Alcohol
Awareness
In This Issue:
} Why Alcohol Misuse Is Dangerous
} Counting Calories in Alcoholic Beverages
} Alcohol and Substance Abuse: Recognizing
the Symptoms
Why Alcohol Misuse Is Dangerous
Drinking alcohol in excess is a risky behavior that can have lasting
effects on your health.
Every two minutes, someone dies because of alcohol. In fact, excessive drinking is the third-leading
lifestyle-related cause of death in the U.S. Drinking alcohol is linked to more than 60 health issues.
When you drink in excess, the effects of alcohol aren’t limited to you. Your drinking can also hurt
someone else. Half of all alcohol-related deaths are due to unintentional injuries, such as from car
accidents, for example.
Excessive drinking defined
Heavy drinking and binge drinking fall under the category of “excessive drinking.”
Heavy drinking:
• More than one drink per day on average for women.
• More than two drinks per day on average for men.
Binge drinking:
• More than four drinks during one occasion (generally in a two-hour period) for women.
• More than five drinks during one occasion for men.
One drink is considered:
• 12 oz. of beer or a wine cooler
• 5 oz. of wine
• 1.5 oz. of distilled liquor (for example, vodka, rum or whiskey).
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Alcohol Awareness
Alcohol misuse can also impact other areas of your
life. It’s linked with:
• Domestic abuse and other violent behaviors
• Relationship issues
• Risky sexual behaviors
• Financial problems
• Being unproductive at work
• Accidents
A personal problem: how alcohol misuse
hurts you
When you drink alcohol, it’s quickly absorbed
from the stomach and small intestine and into
the bloodstream. The liver can only break down
(metabolize) a small amount of alcohol at a time. The
rest of the alcohol lingers in the bloodstream and
causes you to “feel drunk.” This harms the central
nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), which
is dangerous because the central nervous system
controls all functions of the body. The more alcohol
you drink at once, the greater the damage.
A public health problem: how alcohol
misuse hurts others
Excessive alcohol use hurts us all. It reaches into
every aspect of society and has an economic impact as
well. Look at the facts:
• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of
death of people under the age of 35; alcohol is
involved in more than half of these fatal crashes.
• In 2005 alone, there were more than 1.6 million
hospitalizations and 4 million emergency room
visits for alcohol-related conditions.
• Underage drinking is a huge public health problem.
• Approximately 5,000 people under age 21 die
annually from injuries caused by drinking alcohol.
The immediate effects of alcohol may include:
• Impaired judgment and inability to measure risks
• Lowered inhibitions
• Slower reaction time and reflexes
• Loss of coordination and balance
• Distorted vision
• Lapses in memory
Drinking too much alcohol over time can cause a
slew of lasting health problems, such as:
• Chronic liver disease
• Cancer
• Heart disease and stroke
• Mental health issues, such as depression
and anxiety
• Alcohol addiction
• Medical problems in unborn babies if any amount
of alcohol is consumed during pregnancy
• Alcohol poisoning, which can be deadly. This can
happen when you drink too much at once.
Be responsible
If you are 21 years of age or older and choose to
drink, do so in moderation. Women should only have
up to one drink per day, and men should only have
up to two drinks each day. It is not safe to drink any
amount of alcohol during pregnancy.
Never drink alcohol before or while driving, or when
participating in any other activities that require skill
or concentration.
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Alcohol Awareness
Counting
Calories in
Alcoholic
Beverages
If you’re counting calories,
think before taking that
next drink. It could have
more calories than your
favorite dessert.
The calorie amounts listed here are for an average size
drink. Many drinks may have even more, depending
on how big the tumbler, glass or beer mug is.
A cocktail before dinner or a glass or two of wine
with the meal is so common that some people don’t
even give it a second thought. But if you’re trying
to watch calories, here is something to think about
before you take that next alcoholic drink.
Drink
Beer (regular)
Beer (light)
Daiquiri
Eggnog
Kahlua
Long Island iced tea
Martini
Margarita
Pina colada
Screwdriver
Shot of liquor (gin, rum, vodka, whiskey)
Whiskey sour
White Russian
Wine (red or white)
This may be news to some, but alcohol has a lot of
calories, often more than the dessert you turn down.
To boot, having a drink or two before or with a meal
may actually stimulate you to eat more and take in
more calories. Researchers speculate that alcohol
increases the pleasure of eating. While “under the
influence,” it’s also more likely that you will lose your
inhibitions and indulge in foods that are less nutritious.
Without a doubt, the calories in your alcoholic drink
can affect your waistline just as the alcohol can affect
your mental functioning and physical health. But you
can enjoy small amounts of alcohol and still maintain
or even lose weight. The key? Arm yourself with
calorie facts and follow the tips below.
Amount Calories
12 oz.
150
12 oz.
100
10 oz.
300
8 oz.
350
1.5 oz.
140
10 oz.
580
6 oz.
280
8 oz.
420
10 oz.
550
8 oz.
190
1.5 oz.
100
8 oz.
375
8 oz.
500
6 oz.
120
Other facts to consider
Here are two more things to keep in mind
about alcohol:
Alcohol can cause dehydration. Make sure
to drink plenty of water when you have alcohol.
Your body is better able to process fat when it’s
properly hydrated.
Alcohol does not fill you up. Alcohol contains
calories but doesn’t typically make you full. This
still leaves plenty of room for other indulgences.
How many calories are you drinking?
Weight gain, loss or maintenance depends on
how many calories you take in. Most people are
completely unaware of how many calories are in
certain drinks. It’s easy to go overboard without
realizing it.
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Alcohol Awareness
• Drink slowly and alternate each beverage
with water or seltzer. This allows you to have
something in your hand while spacing out your
alcohol intake.
• Dilute alcohol with water, ice or seltzer. This
avoids the extra calories found in mixers, sodas
and juices.
• Trade a higher-calorie drink for a lower one.
• If you love eggnog, look for lower-calorie
versions in the supermarket.
Strategies for smart drinking
• If you drink, do so only in moderation. This
means no more than two drinks a day for men
and one drink a day for women.
• Check with your doctor before drinking
alcoholic beverages if you take any medicines
(over-the-counter or prescription) or if you have
any medical problems.
• Pay attention to the calories in alcohol. Know
your facts so you can balance your calories for
the day.
• Never drink on an empty stomach. This will
lead to faster absorption of the alcohol and even
more impaired judgment.
In the end, a smart strategy includes a plan for both
eating and drinking. With that in mind, it may be
possible to include some alcohol in your meal plan
without piling on the pounds.
Alcohol and
Substance Abuse:
Recognizing the
Symptoms
Is it time to get help? Here are some
ways to tell whether you have a
substance abuse problem.
dependent. Once you become dependent, you feel you
can’t get by without a drug or alcohol. You may:
• Use it in the morning to get yourself going
• Use it at night to fall asleep
• Need it throughout the day to steady your nerves
• Rely on it to enhance your mood
Substance abuse is something nobody likes to talk
about. But with millions of Americans wrestling with
some form of addiction, there is a need to understand
it. After all, substance abuse affects more than just the
person addicted. It affects everyone around them, too.
Lots of people are substance abusers without even
knowing it. But there are ways to tell when your
dependence on alcohol or another substance is out
of control. If you or a loved one has any of these
classic symptoms, it’s time to see a doctor or
addiction counselor.
Inability to quit. You’d like to stop but just can’t
seem to do it. You swear to yourself this is the last
time, but then it never is. Your efforts to quit always
end in failure. This is the case even when your
substance abuse makes you unhappy or gets you into
trouble. More than likely, a chemical addiction is to
blame. Stop beating yourself up and get some help.
A sense of dependency. Substance abusers often
say they need a “pick-me-up” or something to take the
edge off. This is another way of saying they’ve become
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Alcohol Awareness
Feelings of guilt or shame. Substance abusers are
often embarrassed by their behavior. You may feel
guilty and try to conceal it. You also might:
• Lie to others about your drinking or drug use
• Become angry when someone brings it up
• Steal away to use drugs or alcohol in secret
Risky behavior. Substance abuse is risky by itself. But
it sometimes leads people to do things they otherwise
wouldn’t. For instance, you may find yourself:
• Spending more than you can afford on drugs
or alcohol
• Consuming them in greater amounts
• Driving while intoxicated
• Stealing to support your habit
• Committing other kinds of crime
Asking For help
Inability to function. Substance abuse hinders
success in other ways, too. A person suffering from
addiction often:
• Gets into trouble at work
• Falls behind in school
• Has scrapes with the law
• Has more money problems
• Alienates friends and loved ones
• Has marital or relationship problems
• Abandons other interests and activities
It’s important to understand that addiction is a
physical illness, not a character flaw. It interferes with
the brain’s chemistry, which affects your mood and
behavior. Addicts who don’t seek help are not likely
to get better without it.
Help is readily available, but you have to be proactive.
To start, you have to let someone know you need
help. Don’t be ashamed to speak up, either for
yourself or a loved one. If you think a problem is
developing, tell your doctor right away. It may seem
like a hard step right now. But in the long run, you’ll
be glad you took it.
In short, it becomes hard to function on a daily basis.
As a result, you may feel your life is spinning out
of control.
©2013 United HealthCare Services, Inc.
UHCEW634020-000
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