCE_ABUSE/PUBLICATIONS/GLOBAL_ALCOHOL_REPORT/MSB_GSR_2014_1.PDF?UA=1