Did you know that excessive alcohol consumption is the cause of 80,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)? Did you also know that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to the following immediate and long-term effects?:
- Injuries and death resulting from alcohol poisoning and alcohol-related car accidents, violence, and sexual assault
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Liver disease
- Several types of cancer
- Neurological, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, psychiatric, and social problems
If not, there’s no better time to increase your awareness of alcohol and the consequences of its abuse than in the month of April, or Alcohol Awareness Month, a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of alcoholism, underage drinking, and the health and social problems caused by excessive alcohol consumption.
Sponsored in part by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Alcohol Awareness Month was founded by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) in 1987 in an effort to raise alcohol awareness, remove the stigma surrounding alcoholism, and encourage those affected by alcoholism to seek help.
As part of Alcohol Awareness Month, NCADD asks every individual in the country to go three days without alcohol during the first weekend of April to raise awareness of alcohol use and its effects on individuals, families, businesses, and communities. The 72-hour experiment can be an eye opener for some individuals and families, and those who find the task difficult are encouraged to seek help.
In honor of Alcohol Awareness Month, participate in Alcohol-Free Weekend (April 5-7) and other alcohol awareness-related events coming up throughout the month, educate yourself on alcoholism and the consequences of alcohol misuse, and raise awareness with the help of this handy toolkit for Alcohol Awareness Month 2013.