REVIEW: Alcohol extracts a heavy price on personal health. This goes for teens as well as adults. Young people who grow up in non-alcoholic homes are less likely to have problems with alcohol when they reach adulthood. The example of a parent can make a big difference.
Most Abused Drug
Alcohol is not just a problem for young people; it’s the greatest drug problem in the world for all ages. In the United States it’s second only to tobacco on the list, “Most Deadly Drugs.”
Despite the dangers, everyone in our society comes into contact with alcoholic beverages. If nothing else, we are exposed to commercials on television singing the praises of one brew after another.
Nutrition
Throughout these health columns, we have urged you to avoid highly refined products that are high in calories but low in nutrition. Alcohol certainly falls into this category. With every gram of alcohol containing 7 calories, it comes in calorie-density right after fat, which carries 9 calories per gram. And those calories add up fast: Two cans of beer, for example, carry 300 calories; two jiggers of 100 proof whiskey, 250 calories; two glasses of dessert wine pack 280 calories—and they are all empty calories, providing none of the nutrients your body requires.
For men, alcohol accounts for 4 percent of the calories in the American diet. No wonder we are overfed and undernourished.
Your Challenge
If you use alcohol, then consider making this the “ban the booze” week at your house. You should be able to get through it without any sort of urge or discomfort.
If you can’t, you need to seriously consider who is the master: you or the alcohol. If you can get through the week with no problems, why not quit altogether? It will help keep your weight under control, improve your nutrition, and set a good example for the young people in your life.
Alcohol, Deaths and Young People
Young people ages 14 to 24 account for more than 8,000 alcohol-related fatalities—about a third of the annual total.
Those Lost Years
Someone wisely said: “When you’re a teenager, it’s hard to think of time ever being short; it’s hard to realize what a precious commodity time is.”