Alcohol Awareness Month

It seems as if there is a month/ week/ day for everything. For example, according to National Health Observances, April is Alcohol Awareness Month, Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month, National Autism Awareness Month, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, National Donate Life Month, National Facial Protection Month, National Minority Health Month, National Sarcoidosis Awareness Month, Occupational Therapy Month, Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, Sports Eye Safety Awareness Month, STI Awareness Month, and Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month. That is a lot of stuff to be aware of and these are only the health related topics.

Considering most of my readers are from Wisconsin, I decided to pick the topic that most of us are quite familiar with. Alcohol. We are a state known for our beer production and German heritage. I remember hearing in college that girls from Wisconsin were ineligible from participating in Spring Break drinking contests in Florida due their ability to drink everyone, including men, under the table. Heck, I went to a school referred to a Slosh-kosh and we always had spring break over St. Patrick's day due to drunken riots that occurred on campus in the 1960s. Needless to say folks, we might have a bit of a problem and should take a closer look.

Let's start with the basics. Alcohol, a close-cousin to fat, contains 7 calories/ gram. One standard drink contains 15 grams of alcohol and generally equals to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, and 1.5 ounces of hard liquor. These amounts are based off of the typical alcohol by volume (ABV) or proof. If you're drinking a stronger beer it contains more alcohol and thus less of it would be needed for it be considered a standard drink. If you're curious about what is in your favorite cocktail, visit this cocktail calculator.

Guidelines for alcohol consumption are no more than 1 standard drink per day for women and no more than 2 standard drinks per day for men. Alcohol consumption does not work like a bank account. If you only go out once a week it does not mean that you can drink all 7 or 14 drinks in one night. This is because alcohol is metabolized in your liver and drinking extreme amounts can inhibit the efficacy of your liver function. These pathways in the liver work as hard and as fast as they can to keep up with alcohol intake. As the liver becomes overloaded, it uses back-up pathways to metabolize alcohol which aren't as efficient and lead to there being more by-products. One of the by-products, acetyl-CoA, can be used for energy but if there is no need for it be used then it is used to make fat. This is why people who drink a lot often tend to develop "beer bellies."

Besides weight gain, there is litany of other health issues that can arise from excessive alcohol consumption. Fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, high blood pressure, depression, and an increased risk of breast cancer in women are just a few health concerns. Risky behavior behind the wheel and in the bed also increase with alcohol consumption. Other detrimental health links include increased risk of injury, assault, and potentially even death.

What this all comes down is think before you drink. If you or someone you know might have a problem with alcohol visit Rethinking Drinking. There are plenty of tools on the site that help recognize harmful behaviors and create plans to cut down/ stop drinking. Alcohol Awareness Month is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.