CNN: Alcohol abuse up, but fewer alcoholics

[LiviaOlivia]

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/06/11/alcohol.abuse.reut/

Report: Alcohol abuse up, but fewer alcoholics

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- More Americans are abusing alcohol than in the 1990s, but fewer are technically alcoholics, U.S. government researchers.

They found that the number of American adults who abuse alcohol or are alcohol dependent rose to 17.6 million or 8.46 percent of the population in 2001-2002 from 13.8 million or 7.41 percent of the population in 1991-1992.

The researchers cannot say why heavy drinking is up.

"The fact that alcohol disorder rates are highest among young adults underscores the need for concerted research on drinking patterns that initiate in adolescence," Dr. Ting-Kai Li, Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, said Thursday.

The NIAAA study defines alcohol abuse as causing a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home; interpersonal social and legal problems; and/or drinking in hazardous situations.

<snip>

The survey was done by the U.S. Census Bureau, which interviewed more than 43,000 people face to face.

<snip>

[SmokingJacket]

1. it's because they raised the drinking age

When I was a freshman in college the drinking age was 18, and everyone could drink, no big deal -- then the legal age was raised and suddenly college drinking became a competetive sport.

I'm no libertarian, but I think in this case deferring the age of responsibility truly does create more irresponsibility.

[NeonLX]

2. I'm drinking like the proverbial fish these days...

...and it's because I think it's all gonna turn to shit soon because of the neocons' dominionist policies. And I can actually watch pResident Pinhead on TV when I've got a buzz going--something that's impossible for me to do when sober.

[Roaming]

7. Agreed! I have never understood why the age is not 18; if you're

old enough to get married, enter into binding contracts, joint the military, etc., you should be old enough to enjoy a drink.

[thinkingwoman]

9. blame Reagan

He blackmailed every state into raising the age to 21 by threatening to withhold their highway funds if they refused.

[lectrobyte]

3. it does seem like folks are stressed more, so it is no wonder

that they are drinking more.

[HuckleB]

6. Indeed.

If, as health researchers claim, the incidence of depression and other possibly stress-induced mental health matters is up and going up, then self-medication would be a natural result.

[BiggJawn]

4. could it be a coping mechanism?

I know I used to drink heavily when I was in deep despair...

Hey, i know...Blame it on The Chimp. People see our lush of a pretzelDUNCE bumbling through his duties hung-over and we get fed all kinds of bullshit excuses for his self-inflicted injuries....

If the RW can blame kids wanting blow jobs on the Big Dawg.....

[mom-mad-about-bush]

5. Has anyone gotten a breathalyser on BUSH???

Just wondering.

[Heddi]

8. A question about drinking

Why is it that in America, if one drinks more than 3 drinks a day, they're considered to have a 'drinking problem'. If one drinks more than 5 drinks a day, they're considered (diagnostically speaking) to be an Alcoholic.

Yet, in Europe, it isn't uncommon to have 5 or more drinks a day, yet Europeans aren't considered Alcoholics SOLELY because of the number of drinks they consume in a day, whereas in America, regardless of HOW and WHEN you drink, if you consume over X amount per day, you've got Alcoholism.

Both my husband and I, incidentally, are Nursing Students, and understand the importance of full disclosure in medical history, yet both of us understate the number of alcoholic drinks we consume lest we be labeled as having drinking problems or alcoholism. For the record, I occasionally drink wine at night, and have perhaps 3 or 4 glasses over the course of an evening AT MOST. My husband the same amount, if not a glass or two more.

Neither of us are impared by our drinking, we don't have the need or desire to drink during the day or at work. We're not in any way shape or form people who have 'drinking problems' or 'pre-alcoholic tendencies". In fact, friends who are European, or who have traveled extensively or lived in Europe, find the difference in attitudes across the board to be overwhelming, and consider the amount we drink to be perfectly normal and acceptable in European culture.

However, the reason we downplay the amount of alcohol we drink and report to our Dr's is because a few years ago, my husband mentioned to his Dr that he drank perhaps 4 or 5 glasses of wine a night AT THE MOST, and his Dr put in his medical records that my husband shows signs of "dependence to alcohol" which is just total bullshit. Because of that, and because of the nature of our future jobs, I'd rather not be labeled "alcohol dependent" because of the rather infrequent use of alcohol in our house that is overplayed by the DR.

And I should note that aside from asking my husband if he consumed alcohol and in what quantity, the Dr never asked if alcohol had an effect on his life or job, or if he (my husband) felt that he himself had a drinking problem. NEVER delved into these subjects at all, yet was able to base an entire DIAGNOSIS upon two questions. A diagnosis, that, depending on my husband's job at the time, could have cost him his entire career.

So why the disparity? Are bodies on the western-side of the Atlantic more susceptable to Alcoholism (while drinking alchol in lower quanties, mind you) than those on the East of the Atlantic?


And I appologise for spelling errors---my keyboard sux today

[Coventina]

12. My personal theory---our Puritan Heritage

We still have a strong cultural attitude that alcohol is "evil".

Therefore, we have very subtle attitudes that affect the way we drink and how we drink. I think that most Americans have a secret guilt about drinking, and subconsciously buy into the idea that they are doing something sinful. I think this causes Americans to abuse alcohol because they "know" they are doing something bad, so they go ahead and go full money. I think this is a BIG factor in binge drinking in young people.

I was friends with a guy from Denmark where there is no "drinking age" (implying that drinking is bad, and needs restrictions) and said that no one thought that having alcoholic beverages was any big deal. Kids had no impulse to throw "keggers" or party themselves senseless.

So anyway, an American takes a drink, enjoys it, feels guilt on some level for enjoying it, then feels rebellion "Well, if it feels good, why NOT do it?" then, because of the mixture of guilt and rebellion maybe continues to drink, feels guilty, feels angry for being made to feel guilty, so drinks more to rebel, etc.......

[treepig]

10. another way to interpret the headline

spilled beer!

[LeftyDonkey]

11. Love this Party

Isn't the Democratic Party, the party of booze? In the current political climate, who can blame us? Remember that temperance was all the Republicans' doing...




:toast:

[Coventina]

13. kick

:kick:

[DustMolecule]

14. George and Laura never give 'Parties'

Washington USED to have a very healthy and active social life - sometimes that's when things 'really got done'. Not since pickles and Dubya moved in there. They don't give or go to parties...they don't know (or even want to know) how to socialize. Boring and unhealthy is what I think.