Alcohol use and safe drinking

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Alcohol use involves drinking beer, wine, or hard liquor.

See also:

• Alcohol and diet
• Alcoholism
• Alcohol withdrawal state

Beer consumption; Wine consumption; Hard liquor consumption

People have been drinking alcoholic beverages since prehistoric times. The discovery of the distillation process during the 12th century made it possible to make drinks with higher alcohol content (hard liquor) than can be achieved by fermentation alone.

Alcoholic drinks have different amounts of alcohol in them -- beer is about 5% alcohol, wine is usually 12 - 15% alcohol, and hard liquor is about 45% alcohol.

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Alcohol and caffeine are the two most widely used drug substances in the world. Alcohol use is not only an adult problem. Most American high school seniors have consumed an alcoholic drink within the past month, despite the fact that the legal drinking age is 21 years old in the U.S.

About 20% of teens are "problem drinkers." This means that they:

• Get drunk
• Have accidents related to alcohol use
• Get into trouble with the law, family members, friends, school, or dates due to alcohol

Studies have shown that up to 6% of teens in the United States can be considered dependent or abusing alcohol. This means they have withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop or reduce their drinking, and they drink compulsively despite negative consequences.

A person's alcohol use is primarily influenced by attitudes developed during the childhood and teen years. It is impacted by:

• Family relationships
• Parents' attitudes and behaviors toward drinking
• Peer influence
• Society

There is likely a genetic (hereditary) tendency to alcohol use-related disorders.

THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL

Alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream quickly. The absorption rate depends on the amount and type of food in your stomach. For example, high-carbohydrate and high-fat foods lessen the absorption rates. A carbonated alcoholic drink, like champagne, will be absorbed faster than a non-carbonated drink.