1,001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*t Out of You: The Ultimate Bathroom Reader (58 page)

425

FACT :
About
60 percent of American children
aged three to eleven years— nearly 22 million youth—are exposed to secondhand smoke.
Hey, nobody told them to inhale.

“The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2006,
www.surgeongeneral.gov
.

426

FACT :
Recent national surveys show that more than half of the American adult population drank in the past month, while 5 percent drank heavily (two drinks per day on average for men or one drink per day or more for women) and
15 percent of the population binge drank
(five drinks or greater in one night for men or four or greater for women).
Three days of consecutive binge drinking is defined as a “bender.”

“Alcohol and Public Health,”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, September 3, 2008,
www.cdc.gov
.

427

FACT :
Long-term
excessive alcohol use
can lead to cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon, and breast; dementia; stroke; neuropathy; myocardial infarction; cardiomyopathy; atrial fibrillation; hypertension; depression; anxiety; suicide; unemployment; lost productivity; and family crisis.
Is that all? So what’s the big deal?

“Alcohol and Public Health,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, September 3, 2008,
www.cdc.gov
.

“Quick Stats: General Information on Alcohol Use and Health,” Centers for Disease Control, Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, August 6, 2008,
www.cdc.gov
.

428

FACT :
From 2001 to 2005, about 79,000 deaths occurred each year from excessive use of alcohol (heavy and/or binge drinking),
the third most prevalent lifestyle-related cause of death
each year in the United States.
The good news: whenever a heavy drinker dies, there’s always someone willing to step in and pick up his slack.

“Alcohol and Public Health,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, September 3, 2008,
www.cdc.gov
.

429

FACT :
Excessive alcohol use, either as heavy drinking or binge drinking,
can result in increased health problems
, like liver disease, psychological disorders, unintentional injuries, and more.
Death is another increased health problem caused by heavy drinking.

“Alcohol-Attributable Deaths Report, Average for United States 2001–2005,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,
https://apps.nc
cd .cdc.gov.

430

FACT :
More than half of alcohol-attributed deaths from 2001 to 2005
were from acute causes
, including motor vehicle accidents (almost 14,000 deaths), homicide (7,787), suicides (7,235), and injuries from falls (5,532).
Alcohol-related injuries and deaths are often preceded by someone yelling, “Hey, everybody, watch this!”

“Alcohol-Attributable Deaths Report, Average for United States 2001–2005,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,
www.cdc.gov
.

431

FACT :
From 1995 to 2002, new heroin users ranged from
121,000 to 164,000
each year, most of them males over eighteen.
The late ’90s were hard on everyone.

“Research Report Series—Heroin Abuse and Addiction,” National Institute on Drug Abuse, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, July 22, 2008,
www.nida.nih.gov
.

432

FACT :
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2003 estimated that
3.7 million people
had used heroin at some point in their lifetime, 314,000 used it in the year leading up to the survey, and 119,000 used it within a month.
Not me, though.

I’m working, and it’s hard enough sober.

“Research Report Series— Heroin Abuse and Addiction,” National Institute on Drug Abuse, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, July 22, 2008,
www.nida.nih.gov
.