ALCOHOL-RELATED SOCIAL PROBLEMS

Alcohol abuse is related to a variety of social problems.  These problems affect the quality of interpersonal relationships, employment stability, and the financial security of both the individual and the family.  Clearly, alcohol’s negative social consequences lower our quality of life.  In financial terms the annual cost of alcohol abuse and dependence has been estimated at more than $185 billion.

Accidents

The four leading causes of accidental deaths in the United States (motor vehicle collisions, falls, drownings, and fires and burns) have significant statistical connections to alcohol use.

Motor Vehicle Collisions

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicate that in 2001 over 17,000 alcohol-related vehicular crash deaths occurred.  This figure represented 41% of the total traffic fatalities for 2001.  Although 17,000 remains an unacceptably high figure, this total represented a 13% reduction from the nearly 20,000 alcohol-related fatalities reported in 1991.

Presently in the United States, an alcohol-related car crash fatality occurs every 30 minutes.  Every 2 minutes, an alcohol-related car crash injury happens.  An estimated 275,000 people were injured in such crashes in 2001.  In 2000, the NHTSA reported that approximately 1.5 million drivers were arrested for drunk driving, reflecting an arrest rate of 1 for every 130 licensed drivers in the United States.

Our response to drunk driving has been for all states to raise the minimum legal drinking age to 21 years.  This was accomplished in the mid-1980s.  another response was a federal law that President Clinton signed in October 2000.  This law required all states to lower their drunk driving standard to 08% BAC by October 1, 2003 or the states would risk losing federal highway funds.  Do you know if your state has enacted a .08% law? You can search the MADD website at www.madd.org to find out current .08% BAC law information.

Other programs and policies are being implemented that are designed to prevent intoxicated people from driving.  Many states have enacted zero tolerance laws to help prevent underage drinking and driving.  Also included have been efforts to educate bartenders to recognize intoxicated customers, to use off-duty police officers as observers in bars, to place police roadblocks, to develop mechanical devices that prevent intoxicated drivers from starting their cars, and to encourage people to use designated drivers.

The use of designated drivers has received some of the credit for the significant reduction in drunk driving deaths mentioned earlier.  However, there may be downside to this solution.  Some health professionals are concerned that the use of designated drivers allows the nondrivers to drink more heavily than they might otherwise.  In effect, designated drivers “enable” drinkers to be less responsible for their own behavior.  The concern is that this freedom from responsibility might eventually lead to further problems for the drinkers.  What do you think?

Falls

Many people are surprised to learn that falls are the second leading cause of accidental death in the United States.  Alcohol use increases the risk for falls.  Various studies suggest that alcohol is involved in between 18% and 53% of nonfatal falls.

Drownings

Drownings are the third leading cause of accidental death in the United States.  Studies have shown that alcohol use is implicated in 21% to 47% of these deaths.  High percentages of recreational boaters have been found to drink alcohol while boating.

Fires and Burns

Fires and burns are responsible for an estimated 5000 deaths each year in the United States, the fourth leading cause of accidental death.  This cause is also connected to alcohol use: studies indicate that half of burn victims have BACs above the legal limit.

Crime and Violence

Have you noticed that most of the violent behavior and vandalism on your campus is related to alcohol use? The connection of alcohol to crime has a long history.  Prison populations have large percentages of alcohol abusers and alcoholics: people who commit crimes are more likely to have alcohol problems than are people in the general population.  This is especially true for young criminals.  Furthermore, alcohol use has been reported in 53% to 66% of all homicides, with the victim, the perpetrator, or both found to have been drinking.  In rape situations, rapists are intoxicated 50% of the time and victims 30% of the time.

Because of the research methodological problems, pinpointing alcohol’s connection to family violence is difficult.  However, it seems clear that among a large number of families, alcohol is associated with violence and other harmful behavior, including physical abuse, child abuse, psychological abuse, and abandonment.

Suicide

Alcohol abuse has been related to large percentages of suicides.  Alcoholism plays a large role in 30% of completed suicides.  Also, alcohol use is associated with impulsive suicides rather than with premeditated ones.  Drinking is also connected with more violent and lethal means of suicide, such as the use of firearms.

For many of these social problems, alcohol use impairs critical judgement and allows a person’s behavior to quickly become reckless, antisocial, and deadly.  Because most of use wish to minimize problems associated with alcohol use, acting responsibly when we host a party is a first step in this direction.