General Facts

• About 2/3 of the people in the United States drink alcohol. Of those who drink, one in 10 will become alcohol-dependent, or about 14 million people.
• Only a small amount of alcohol is needed to inhibit one's ability to drive safely. Driving while impaired reduces drivers' judgement and reaction time while increasing their risk-taking.
• North Carolina drivers can be arrested for driving with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent.
• People can become addicted to alcohol from consuming any alcoholic beverage.
• Beer, wine, and spirits all contain ethyl alcohol (ethanol) as a product of fermentation in the manufacturing process.
• Beer is made by steeping, boiling, and fermenting ingredients such as malts and hops.
• Alcohol depresses nerve cells in the brain and body. Stimulation occurs to compensate for the imbalance. Thus, low doses of alcohol cause people to feel high, while higher doses cause sedation and sleepiness.
• There are more than 150 medications that should not be mixed with alcohol.
• Alcohol contributes to more than 100,000 deaths annually.
• U.S. Department of Justice statistics show that underage consumption of alcohol costs taxpayers $58 billion annually as a result of traffic crashes, violent crimes, burns, drownings, suicide attempts, alcohol poisoning, and alcohol abuse treatment costs.
• In 1999, the average American drank 32 gallons of beer compared to 51 gallons of soft drinks, 24 gallons of milk, and 26 gallons of coffee. (US Census Bureau).
• Long-term, heavy alcohol use is the leading cause of illness and death from liver disease in the U.S. (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism).
• In 1996, about 2 million (38%) of the estimated 5.3 million convicted offenders under the jurisdiction of corrections agencies were drinking at the time of the offense. (Bureau of Justice Statistics).
• Recent advertising expenditures in the United States for beer, wine, and liquor combined ($1.4 billion) totaled about 20 times the amount spent on milk ads ($70.5 million). A total of $910.4 million was spent on beer ads, $135.2 million on wine ads, and $377 million on liquor ads. (Adams Business Research).

« this page last modified 10/28/05 »