1. What is alcohol? Alcohol is a drug that suppresses the brain and nervous system. Alcohol is made from fermentation. – Fermentation is a process in which yeast, sugar, and water are combined to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. Common alcoholic beverages include beer, wine, and liquor.

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3. What is a "drink"? In the United States, a standard drink contains 0.6 ounces (14.0 grams or 1.2 tablespoons) of pure alcohol. Generally, this amount of pure alcohol is found in – 12-ounces of beer (5% alcohol content). – 8-ounces of malt liquor (7% alcohol content). – 5-ounces of wine (12% alcohol content). – 1.5-ounces of 80-proof (40% alcohol content) distilled spirits or liquor (e.g., gin, rum, vodka, whiskey). 4

4. What is excessive drinking? Excessive drinking includes binge drinking, heavy drinking, and any drinking by pregnant women or people younger than age 21. Binge drinking, the most common form of drinking, is defined as consuming – For women, 4 or more drinks during a single occasion. – For men, 5 or more drinks during a single occasion. Heavy drinking is defined as consuming – For women, 8 or more drinks per week. – For men, 15 or more drinks per week.

5. How does alcohol affect the body?

6. Alcohol use and your health Drinking too much can harm your health. Excessive alcohol use led to approximately 88,000 deaths and 2.5 million years of potential life lost (YPLL) each year in the United States from 2006 – 2010, shortening the lives of those who died by an average of 30 years. Excessive drinking was responsible for 1 in 10 deaths among working-age adults aged 20-64 years. The economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in 2006 were estimated at $223.5 billion, or $1.90 a drink.

7. Short-Term Health Risks Excessive alcohol use has immediate effects that increase the risk of many harmful health conditions. These are most often the result of binge drinking and include the following: – Injuries, such as motor vehicle crashes, falls, drownings, and burns. 6,7 – Violence, including homicide, suicide, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence. – Alcohol poisoning, a medical emergency that results from high blood alcohol levels. – Risky sexual behaviors, including unprotected sex or sex with multiple partners. These behaviors can result in unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. – Miscarriage and stillbirth or fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) among pregnant women.

8. What is alcohol poisoning? Alcohol poisoning is the potentially fatal result of drinking excessive amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. It is caused by alcohol slowing down the body's functions (for example, breathing, heart rate, and gag reflex), thereby potentially leading to choking, coma, stopped breathing, stopped heart, and death. Treatment involves getting the person to the hospital immediately so he or she can be closely watched by medical professionals, given oxygen and fluids, and so that other measures can be taken in order to prevent choking, as well as stopped breathing or heartbeat.

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11. Long-Term Health Risks Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to the development of chronic diseases and other serious problems including: – High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems. – Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, and colon. – Learning and memory problems, including dementia and poor school performance. – Mental health problems, including depression and anxiety. – Social problems, including lost productivity, family problems, and unemployment. – Alcohol dependence, or alcoholism.

12. What is Alcoholism? As defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the diagnosis of alcoholism can be made when it is determined that a negative pattern of alcohol use leading to a number of problems has been established. Those problems can include: – Needing more alcohol to get intoxicated ( tolerance ) – Difficulties that occur when the effects of alcohol wear off ( withdrawal ) – Using more alcohol or for longer time than intended – Life problems because of the use of alcohol

13. Underage Drinking Alcohol use by persons under age 21 years is a major public health problem. Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States, more than tobacco and illicit drugs, and is responsible for more than 4,300 annual deaths among underage youth. Although drinking by persons under the age of 21 is illegal, people aged 12 to 20 years drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the United States. – More than 90% of this alcohol is consumed in the form of binge drinks. – On average, underage drinkers consume more drinks per drinking occasion than adult drinkers. – In 2010, there were approximately 189,000 emergency rooms visits by persons under age 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol.

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15. Consequences of Underage Drinking Youth who drink alcohol are more likely to experience: – School problems, such as higher absence and poor or failing grades. – Social problems, such as fighting and lack of participation in youth activities. – Legal problems, such as arrest for driving or physically hurting someone while drunk. – Physical problems, such as hangovers or illnesses. – Unwanted, unplanned, and unprotected sexual activity. – Disruption of normal growth and sexual development. – Physical and sexual assault. – Higher risk for suicide and homicide. – Alcohol-related car crashes and other unintentional injuries, such as burns, falls, and drowning. – Memory problems. – Abuse of other drugs. – Changes in brain development that may have life-long effects. – Death from alcohol poisoning.