20 Sobering Facts About Alcohol

Although alcohol is widely available, often affecting the lives of a wide proportion of the population, most people are unaware of important facts about it, or its effects on them. We have created a list of some alarming facts about alcohol so that you are better informed of what happens to your body when you drink it.

20. A pint of 4.5% cider has twice as many units of alcohol as a 25ml shot of a 40% spirit

Beer and cider may contain way less alcohol by volume compared to spirits, but since their serving sizes are usually much larger, you may end up drinking much more alcohol than you realize. To be on the safe side, choose ciders and beers with less alcohol or order smaller sized servings, such as 330ml bottles or half pints instead.

19. One alcohol unit equals to 8 grams of pure alcohol, or 10ml in volume.

1 alcohol unit represents the amount of alcohol that can be metabolized by your liver in one hour. This amount translates to a single 25ml shot of a 40% spirit, or a single 275ml bottle of a 4% drink.

18. For women, it only takes just a pint of beer or a medium glass of a 13% wine to meet or exceed the lower risk threshold

Drinking one or two pints of beer or glasses of wine is a usual habit for many people, however, they regularly exceed the lower risk guidelines without knowing. You can avoid doing so by not participating in rounds when you go out. Alternatively, stop purchasing large amounts of alcohol when you go shopping.

17. A medium-strength pint of lager is as fattening as a pizza slice
Alcohol has the potential to significantly raise your caloric intake. Moreover, it will also make you hungry, leading to bad food choices, such as junk food.

16. If you wish to get rid of the calories contained in 2 glasses of 13% red wine, you will have to run for about 34 minutes.

Alcohol contains empty calories that still require a lot of effort to get rid of. In addition, the efficiency of your training session will be probably hampered according to the amount of alcohol you drank the previous night.

15. In the United States alone, about 5 thousand people, younger than 21, die on a yearly basis from an incident relating to alcohol, such as suicide, homicide, car accidents and alcohol poisoning.

14. Alcohol clouds judgment and blocks inhibition, leading to reckless and dangerous acts such as driving drunk, unprotected sex or becoming violent.

13. Men show a more consistent tendency towards drinking than women and have a two-fold higher chance of causing an alcohol-associated fatal car crash. Volunteer to become the designated driver for family and friends, so as to make sure that everyone gets home alright.

12. Among teenagers, 70% of those aged 18 admit to having consumed alcohol at least once, whereas as the percentage rises to as much as 80% for college students.

11. The act of drinking a lot of alcohol in a short amount of time is called binge-drinking. For men, it is defined as 5 or more drinks and for women 4 or more, over 2 hours.

10. Binge-drinking is most prevalent amongst 18 to 34-year-olds. Binge drinking aftermath includes car accidents, unwanted pregnancy, catching and spreading sexually transmitted disease, alcoholism, and violence.

9. Almost two-thirds of high school children who consume alcohol drink until getting drunk.

8. Almost 17% of males and 8% of the female population will reach the point of alcoholism at some point in their life.

7. Up to 80,000 people die every year in the U.S. due to alcohol abuse.

6. Abusing alcohol may lead to permanent health conditions including mouth, throat or liver cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression and anxiety, dementia, liver cirrhosis.

5. Alcohol poisoning is an acute effect of excessive drinking which may lead to unconsciousness, coma, and death.

Alcoholism is a condition largely unrelated to where the alcohol comes from, the period that someone has been drinking for, or even the quantity of alcohol consumes. On the contrary, it is all about someone’s irresistible desire to drink. For most alcoholics, it is impossible for them to get over their need to drink.

Being an alcoholic means to have an unnatural craving for alcohol almost all the time, so strong that they prioritize it overeating or drinking water. For some, it is possible to overcome it without getting help, however, for most, it is imperative to get assistance in order to overcome this condition. Indeed, when proper treatment and support is offered, a large number of alcohol-addicted people manage to stop drinking and become masters of their lives again. You’ll be surprised by the benefits of giving up alcohol.

A few more facts about alcohol, to conclude:

4. Almost 90,000 people die every year due to alcohol abuse

3. Alcoholism is the 3rd most lifestyle-associated causes of death in the U.S.

2. It is estimated that almost 2.5 million years of potential life is lost every year, accounting to 30 years of life per death, due to alcohol abuse.

1. Almost 40% of all hospital beds in the US, excluding the ones taken by ICU and maternity, are occupied by patients with health disorders relating to alcohol

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