The dangers of drinking

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Most people are all too familiar with the temporary dangers of drinking: drunk dials, bar time food binges, physical hangovers, mental anguish and downright stupidity. You might head home with an empty wallet, a few pounds heavier or awake to a regrettable early morning splitting headache.

While in the moment these dangers are heavy and intense, they're usually short-lived and cured with hydration, aspirin and some self control.

When it comes to drinking, the real dangers lie in the more serious, life changing and long-term effects of alcohol. Drinking and driving might be the first one to come to mind, but addiction, liver disease, date rape and unprotected sex are all often the result of heavy nights of binge drinking over a prolonged period of time.

There's no question, Milwaukee is a city with a strong drinking culture. Collectively adapted German roots may push you to fill another stein but almost every expert maintains "moderation" is the key word when it comes to drinking.

It's Bar Month here on OnMilwaukee.com, but we'd like to make it known that we advocate taking a mature approach to drinking in moderation  -- and hope you'll consider these dangerous possibilities when choosing how much and how often to imbibe.

Drinking and Driving

Wisconsin law prevents any person with a blood alcohol level of .08 percent or higher from legally getting behind the wheel.

"We really focus on preventing drinking and driving. We aren't against drinking, we just don't want impaired people getting behind the wheel," says Lindsay Desomier of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Lawful punishment ranges from a fine of $300 and a six month license revocation for your first offense, to fees of $2,000 and jail time for your third conviction. In Wisconsin, nearly half of all traffic related deaths involve an individual with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher.

"The typical offender is a male between 21 and 45 years old. There are more crashes and more people caught in Milwaukee but that's probably a result of population statistics. We see arrests everywhere throughout the state," Desomier explains.

Just last November, The New York Times reported "People in Wisconsin are more likely than anywhere else to drive drunk, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The state has among the highest incidence of drunken driving deaths in the United States."

Addiction

As the state with more bars per capita than any other in the country, Wisconsinites are continuously faced with decisions on drinking. A culture of drinking infiltrates our sporting events, festivals, dining and nightlife. While some may see this as a good thing, there's a bad side, as well.

Wisconsin has one of the highest rates of binge drinking and alcoholism in the country. Wisconsin AA maintains an individual may be an addict when their job, health and relationships are affected by alcohol.

However, it's not quite that simple. The agency insists individual acknowledgement is central to determining addiction; addiction only exits when someone believes it to be true.

We have some of the lowest alcohol prices in the nation and as a city of breweries, it's no wonder the beer tax hasn't been raised since 1969.

Unprotected Sex

Alcohol consumption is one of the most common causes of unprotected sex. Individuals lack judgment once under the influence and as a result, unprotected sex leads to unwanted pregnancy and transmitting STDs.

The Wisconsin Department of Human Services reports that in the last 10 years, Wisconsin has seen an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases with an over 50 percent increase in cases statewide. When examining the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the country, Wisconsin ranks second for cases of gonorrhea and chlamydia.

It's impossible to make a direct connection between alcohol and sexually transmitted diseases but both STD incidence and alcohol consumption is greatest among Wisconsin residents ages 15-24.

Liver Disease

While cirrhosis of the liver can be caused by dozens of liver diseases, alcohol is one of the main triggers for liver damage and sustained scarring.

"Anybody considered a heavy drinker has about a 10-25 percent chance of developing cirrhosis of the liver; these are people who have been drinking heavily for 10 years or more," says Dee Girard of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Liver Foundation.

Even the Liver Foundation has an impossible time defining the exact qualifications of "heavy drinking." Due to the vital role of factors like environment, genetics and medical history, Girard explains the causes and resulting diagnosis are incredibly different for each individual.

"We suggest moderate drinking; no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. We aren't trying to tell you not to drink, we just hope it's done in moderation," Girard says.

Date Rape

A few of the other serious dangers of alcohol take some time to arise but drug induced date rape can occur with just one drink. The lack of reporting in date rape statistics make it difficult to analyze but the most recent statistics on sexual assault show an increase of nearly 4 percent in 2004.

"Even if alcohol is not purposely used to perpetrate a sexual assault, its presence is often taken advantage of. The extensive use of alcohol in our society and the ease at which it can be acquired make it the number one 'date-rape' drug," according to The Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault.