The Perils of Living with Alcohol

In its extreme, it can kill, not only by becoming lethally toxic, as in Amy Winehouse's case, but by impairing judgment in operating boats, planes, or more commonly automobiles, where a drunk can take their own life and the lives of others. <!--break--> The Perils of Living with Alcohol Alcohol has been with us since ancient times, however, its perilous affects on young people and older people alike causes great pain, upset and loss. This has been dramatized recently by the death of music star Amy Winehouse.  The Grammy Award winning singer had public bouts with alcohol and drug abuse. The cause of her death was identified by the St. Pancras coroner Suzanne Greenway, who found that she &quot;had consumed sufficient alcohol ... and the unintended consequence of such potentially fatal levels was her sudden and unexpected death.&quot; No matter how you look at it, alcohol is a drug, and like other drugs, it affects the body's systems and changes how the body acts and reacts, changing perceptions, abilities and organ functions. Typically classified as a depressant, many people use it for its stimulant effect. However, if you get to much alcohol in your system (it doesn't take that much!), the depressant effect turns on and coordination and control is diminished, or lost entirely. The range can go from a bit &quot;tipsy&quot; to the completely drunk person, passed out on the floor.  In its extreme, it can kill, not only by becoming lethally toxic, as in Amy Winehouse's case, but by impairing judgment in operating boats, planes, or more commonly automobiles, where a drunk can take their own life and the lives of others. Startling statistics from MADD.org (Mother's Against Drunk Driving) include the following: Every minute, one person is injured from an alcohol-related crash. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens and one out of three of those is alcohol related. Every minute, one person is injured from an alcohol-related crash. Drunk driving costs each adult in this country almost $500 per year. This year, 10,839 people will die in drunk-driving crashes - one every 50 minutes. DrugFreeWorld.org, the leading website in the world for comprehensive information about Drugs (prescription and street or recreational drugs), provides concise data in downloadable booklets and in video form. Information available there is HELP in a major way. Understanding alcohol's destructive effects on young people, marriages, families, the work-place and broad society is the beginning of dealing with the problems of alcohol.  From the drinking school-child to the habitual criminal, to the social misfit, to the chronic  alcoholic whose life is shortened through disease and illness, alcohol has left its mark, and continues to do so daily. Education and awareness can lead to action. Go to www.drugfreeworld.org.  Help another; help yourself. The Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a nonprofit public benefit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free.  For a person with a drug problem, there is a real solution to addiction: Narconon. Narconon, a drug rehabilitation program that utilizes the methods of L. Ron Hubbard, has a success rate of more than 75% (see www.narconon.org).

<p> In its extreme, it can kill, not only by becoming lethally toxic, as in Amy Winehouse's case, but by impairing judgment in operating boats, planes, or more commonly automobiles, where a drunk can take their own life and the lives of others.</p> <!--break--><p>The Perils of Living with Alcohol</p> <p>Alcohol has been with us since ancient times, however, its perilous affects on young people and older people alike causes great pain, upset and loss. This has been dramatized recently by the death of music star Amy Winehouse.  The Grammy Award winning singer had public bouts with alcohol and drug abuse. The cause of her death was identified by the St. Pancras coroner Suzanne Greenway, who found that she "had consumed sufficient alcohol ... and the unintended consequence of such potentially fatal levels was her sudden and unexpected death."<br /> No matter how you look at it, alcohol is a drug, and like other drugs, it affects the body's systems and changes how the body acts and reacts, changing perceptions, abilities and organ functions. Typically classified as a depressant, many people use it for its stimulant effect. However, if you get to much alcohol in your system (it doesn't take that much!), the depressant effect turns on and coordination and control is diminished, or lost entirely. The range can go from a bit "tipsy" to the completely drunk person, passed out on the floor.  In its extreme, it can kill, not only by becoming lethally toxic, as in Amy Winehouse's case, but by impairing judgment in operating boats, planes, or more commonly automobiles, where a drunk can take their own life and the lives of others.<br /> Startling statistics from MADD.org (Mother's Against Drunk Driving) include the following:<br /> Every minute, one person is injured from an alcohol-related crash.<br /> Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens and one out of three of those is alcohol related.<br /> Every minute, one person is injured from an alcohol-related crash.<br /> Drunk driving costs each adult in this country almost $500 per year.<br /> This year, 10,839 people will die in drunk-driving crashes - one every 50 minutes.<br /> DrugFreeWorld.org, the leading website in the world for comprehensive information about Drugs (prescription and street or recreational drugs), provides concise data in downloadable booklets and in video form.<br /> Information available there is HELP in a major way. Understanding alcohol's destructive effects on young people, marriages, families, the work-place and broad society is the beginning of dealing with the problems of alcohol.  From the drinking school-child to the habitual criminal, to the social misfit, to the chronic  alcoholic whose life is shortened through disease and illness, alcohol has left its mark, and continues to do so daily. Education and awareness can lead to action. Go to <a href="http://www.drugfreeworld.org">www.drugfreeworld.org</a>.  Help another; help yourself.</p> <p>The Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a nonprofit public benefit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free.  </p> <p>For a person with a drug problem, there is a real solution to addiction: Narconon. Narconon, a drug rehabilitation program that utilizes the methods of L. Ron Hubbard, has a success rate of more than 75% (see <a href="http://www.narconon.org">www.narconon.org</a>).</p>