the dailydress project: day60: THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK!

alcohol is NOT your friend!!! in any way, shape or form!!!

You have been told of the dangers of drinking alcohol.

You have been taught how alcohol leads to bad decision making; unprotected sex and possibly an unwanted pregnancy, vehicular homicide, arrest and fines, health risks, etc ....

You have seen videos and graphic images of the effects of alcohol,

but still the allure of alcohol is great.

Alcohol is a drug,

addictive and dangerous.

And it is particularly dangerous for developing brains and bodies, meaning underage drinking is a really bad decision.

As a parent this scares me on so many levels, not only that you may be drinking and making bad choices, but that others are drinking and getting behind the wheel or feeling invincible and you are in their path.

I could write a dissertation about the quagmire which is this issue; starting with how I feel that here, in the states, we do a really bad job of teaching children, and adults, about responsible drinking.

But in lieu of a dissertation, I am going to remind you that alcohol plays with your brain, your commonsense, your sense of safe and not safe, your sense of self.

Be wary when you around people who are drinking and be SO mindful if and when you partake.

One of your responsibilities to yourself is to take care of your self; your body and your brain, and the use of, and especially the abuse of alcohol undermines and corrodes that responsibility.

So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't trust alcohol, it is NOT your friend, in any way, shape or form, and drink responsibly

DRINK RESPONSIBLY,

if you need to drink at all!!! but you really should not need to drink!!! In fact,

THINK BEFORE YOU DRINK!

Below you will find some eye opening and scary facts from www.huffingtonpost.com and https://www.niaaa.nih.gov, make sure you take a look, these are important and unnerving facts to know ... and as I always say:

knowledge is power ....

love, mom

To better educate you about the dangers of alcohol, I’ve complied 15 shocking statistics for Alcohol Awareness Month.

by Kelly Fitzgerald Writer and Sober Señorita

1. 88,000 deaths are annually attributed to excessive alcohol use. (CDC)

2. Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This amounts to one death every 51 minutes. (CDC)

3. Long-term alcohol use can cause serious health complications affecting every organ in your body, including your brain.

Additionally, it can damage your emotional stability, finances, career, impact your family, friends and the people you work with. (NCAAD)

alcohol is a depressant

4. Women who binge drink are more likely to have unprotected sex and multiple sex partners. These activities increase the risks of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. (CDC)

5. 100,000 persons die each year from alcohol-related causes: drinking and driving crashes, other accidents, falls, fires, alcohol-related homicides and suicides. (NCAAD)

6. Excessive alcohol consumption increases aggression and, as a result, can increase the risk of physically assaulting another person. (CDC)

7. Of the 3.9 million Americans who received treatment for a substance abuse problem in 2005, 2.5 million of them were treated for alcohol use. (Drug Free World)

8. Approximately 17 percent of men and 8 percent of women will be dependent on alcohol in their lifetime. (NIAAA)

remember there is alcoholism in our family

9. Because of the astounding 80,000 deaths that are related to alcohol abuse every year, alcohol abuse is the third highest cause of death in the U.S. (CDC)

10. 696,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking. (NIAAA) this breaks my heart!!!

11. Approximately 7,000 children in the U.S. under the age of 16 take their first drink every day, which is a major problem because those who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who begin at age 21. (Rehabs.com)

remember there is alcoholism in our family

12. Excessive alcohol consumption cost the United States $223.5 billion in 2006. This amounts to about $1.90 per drink, or about $746 per person. (CDC)

13. Alcoholism includes the following four symptoms: craving, loss of control, physical dependence, and tolerance. (NCADD)

remember there is alcoholism in our family

14. Teen alcohol use kills 4,700 people each year — that’s more than all illegal drugs combined. (MADD) ?!?!?!?

15. 5.3 million adults −- 36 percent of those under correctional supervision at the time -− were drinking at the time of their conviction offense. (NCADD)