- Alcoholism is a disease in which five or more standard drinks are frequently consumed per occasion for men, and more than four for women.
- The average start of alcohol consumption in Mexico is at 17.9 years.
- According to the WHO, 3 million deaths are reported annually worldwide as a result of the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
The prolonged and frequent consumption of alcohol generates more than 200 health problems. Within the list there are mental and behavioral disorders, dementia, depression, anxiety, intoxication, liver, stomach, cerebrovascular, cardiovascular, diabetes and hypertension diseases.
It can also cause involuntary trauma, premature disability, anemia, impaired sexual function, cancer of the digestive tract, mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon and rectum, breast, and brain level.
Adjacently, alcoholism is associated with sexually transmitted diseases due to risky practices, traffic accidents, violent behavior, vandalism, problems with authority, suicide and miscarriages, among others.
The National Health and Nutrition Survey (Ensanut) points out that in Mexico the average age of initiation of alcohol consumption is 17.9 years. Men start at 16.7 and women at 19.2. The first contact with these drinks is between friends or at home, said the director of the National Office for the Control of Alcohol and Tobacco, in the National Commission against Addictions (Conadic), Carlos Gamez Espinoza.
How is alcoholism defined?
The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that Alcoholism is a disease in which five or more standard drinks are frequently consumed per occasion for men, and more than four for women.
He also specified that the Telephone Service Center, Life Line 800 911 2000, provides specialized advice to the entire population, including girls, boys, and adolescents, on the prevention and treatment of the consumption of psychoactive substances.
In this regard, the deputy director of the Conadic Life Line, Alexiz Bojorge Estrada, announced that in 2021, 81,738 calls were received and 50,087 people were attended. During 2022, support has been provided to 68,299 people. Of the total, 37 percent have been due to problems with alcohol consumption.
Alcohol is the starting substance in the consumption of psychoactive products in people between the ages of 15 and 20, especially men. 43 percent of people identify that it is to feel better, 26 percent to relax, 13 percent to socialize and 18 percent for other reasons.
In this regard, the coordinator of the Addictive Disorders Clinic of the National Institute of Psychiatry “Ramón de Fuente Muñiz”, Diana Pérez Molina, announced that the organism’s tolerance to alcoholic beverages depends on the quantity, the degree of alcohol, the time elapsed between one intake and another, sex and body weight. The concentration in the blood could last up to six hours after the last drink.
Eliminate alcohol consumption
He warned that the ideal is not to consume alcohol. Otherwise, it is essential to eat food before, extend up to an hour per drink, not mix with medications or psychoactive substances, nor ingest different types of intoxicating drinks on occasion.
Both specialists agreed that intoxicating substances are highly addictive, especially in those who have a genetic predisposition to consume them. Likewise, advertising, friendships and social networks influence.
The WHO reports that in the world Approximately three million deaths are recorded each year as a result of alcohol consumption, which represents 5.3 percent of deaths; and 5.1 percent of morbidity and injuries.
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