April is Alcohol Awareness Month

By not drinking too much, you can reduce the risk of short- and long-term health risks.

Did you know that drinking too much can harm your health? Excessive alcohol use, including underage drinking and binge drinking, can lead to increased risk of health problems such as injuries, violence, liver disease, and cancer.

Each April since 1987, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) has sponsored Alcohol Awareness Month to increase public awareness and understanding, reduce stigma, and encourage local communities to focus on alcoholism and alcohol-related issues.

Texas Drunk Driving Statistics

Alcohol abuse continues to be a major problem in the state of Texas and is the primary drug of abuse in the state. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 28 percent of people admitted to publicly funded substance abuse treatment centers needed treatment for alcohol addiction.³

Impaired driving while under the influence of alcohol is a leading factor in deaths on roadways in the state. About every 20 minutes in Texas, a person is hurt or killed in a crash involving alcohol.⁴ Here are a few other sobering statistics about drunk driving in Texas:

• According to the CDC, 17 percent of adults in Texas report binge drinking or heavy drinking and 30 percent of driving deaths involve alcohol.⁵
• In 2015, 362 people in Harris County were killed by drunk drivers.⁶
• In 2016, there were 1,438 drunk driving deaths in the state of Texas and 987 people died as a result of DUI crashes.^7,8
• In the state of Texas, sobriety checkpoints are not allowed, but a higher percentage of people in Texas (2.1 percent) report driving after drinking too much, in comparison to the national average (1.9 percent).⁹

If you are concerned about someone else’s drinking, offer to help.

Resources

If you would like to learn more, here are a few additional resources to take a look at:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
• Alcohol Awareness Council
• The Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources
• https://www.starliterecovery.com/
• https://www.warriorsheart.com/
• https://www.lahacienda.com/
• http://www.celebritycare.com/

To spread the word and prevent alcohol abuse in our community, My Urgent Care is joining other organizations across the country to honor Alcohol Awareness Month.

References:https://hillcountrydetox.com/blog/substance-abuse-trends-texas/