According to Research in America, those living in the United States spent $219.5 billion on alcohol consumption in 2016. If you had that amount in $1 dollar bills and laid them one on top of the other, the stack would be 14,904 miles into the air. Perhaps, even more importantly drinking alcohol can destroy lives and cause health problems. If you are an American drinker, then consider these alcohol consumption-related facts as they are the latest statistics available.
Health Effects of Alcohol
There are many ways alcohol effects the body negatively. Drinking can lead to the stretching or drooping of the heart muscle often leading to heart attacks. It can also cause irregular heartbeats in long-term users. Furthermore, it can lead to liver problems along with causing the liver to produce toxic substances. Mouth, throat, liver, esophagus, and breast cancer have all been tied to drinking too much alcohol.
Deaths
According to the Centers for Disease Control, excessive drinking usually shortens a person's life by up to 30 years while about 88,000 people die of alcohol each year. A person dies of an alcohol-related death every 51 seconds in the United States.
Over 29 percent of automobile fatalities involve alcohol in some way. Every two minutes, someone is injured in a drunk driving accident. Yet, over 9 percent of people admit that they have driven drunk in the last year. Over 66 percent of people will be in a drunk driving accident within their lifetimes even if they do not drink. While ignition interlock devices like those installed by Low Cost Interlock and other ways to cut down on drunk driving are helping to push these numbers down, society has a long way to go. Drunk driving costs add up very quickly as each driver in the United States pays over $500 a year because of increased insurance costs. More motorcyclists are killed when they choose to drive drunk than those who drive a vehicle. Only 2 percent of commercial truck drivers are involved in a fatal drunk driving accident.
DUI
About 17 percent of the population has been arrested for driving under the influence. Keep in mind, however, that the average drinker admits to driving drunk up to 80 times before they get arrested. Different states handle these arrests differently, but offenders may get jail time, fines or lose their license. Up to 75 percent of people admit to having driven at least once while their license was suspended or revoked.
People between the ages of 21 and 34 account for more of these arrest than any other group. While the number of females involved in a drunk driving accident has gone up 1 percent over the last decade, the number of males involved has dropped by 24 percent. Over 5,000 pedestrians are killed annually by drunk drivers along with over 800 bicyclists. Many states make it illegal to refuse to take a breath alcohol test.
While it is legal for adults to buy alcohol, many insurance companies will help pay the cost of alcohol treatment plans. Additionally, some states have set aside funds to help people who are not covered by insurance. Regardless of what it costs you, find a way a way to get help with alcohol before it is too late. After all, you do not want to end up dead or killing someone.
