Note Card #4

http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-sub-display?id=SMD0067H-0-1140&res=Y&ren=N&gov=N&lnk=N&ic=N&keyno=0000000932&leadiss=Y&auth_checked=Y

- Alcoholism has been an issue since earliest recorded history
- Two amendments to the Constitution have dealt with alcohol in the United States.
- Drinking has become less socially acceptable in recent years as people in general have become more health conscious.
- Alcohol abuse takes a huge toll on society, through automobile crashes, crime (especially violent crimes), child and spousal abuse, reduced workplace productivity and illness.
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive alcohol use is the third leading lifestyle-related cause of death in America
- Statistics from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reveal that every year from 2002 to 2006, nearly 19 million people ages 12 and up were classified with a dependence on or abuse of alcohol.