| There are a few misconceptions about alcoholism | | | | People who were divorced or separated were usually |
| fact. Many people have been suffering from years of | | | | under stress. They were also often trying to look for |
| alcoholism because they do not know the statistics. A | | | | mates in social settings that involved alcohol. The rate |
| look at alcoholism fact is good for anyone who wishes | | | | for them was 10%. Married people had a lower rate, |
| to know more about the disease. | | | | with only 4.6% being alcoholics. The good alcoholism |
| People have widely varying ideas of how prevalent | | | | fact was that only 1.3% of widowed people were |
| alcoholism is. Some think "everyone is an alcoholic; why | | | | alcoholics. |
| should I be any different?" Others think the problem is | | | | Another alcoholism fact is that there seems to be a |
| rare and that the people who fall victim are just the | | | | relationship between emergency room visits and |
| bottom of the barrel. They do not know the alcoholism | | | | alcoholism. For people 12 and older, 34.2% were seen |
| fact about this. | | | | in emergency rooms, while for those who were not |
| Actually, the percentage of people 12 and over who | | | | alcohol-dependent, the rate was only 27.9%. This |
| were alcohol-dependent in 2004 was 7.6%. That is | | | | would indicate that those who suffer from alcoholism |
| around 18.2 million people. This is neither rare nor | | | | do have serious physical problems. |
| extremely common. The true alcoholism fact is that | | | | In the year of 2004, 61% of adults drank alcohol. In that |
| these people are a minority, but they are not simply the | | | | same year, there were 32% of the drinkers who had |
| dregs of society. | | | | at least 5 drinks on one day during the year. An |
| There is often the image of the homeless old alcoholic | | | | alcoholism fact is that there were 20,687 |
| man curled up with his bottle in the gutter. Or, people | | | | alcohol-induced deaths in 2003. Besides those, there |
| think of an alcohol-dependent executive drinking | | | | were 12,360 alcohol liver disease deaths the same |
| copiously in an office. People think this is an alcoholism | | | | year. |
| fact. Actually, after the age of 25 years old, the | | | | The incidence of other diseases and conditions that |
| incidence of alcoholism goes down. | | | | have become associated with alcoholism is staggering. |
| For people ages 12-17, the percentage was 5.9%. The | | | | Conditions like high blood pressure, pancreatitis, |
| harsh alcoholism fact is that the rate of alcoholics | | | | insomnia, and even osteoporosis have been linked to |
| between 18 and 25 years of age was 17.4%. From | | | | alcohol dependence. This is an alcoholism fact that |
| there, the percentages went down, with 11.1% at 26-34 | | | | cannot be ignored. |
| years old, 7.5% at 35-49 years old, and only 3% over | | | | Alcoholism fact has been established by study of |
| 50. | | | | statistics and by research. There is little one can do |
| The marital status of alcoholics is not surprising, though. | | | | about it except to seek treatment and encourage |
| Alcoholism statistics were studied for alcoholics aged | | | | other alcoholics to do the same. Alcoholism fact |
| 18 and older. The alcoholism fact is that those who | | | | supports the notion that this is a large problem. |
| were single and never married had the highest rate, | | | | Research suggests that it is not insurmountable. |
| with 16%. | | | | |