Many people think moderate drinking is perfectly safe. It feels good and, most of the time, a drink or two seems to not cause any obvious, immediate harm. Surely, this is fine? However, this is not necessarily true. It is increasingly becoming clear that even small amounts of alcohol can be harmful.
Increases Risk of Breast Cancer
Studies suggest that a woman who consumes one alcoholic beverage a day increases her risk of breast cancer by 5 percent. Three or more drinks per day can increase the risk by as much as 50 percent. A meta-study -- a study of multiple of other studies -- concluded that 2 percent of breast cancer cases in Europe and North America can be attributed to light drinking alone. Worldwide, about 50,000 cases of breast cancer
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One campus only had a single incident of date rape in four years that did not involve alcohol. Date rape tends to be fostered by poor communication and a difference of expectations. These problems are magnified by even a little alcohol.
A woman would be wise to neither drink when alone with people she doesn't already know well and trust deeply, she shouldn't tolerate them drinking any either. Especially since men typically tolerate alcohol better than women, women should absolutely not allow a man to cajole them into having "just one drink." You do not need to have your drink roofied for this to go bad places. Alcohol itself is the single most common date rape drug around.
Rape is not only psychologically harmful, it frequently leaves the victim with serious health issues that have long term consequences. This can include an STD, but it is not at all limited to such infections.
In spite of the generally positive reputation of moderate levels of alcohol consumption, there is really no scientific evidence that there is any safe level of alcohol. The consumption of even moderate amounts of alcohol has been strongly linked to increased risk of breast cancer, increased risk of accidents, dehydration and date
While alcohol may have damaging effects to one’s body, many benefits exist if one drinks responsibly. Many studies and cases do show alcohol can damage the liver and other parts of the body; however, when one drinks in a moderate manner many health benefits may exist. Alcohol helps to fight against various health conditions and risks common among many people,
3. Alcohol Guidelines: Reducing the health risks. The life time risk harm from drinking alcohol increases with the amount consumed for healthy when and women drinking no more than two standard drinks on any day reduces the life time risk of harm from alcohol related disease or
In a study of 136,000 adults, moderate drinking was associated with a risk of breast cancer in women (Reinberg One 1). In a study done by Nurses’ Health Study, ir can be seen that in 88,000 women a total risk for alcohol related cancers ranged from 1.04 in moderate intake and 1.30 with heavy intake, and in 48,000 men the risk of alcohol related cancers was 1.26 with moderate intake and 1.62 in heavy intake. During 30 years of the study 22 percent of the women and 15 percent of the men ended up developing some type of cancer (Duke Medicine Health News 1). Another risk is gastrointestinal bleeding, and those who drink moderately into older age seem to be statistically healthier than those who do not drink any alcohol at all. However, these people are less likely to have these problems than those who drink soda (Healthy Years 2). People should weigh the benefits of drinking in moderation to the negative effects it could potentially cause and adjust their diets accordingly to their
Drinking heavily and binge drinking leads to short-term as well as long-term health consequences in males and females. Both women and men can suffer the short-term
The total cost of alcohol abuse, is around $184.9 billion. Physical changes after two drinks are: Changes in judgment, loosened restraint, slow reaction time, dulled senses. For four drinks it is: Exaggerated feelings of anger, fear, and anxiety. For eight drinks it is: Significant impact on motor functions, significant impairment of judgement, blacking out, and nausea. For twelve drinks it’s: Confusion, blacking or passing out, overdose, impairment of brain’s ability to manage even basic bodily functions. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend no more that one drink per day for adult women and no more that two drinks per day for adult men. Most people retain some alcohol in their blood up to two to three hours after a single drink. The people who should avoid alcoholic beverages completely are: Children and adolescents, recovering alcoholics, people who plan to drive, women who may become pregnant, or are pregnant, and anyone taking prescription or over-the-counter medications that can interact with alcohol. Difference in levels of drink are: Abstinence is 0, Light is less than 1, Moderate is less than 2, and Heavy is 2 or
The risks of drinking alcohol are health issues, your body wouldn’t stay fit if you are drinking too much. Health issues for drinking can be a serious and damageable for you.
The continuous or excessive use of alcohol (ethanol) with associated pathologic results. Alcoholism is characterized by constant or periodic intoxication, although the pattern of consumption varies markedly. Individuals admitted for the first time to an alcoholism treatment center typically have been consuming 3–4 oz (80–100 g) of pure alcohol per day, corresponding to seven to nine drinks or bottles of beer or glasses of wine. Studies have shown that problem drinking in these populations starts at about 2 oz/day (60 g/day), that is, four to five drinks per day, and that these are consumed in rapid succession, leading to intoxication on three or more days per week. Individuals who consume these levels of alcohol have a greater-than-average
Over the past decade, sexual assault on college campuses has been overlooked due to failed communication from the victims of the attack, which also allowed many schools around the world to become oblivious to the epidemic. A survey commissioned by the “Association of American Universities” brought forth results which were released in September 2015, stating that more than 27.2 % of female college seniors reported having experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact entering college. The dynamics of college life seems to fuel the problem; many are abused while they are under the influence of drugs or otherwise incapacitated. Most victims are assaulted
Apart from being the most common form of excessive alcohol consumption, binge drinking is defined as a blood alcohol level of .08 g/dL usually achieved by consuming 5 or more drinks for men and 4 or more drinks for women within two hours (CDC, 2016). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, binge drinking is associated with many health problems. Some of the top health problems include unintentional injuries such as car crashes, falls, burns, and drowning (CDC, 2015). Others include
Over 2.5million people die every year to excessive alcohol use. Furthermore, alcohol is responsible for one in ten deaths of working age adults aged twenty to sixty four. Excessive drinking by the CDC is more than one glass a day for a woman and more than two glasses a day for a man. Also, drinking any while under the age or pregnant is classified as excessive drinking(“Alcohol Use and Your Health”). On top of the benefits becoming negative effects quickly, excessive drinking also comes with many more side effects. Excessive drinking damages the brain, heart, liver, pancreas, and the immune system. Brain cells are lost along with loss of thinking and coordination. Heart beat, heart muscles, and blood pressure can be effected. A variety of liver problems and inflammations. The Pancreas produces unwanted toxins eventually leading to pancreatitis. Lastly the immune system is weakened, making the body a much easier target for disease and slowing the body’s ability to ward off infections – even up to 24 hours after getting drunk(“Alcohol's Effects on the
Date rape drugs are drugs that are sometime used to assist a sexual assault. The effect of drugs may cause the victim to be physically helpless, unable to refuse sex, and memory loss. The commonly used drugs are drugs with no color, smell or taste, which makes it easier to mix well with any flavored drink without the victim knowing; Drugs like GHB (Gamma hydroxybutyric acid), Rohyphnol, and Ketamine. GHB takes a few forms such as liquid, which has no color or odor, a white powder, and pill form. Depending on how much of the drug is taken and if mixed with anything like alcohol, depends on the length of time on how long the effects of drugs will last. GHB can cause relaxation, dizziness, unconsciousness (black outs), vomiting, sweating, slowing
Alcohol has been a mainstay of celebratory events throughout history and many people enjoy alcohol in a healthy way. Consuming moderate amounts of alcohol is even associated with health benefits such as reduced heart disease related mortality, and decreased risk of ischemic stroke and diabetes (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2005). Moderate consumption of alcohol, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, consists of up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men. Despite the potential benefits of moderate alcohol intake, excessive alcohol consumption contributes to significant problems at the individual, community and societal levels.
The most commonly abused drugs in the United States are alcohol and nicotine. According to the statistical abstract, Americans consume on average 37 gallons of alcohol per year, the majority being beer at an average of 32 gallons per year. The remaining 5 gallons is comprised of 3 gallons of wine and 2 gallons of other distilled alcohol. At this rate, Americans consume more beer than either coffee or milk. Beer consumption has become a major issue on college campuses with recent epidemics of binge drinking, particularly by college males. Many incidents have resulted in injury and death. Although many recent studies have extolled the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, the emphasis of these studies is upon moderate consumption or one or fewer glasses of wine per day. Some emerging studies indicate that the health benefits may be the same for grape juice and wine. Alcohol increases the risk of birth defects, and women who are or may become pregnant should not consume alcohol.
Not drinking responsibly can lead to some bad things. For example in the book Teen Addiction it says, “Ninety percent of violent crime and 53 percent of all injuries on campus are alcohol related.” (Bender 72). Crime and injuries are not the only things that are caused by alcohol. According the book “Alcohol” it says, “Ninety percent of all campus rapes occur when alcohol is being used by either the assailant, the victim, or both. This will
Sexual assault and rape are on-going issues plaguing college campuses all across the nation. In part, I believe this is due to a lack of education on what sexual assault actually is. All too often, victims are leaving these situations feeling confused about something that they will forever deem "a weird night". It often isn't until much later that they realize what happened to them was a violation of their body and of their rights.