Alcohol Use and Your Health

Drinking too much can harm your health. Excessive use leads to about 88,000 deaths in the United States each year, and shortens the life of those who die by almost 30 years. Further, excessive drinking cost the economy $249 billion in 2010. Most excessive drinkers are not alcohol dependent.

What is considered a “drink”? U.S. Sizes (examples: gin, rum, vodka, whiskey)

12 ounces 8 ounces 5 ounces 1.5 ounces 5% beer 7% malt liquor 12% 40% (80 proof) distilled spirits Excessive alcohol use includes:

Binge Drinking Heavy Drinking Any alcohol used by Any alcohol used by pregnant women those under the age For women, 4 or more drinks For women, 8 or more drinks of 21 years consumed on one occassion per week

For men, 5 or more drinks For men, 15 or more drinks consumed on one occassion per week

If you choose to drink, do so in moderation:

FOR WOMEN, up FOR MEN, up to to 1 drink a day 2 drinks a day

DON’T DRINK AT ALL if you are under the age of 21, or if you are or NO ONE should begin drinking may be pregnant, or have health or drink more frequently based problems that could be made worse on potential health benefits. by drinking.

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Division of Population Health

CS246270 Excessive alcohol use has immediate effects that increase the risk of many harmful health conditions. These are most often the result of . Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to the development of chronic diseases and other serious problems.

Short-Term Health Risks Injuries • Motor vehicle crashes • Falls • Drownings • Burns Violence • Homicide • Suicide • Sexual assault • Intimate partner violence Alcohol poisoning Reproductive health • Risky sexual behaviors • Unintended pregnancy Long-Term • Sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV • Miscarriage Health Risks • Stillbirth Chronic diseases • Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) • High blood pressure • Heart disease • Stroke • Liver disease • Digestive problems Cancers • Breast • Mouth and throat • Liver • Colon Learning and memory problems • Dementia • Poor school performance Mental health • Depression • Anxiety Social problems • Lost productivity • Family problems • Unemployment

http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm

Sobering Facts: in SOUTH DAKOTA

ALCOHOL-INVOLVED DEATHS Persons Killed in Crashes Involving a Drunk Driver†

Keep South Dakota safe. Number of Deaths, 2003−2012 Keep drunk drivers off the road. 537 people were killed in crashes involving This fact sheet provides a a drunk driver in South Dakota snapshot of alcohol-involved deaths and drunk driving Rate of Deaths by Age (per 100,000 population), 2012 and an overview of proven strategies to reduce or NATIONAL 6.7 SOUTH DAKOTA prevent drunk driving. The 5.7 information can help local public health decisionmakers 3.1 3.3 and community partners see gaps and identify relevant 1.3 strategies to address the    problem of drunk driving. 0-20 21-34 35+ All ages Rate of Deaths by Gender (per 100,000 population), 2012 Fast Facts Male Female • Drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or 5.2 1.5 higher (i.e., drunk drivers) are 7.4  considered alcohol-impaired †Deaths in crashes involving a driver with BAC ≥ 0.08%. by law. Source: Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). • About one in three traffic deaths Fatality rates based on fewer than 20 deaths are suppressed. in the United States involve a DRUNK DRIVING drunk driver. Percentage of Adults Who Report Driving After Drinking Too Much • Thanks to dedicated efforts, (in the past 30 days) rates of drunk driving and alcohol-involved fatal crashes NATIONAL SOUTH DAKOTA have gone down in recent years. • Still, drunk drivers got behind the 1.9% 2.5% wheel millions of times in 2010. report driving after report driving after • These data show what’s drinking too much drinking too much happening in your state. Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2012.

Working together, we can help keep people safe on the road—every day.