Alcohol Addiction -- What You Do Not Know

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Alcohol is a legal drug consumed by millions of people worldwide and has been for centuries. It's the only legal drug that has the benefit of commercial advertising that makes it an acceptable indulgence as long as you "drink responsibility." Still glorified in film and television it's one of the most accessible substances for anyone to obtain. Alcohol addiction is an actual medical illness and alcohol recovery is a very difficult process that not everyone has success with. These are things most of us know about alcoholism.  Mark Houston Recovery knows addiction because we've all been in that situation. We also know that because alcohol is so easily accessible overcoming this addiction is very hard to do. But it's not impossible. Mark Houston Recovery can help you make this recovery a possibility.

What You May Not Know About Alcohol Addiction

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism an actual "drink" is equal to

• 1 12-ounce bottle of beer or wine cooler
• 1 5-ounce glass of wine
• 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.

Five ounces. That's all it takes to get started. When is the last time you saw a 5-ounce wine glass? Many people may know that alcohol can cause birth defects if consumed by pregnant women. What they don't know is that scientists  can't actually pinpoint how much alcohol it takes to cause an alcohol-related birth defect so even a small amount of alcohol during pregnancy is damaging.  The warnings about not taking medicine with alcohol isn't just a warning it's a medical fact. Depending on the medicine, the effects can be devastating if not deadly. At last count, there were at least 150 different medications that when mixed with alcohol, produces a negative effect.

In terms of long term medical effect, it's common knowledge that alcoholism can lead to liver disease -- but it can also lead to caner (certain types), heart disease, and pancreatitis. Certainly there may be genetic issues that could also cause these medical problems but alcohol abuse can be directly linked to them as well.  Lastly one of the most common misconceptions is how much alcohol it takes to impair someone's driving. The assumption is that since most states have the driving limit of more than a .08 or .10 percent Blood Alcohol Concentration level (BAC) a couple of beers won't matter, But two beers can produce a BAC of .04 percent in a male of average weight. In fact a mere 0.02 percent is all it takes to affect the human body. Studies and tests have shown even with this minimal amount of alcohol in your body simple driving skills can be impaired enough to cause an accident. Two beers.

The Struggle To Fight Alcohol Addiction Continues

With that much information it's hard to imagine why alcohol addiction is still such problem. It's seems almost that will all of the issues that lead to alcoholism how can people become addicted? Is there an answer? What are we missing? Scientists and doctors continue to search for the answers things like how he risk for alcoholism can be inherited and if there are actual health benefits to moderate consumption of alcohol. Mark Houston Recovery will continue its efforts as well, to helping you on the road to recovery and to living a better life.