Alcolol And The Church Series

7. It causes poverty Prov. 23:21 “for drunkards and gluttons become poor,”

B. Economic Consequences

The following statistics should be interpreted as indicators of the economic loss which follows the use of alcohol. For every $1 collected in revenue from the alcohol industry, $8 is spent on alcohol-related problems.

The 1998 estimate of the overall economic cost of alcohol abuse was $185 billion. More than 70 percent of this was attributed to lost productivity, $134.2 billion (which included illness, $87.6 billion; premature death, $36.5 billion; and crime, $10.1 billion). Other costs included health care expenditures, $26.3 billion ($7.5 billion for treatment for abuse and $18.9 billion for treatment of adverse medical consequences). Remaining expenses were property and administrative costs of vehicle crashes, $15.7 billion and criminal justice system, $6.3 billion. This economic cost is equal to about $683 yearly for every man, woman, and child in the United States.

C. Health Consequences

Alcohol affects every organ of the body.

``Alcohol affects immune, endocrine, and reproductive functions. Various cancers associated with drinking include cancers of the lip, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, tongue, lung, pancreas, and liver. Other diseases include chronic gastritis, hepatitis, hypertension, and coronary heart disease . . . More of our current college students will die of cirrhosis of the liver than will get doctorates in Business Management, and Communications combined." --Dr. Antonio Novello, Former U. S. Surgeon General

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the leading known cause of birth defects with accompanying mental retardation. These defects are entirely preventable when pregnant women do not drink. It has been calculated that over the lifetime of the FAS individual, care will amount to $1.4 million.

The ``French Paradox" of a decade ago attributed a low rate of heart disease to daily wine consumption. This has now been denied. More recent research has suggested that lowering of coronary heart disease risk may result from the effects of beverage ingredients other than the alcohol itself. There is no consensus to say that alcohol consumption in moderation is protective.

D. Social Consequences

Alcoholism is the third leading cause of death in this country after heart disease and cancer.

Alcoholism may be defined as occurring when an individual’s drinking frequently interferes with work, social life, family life, or health. There are an estimated 11.2 million adults who exhibit signs of alcoholism and an additional 7.2 million who abuse alcohol, which means roughly one out of ten adults are affected. There are 4.7 million teen alcoholics.

Chemical dependency among older adults is a growing problem. A government report stated that up to 17 percent of adults, 60 or older, have a problem with alcohol abuse. Over one-third of these developed the problem after reaching the age of 60. Factors involved include: grief over the loss of a spouse or friend, loss of a job through retirement, loss of one’s home, or dislocation of the family.