Health & Wellness, Ninth Edition

Alcohol abuse is one of the most serious health problems in countries around the world. Each year in the US more than deaths are alcohol-related including many that involve automobile crashes. The use of alcohol was recorded more than 4 thousand years ago in the form of . More than 60% of US adults drink and about 9% have alcohol-related health or behavioral problems. Consuming 4 to 5 drinks in rapid succession is called and can be quite dangerous. The amount of alcohol in a bottle of beer is about amount in a mixed drink. The chemical form of alcohol that is safe to drink in small amounts is alcohol. After alcohol is consumed it is absorbed into the blood and circulates in the brain. Ultimately alcohol is detoxified in the . Although alcohol has no nutritional value, it does contain calories; a gram of alcohol contains almost as many calories as a gram of sugar. The amount of alcohol circulating in the blood is measured by the Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). In most states, a BAC of is the level at which a person is considered to be legally drunk. In moderate amounts, alcohol affects parts of the brain that control which is why many people find drinking pleasurable. Excess drinking can lead to many kinds of social and behavioral problems. Organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous try to help people stop drinking. Loss of control over drinking alcohol is called . Family relationships also are harmed by excess drinking of one or more family members. Especially vulnerable family members are of alcoholics. People drink to excess for many different reasons and require medical care and counseling to recover from their drinking problems.