What About
Alcohol?
Astounding Discoveries
About Alcoholism
It has only been within the last 50 years or so that science has come up with some astounding discoveries about the addiction problem of alcoholism. If things continue on at their present rate we can soon expect that today's alarming statistics will go completely out of bounds. Alcoholic beverages are now used by 65% of the United States population. Many, if not most, of the people causing automobile accidents are "under the influence."
It is reported that most drowning victims have been drinking some form of alcoholic beverage prior to their fatal accident.
Alcohol is directly related to crime.
Millions of dollars are spent in taxes, lawsuits, and hospital care as a result of alcohol consumption.
According to the Illinois Church Action on Alcoholic Problems, alcohol is the No. 1 cause of death among persons from 15 to 24 years of age.
The National Council of Alcoholism, says at least 10% of the U.S. work force has a serious drinking problem which costs industry $43 Billion annually in lost productivity.
Alcoholics lead U.S. In
Suicides
Alcoholics have a suicide rate 6 to 15 times greater than the general population, while alcohol ranks second only to Alzheimer's disease as a cause of mental deterioration in adults.
The Department of Health and Human Services said that although one-third of American adults do not drink,the other two-thirds consume enough alcohol for every person in the country over the age of 14 to annually have 591 cans of beer, 115 bottles of wine or 35 fifths of wiskey.
What Alcohol does in
the body
Alcohol is a carbohydrate--that is, it is made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen with a certain proportion and arrangement of molecules that differentiate it from other carbohydrates. Alcohol acts in the body the way gasoline acts in an automobile engine. The gasoline is burned to provide heat and power but it contributes nothing to the maintenance and growth of the engine. Alcohol acts as a fuel, not as a food. Alcohol is a depressant. The impression of a stimulating effect after a small amount of alcohol is the result of the temporary lift in the blood sugar. But this is followed by a sharp decline if drinking is continued. A drink dilates the tiny blood vessels at the surface of the skin, bringing with the increased amount of blood a sensation of warmth. But if the skin is exposed to cold while these vessels are dilated, body heat is lost and the whole body temperature goes down. Alcohol can impair resistance to many diseases and can cause undernourishment because, many drinkers lose their appetites and usually follow a program of bad nutrition.
Women and Alcohol
May 18, 1987 The U.S. News World Report wrote: "Alcohol in excess is clearly bad news. Among other things, it destroys the liver and wrecks the brain. But alcohol in moderation--surely that must be O.K. Not so, say two new studies which indicate that even small-to-moderate amounts of alcohol may cause breast cancer in women. Less than one drink every day, according to one study, could up the risk of breast cancer to 50%.
The new findings were jolting. One in eleven women can expect to develop breast cancer, and the studies seem to put alcohol squarely in the company of a host of other risk factors. Women who have 3-9 alcoholic drinks per week may face a 30% higher chance of developing breast cancer than women who didn't drink. Women who consume more than 9 drinks per week have a 60% higher risk.
Diet And Alcohol
Experiments on rats showed that those animals whose diet was deficient in vitamins developed a craving for alcohol. There is a marked prevalence of vitamin B deficiency, especially thiamine, due partly to the poor diet of the alcoholic and partly due to malabsorption of this vitamin by the impaired gastrointestinal tract. It was also discovered that when coffee and spices that people eat, such as cinnamon, pepper cloves and mustard, were fed to the rats, they would choose significantly more alcohol. There would always be an additive effect, even when low levels of coffee were used. Some of the rats became alcoholics! Then when their diets were switched to one free of coffee and spices they would leave off their alcohol and choose water just as a rat normally would.
The appetite for alcohol is encouraged by a poor diet and especially foods prepared with condiments and spices, as well as the use of tea and coffee.
Stimulating Effects
Alcohol is absorbed into the blood, principally from the small intestine. It accumulates in the blood because absorption is more rapid than oxidation and elimination. Depression of the central nervous system is an effect of alcohol. The cental nervous system is at the first stimulated. This is a deffensive response by the body to begin action to eliminate this harmful poison. Since alcohol results in central nervous system stimulation and its eventual depression, it invariably has similar affects on all bodily parts connected with the CNS and this includes everything. Especially effected is the brain and this is demonstrated in the alcoholics lack of memory, disorientation, slurred speech, etc.
Alcohol & Pregnancy
It has been known for quite some time that drinking during pregnancy can result in damage to the fetus, but now studies suggest that there is a critical period shortly after conception (about three weeks) during which the fetus is especially vulnerable.
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is currently recognized as the third leading cause of birth defects in the Western world, and its symptoms are not pretty.
A small head, short eye slits, a narrow upper lip, feet deformities, crossed eyes and mental deficiencies are among its tragically frequent scars.
So What's in beer?
Below is a partial list of chemicals,
compounds, heavy metals, etc. in beer.
Alcohols
Methanol (poison) n-propanol
Isopropanol Ethyl
Glycerol 2-MethylButanol
Sulfur Compounds
Hydrogen sulfide Mercaptans
3-Methyl-2-Butene 1-triol Mercaptan
Esters
Ethyl Acetate Ethyl Lactate
Isoamyl Lactate Ethyl Caproate
Carbonyl Comp.
Acetaldehyde Butyraldehyde
Formaldehyde Propionaldehyde
Heavy Metals
Lead Mercury
Cadmium Copper
Also: Organic spray residues
and other contaminates..
Is Alcoholism A Disease?
If It Is----
It is the only disease that is
contracted by the act of the will.
It is the only disease that
requires a license to propagate it.
It is the only disease that is
bottled and sold.
It is the only disease that requires outlets to spread it.
It is the only disease that produces revenue for the government.
It is the only disease that provokes crime.
It is the only disease that is habit forming.
It is the only disease that is spread by advertising.
It is the only disease without a germ or virus cause,
and for which there is no human corrective medicine.
W. F. Zweigle, Sr.
Whether therefore ye eat, of drink,
or whatsoever ye do, do all to the
glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
Katy Chamberlin
