Alcohol is Killing our kids

                                          Serious Liver Damage

                      Reasons to cut down if you can't/don't want to give it up

From the A.M.A. (Australian Medical Assoc.) (Nov.2007)   

    As Schoolies Week and alcohol combine to produce tragic headlines about death and injury to young people and reports of antisocial behaviour by drunken teenagers, the AMA is calling for stronger policies to curb dangerous excess alcohol consumption.

    AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, said today that irresponsible alcohol consumption causes harm across all age groups in the community, but the senseless loss of young lives through alcohol abuse must be stopped as a priority.

    “Alcohol abuse by young people, highlighted by the culture of binge drinking, is harming the health of thousands of Australians every year,”Dr Capolingua said ...... (over 72,000 Australians hospitalised, 6,000 dead and hundreds of thousands feeling sick/ill with hangovers/ethanol poisoning etc) .

    Alcohol is second only to tobacco as a preventable cause of drug-related death and hospitalisations in Australia.

    The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) reports that alcohol abuse costs Australia $15.3 billion a year through alcohol-related crime and violence, treatment costs, loss of productivity, and premature death.

    According to the NHMRC,

.......alcohol accounts for 13 per cent of all deaths among 14-17 year old Australians.  The NHMRC estimates that one Australian teenager dies and more than 60 are hospitalised each week from alcohol-related causes.

    “The binge drinking culture is alive and well in Australia and urgent action is needed to re-educate Australians about safe levels of alcohol consumption,” Dr Capolingua said.

    “The most frightening thing is that binge drinking has hit epidemic proportions among our young people.

    “There is a disturbing acceptance, or even celebration, of excess drinking in Australia.  Many people view it as a national pastime to be proud of.

    “Young people are placing increasing social importance on how drunk they are when they go out, and young women in particular make a point of ‘keeping up’ with their male friends.

    “We have to seriously question a society where young adults start their evening by getting drunk at home so they can enjoy their night out more.

    “The drunken public behaviour of role models and celebrities, such as sporting heroes, is just helping to glamorise binge drinking in the eyes of Australians. (see Entertainment section)

    “People simply aren’t aware of the tragic consequences of binge drinking. Many people just think about their hangover the next morning (which is really acetaldehyde poisoning), and don’t consider the long-term effects like brain damage or heart disease, let alone the immediate danger they may put themselves in while they are intoxicated.”

    A study by Alcohol Related Brain Injury Australian Services indicates that two million Australians, or one in eight adults, are at risk of permanent brain damage from alcohol. (As well as the 60 medical conditions that also arise from alcohol consumption).

    Dr Capolingua said while initiatives such as the new NHMRC alcohol guidelines were helping to raise awareness of safe drinking, many public education campaigns were not effective in encouraging people to moderate their drinking.

    “Alcohol education campaigns often focus on the number of standard drinks and this doesn’t always make sense to people,” Dr Capolingua said.“People often think of the amount of alcohol they’ve consumed in terms of how many glasses they’ve had, how long they have been drinking, or how drunk they feel.  It can be difficult in a social situation to judge what a standard drink is.

    “This inconsistency in the way we refer to safe drinking levels makes it difficult to raise public awareness about alcohol-related harm. The harmful effects of alcohol abuse, including binge drinking, impact not just on the drinker, but on friends and family, the workplace, the wider community, and the health system.

“We need national public awareness campaigns that clearly and simply show the dangers of alcohol abuse, and which use language that people can easily understand.”

    Frank Soodeen, of the charity Alcohol Concern, said: "The link between alcohol misuse and ill health is well established.

    "However these figures reveal some disturbing trends. For the second year in a row, the biggest rise in deaths has been among men aged 35-54.

    "It appears that for certain younger people who've been drinking heavily for most of their lives, the consequences are beginning to show themselves at ever earlier stages.

    "It is vital that the government finally starts investing more in alcohol treatment to help problem drinkers address these issues before the situation becomes irretrievable."

    Dr Christopher Record, a liver disease consultant based in Newcastle, said: "There is terrific pressure in society for people to drink. Those that don't drink are considered to be freaks and abnormal.

    "But the main reason why, we are drinking more is alcohol is too cheap. Alcohol now is 50% less expensive that it was 25 years ago and, needless to say, consumption has gone up by 50% pro rata."

    Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians, was particularly concerned by the rise in deaths among women.

    "My colleagues and I are certainly seeing more women with serious liver damage than ever before in our clinics," he said. (see picture - liver cirrhosis)

    Sarah Matthews, of the British Liver Trust, said that a major part of the problem was that alcohol was cheap, readily available and glamorised by celebrities.

    "The government desperately needs to take a tougher approach with the alcohol and retail industry, clamping down on cheap promotions and irresponsible advertising - particularly before the 9pm watershed.

    "Clear and effective health warnings on alcohol like 'alcohol kills' would also help in raising awareness of the damage that alcohol can have."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7208676.stm

The drug Ethanol/Ethyl Alcohol has been proven

……to kill!  (Latest stats by the Health Dept. were 6,000 in one year)

……to cause tens of thousands of people to be hospitalised each year in Australia alone

……to create a brain disorder called Amygdaloid Syndrome.

……to cause Psychosis.   

……to exacerbate schizophrenia.

……to cause liver cirrhosis.

……to cause liver failure.

……to cause alcoholic hepatitis.

……to cause pancreatitis.

……to cause kidney disease.

……to cause kidney failure.

The drug Ethanol has been proven

……to cause and aggravate diabetes.

……to cause amnesia.

……to cause irreparable central nervous system damage.

……to cause foetal alcohol syndrome and foetal alcohol effects.

.……to cause brain damage.

……to cause Dementia.

……to cause unconsciousness and coma.

……to cause cancers of various kinds.

The Drug Ethanol/Ethyl Alcohol

……has been proven to cause heart failure and heart problems.

….. .proven to cause aggressiveness.

……to cause violent outbursts.

….. .to cause Pelegra and contributes to anaemia. (Pelegra is recognised by the four D’s -. Diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia and death. Pelegra is a niacin deficiency).

…….to cause an increase in dental problems.

…….to cause anti-social personality disorder (ASPD).

…….to cause delirium tremens (D.T’s)

…….to cause dehydration (diuretic).

…….to cause vitamin deficiencies.

…….to cause anxiety disorders.

The Drug Ethanol/Ethyl Alcohol                 

…..has been proven to cause ethanol poisoning.

…..has been proven to assist in obesity.

…..has been proven to be instrumental in 45% of car accidents.

…..has been proven to be instrumental in 40% of boating accidents.

…..has been proven to be a factor in 40% of child abuse cases (and this is on the rise).

…..has been proven to be a factor in 74% of domestic violence (and rising).

.....has been proven to be a factor in 84% of street and pub/club assaults

…..has been proven to be a major factor in sexual assault statistics.

…..has been proven to cause addiction and dependence.

…..has been proven to be a drug of abuse

Add to that the 'pot belly' that many men get from consuming alcohol and you have quite a lot of reasons why (you or someone you know) should cut right down or even give up completely.

The key is to (as we are constantly being told...unfortunately in such tiny letters that people can't even read it most of the time) - (altering it slightly to make it factual) -

                                  "Consume the DRUG ethyl alcohol responsibly".

We'd also like to add: -    "KNOW YOUR DRUG" (regardless of which one). Find out everything you can about it so that you can then make an informed choice, and minimise any harm there is/ may be/ could perhaps be.