Alcoholism is defined as an addiction to alcoholic beverages or the mental illness resulting from alcohol dependency. Statistics show that over 100,000 people die each year from alcohol-related causes, with three in four alcohol poisoning deaths involving people ages 35 to 64. Signs of alcohol abuse include health problems caused or worsened by drinking, injuries while drinking, and an inability to control drinking amounts. Resources for help include counseling services and support groups.

1. ALCOHOLISM
DANIELLE SORENSON

2. DEFINITION
• an addiction to the consumption of alcoholic liquor or the mental illness and
compulsive behavior resulting from alcohol dependency.

3. STATISTICS
• Three in four alcohol poisoning deaths involve adults ages 35 to 64 and most deaths occur
among men.
• 100,000 people die each year from alcohol-related causes: drinking and driving crashes, other
accidents, falls, fires, alcohol-related homicides and suicides.
• Alcoholism was identified as a contributing factor in the deaths of 30 percent of those who died
from alcohol poisoning from 2010 to 2012.
• The group with the most alcohol poisoning deaths per million people is American Indians/Alaska
Natives.
• Alcohol abuse is the third highest cause of death in the in the U.S. (due to its link to alcohol-
related deaths.)
• Prevalence of Drinking: According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
(NSDUH), 86.4 percent of people ages 18 or older reported that they drank alcohol at some
point in their lifetime; 70.1 percent reported that they drank in the past year; 56.0 percent
reported that they drank in the past month.

4. SYMPTOMS
Signs of alcohol abuse:
• Your friends or family members are
worried about your drinking.
• You keep drinking even though you
have health problems that are caused
or made worse by alcohol use, such
as liver disease.
• You get hurt or you hurt someone
else when you are drinking.
Signs of alcohol addiction:
• You cannot quit drinking or control
how much you drink.
• You need to drink more to get the
same effect.
• You have withdrawal symptoms when
you stop drinking. These include
feeling sick to
your stomach, sweating, shakiness,
and anxiety.
• You have given up other activities so
you can drink.

5. RESOURCES/SUPPORT
• Coulee Council on Addictions
http://www.couleecouncil.org
• Alanoclubs http://alanoclubs.org
• Counseling Associates, LLC.
http://www.counselingassociateslacrosse.com

6. STRATEGIES
Important messages for children of addicted parents to hear include:
• Alcoholism/drug dependency is a sickness.
• You can’t make it better.
• You deserve help for yourself.
• You are not alone.
• There are safe people and places that can help. k There is hope.
• http://nacoa.org/wp-
content/uploads/2016/01/pdf/9a722892fce516a1d9ce1c3f4bb0df1f-EDkit-web-06.pdf

7. VIDEOS
• How an alcoholic parent effects a child:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2aMVBTknGU
• How to deal with an alcoholic parent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bMwDq1wXXQ

8. SOURCES
• https://talbottcampus.com/2015-alcoholism-statistics/
• https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-
consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics
• http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/alcohol-abuse-and-
dependence-symptoms