Alcoholism Facts

If you do not know a lot about alcohol abuse, addiction, and dependency, you should realize first and foremost that it is treatable. The following alcoholism facts and statistics will help you understand while this is such a destructive and devastating disease:

• Alcohol abuse, addiction, and dependency costs the US over $230 billion every year which is more than the cost of cancer ($200+ billion) and obesity ($137 billion)
• There are more than 100,000 deaths recorded annually in the US that are associated with alcohol
• Nearly 50% of all fatal vehicular accidents are associated with alcohol
• The more educated the individual is about alcoholism, the less likely they are to start drinking alcohol
• The more affluent (wealthy) an individual is, the greater the likelihood that they will start drinking
• Everyday, over 11,000 teenagers drink alcohol for the first time
• The cost of alcoholism in the US averages between $40 billion and $60 billion dollars every year
• According to the CDC, 64% of all Americans have consumed alcohol at some point in their lives while nearly 50% are considered as being “regular” drinkers

Because of the above, the CDC and other health organizations including numerous medical professionals look at alcoholism as a serious public health threat.

Addiction Alcohol: The Physical Price

Prolonged addiction to or dependency upon alcohol can lead to numerous physical problems such as certain cancers, cirrhosis of the liver, epileptic seizures, heart disease, nutritional deficiencies, pancreatitis, and sexual dysfunction. In more severe cases, alcoholism can cause damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems. Aside from dementia, severe cognitive problems and other psychological problems can develop from prolonged alcohol abuse, addiction, and dependency.

Mental Effects

Where psychological issues are concerned, about 25% of alcoholics suffer from severe psychiatric disturbances. The most prevalent of these are anxiety and depression. During the withdrawal stage, these psychiatric conditions usually worsen. However, there is normally noticeable improvement with continued abstinence during the recovery period. In addition to this, dementia results in about 10% of all alcoholics because of the damage it does to the brain which makes it the second most significant cause of the disorder.

Alcoholism Treatment at Freedom Treatment Center

The Freedom Treatment Center offers some of the most effective and successful alcohol addiction treatment and recovery programs in the US. If you or a loved one is suffering with alcohol abuse, addiction, and dependency issues, you should talk with one of our addiction specialists today. We can assist you with a rehab program that will effectively addresses your personal needs so that you can overcome your addiction and return home to your community to live a normal, substance-free life.

Please call the Freedom Center at the toll-free phone number listed at the top of this page for further assistance and to answer all of your questions.