April Is National Alcohol Awareness Month
ALCOHOL: Aqua vitae, nectar of the gods, liquid courage, joy juice, truth serum, spirits, grog, firewater, devil’s water, hooch and many other euphemisms are used to describe the byproduct of yeast and sugar. In low risk amounts alcohol can result in feelings of warmth, relaxation, and even a sense of euphoria. Continued drinking and alcohol leads to poor judgment, sleepiness, and dulled senses. Adding more alcohol to the system can result in slowing down respiration, coma, or even death. And yet most of our culture bypasses the pleasant, low-risk use of alcohol and goes straight for ending up on the floor, you know the songs that count down shots or the “clever” t-shirt with the “1 tequila, 2 tequila, 3 tequila, floor” graphic.
Alcohol is presented in songs, movies, and theater as the solution to heartache, key to a good time, and the means to romance. Advertisements urge consumers to “Drink Responsibly” without providing any insight into what that means and often demonstrating situations within the advertisement itself that are anything but responsible drinking. One of my favorites was the man carrying a six pack into a party and slashing his tires so he wouldn’t drink and drive. My experiences as a substance abuse counselor before I came to Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) leads me to believe that he is more likely to drive on flat tires than not drive at all. After all, if he drinks enough, the part of his brain that would point out how incredibly wrong that would be is fast asleep.
“Drink Responsibly” is vague, the Army encourages making low risk choices. These low risk choices are a result of over 30 years of research and are defined as 0 drinks underage, one drink per hour, an average of two drinks per day, and no more than three drinks on an occasion (no you can’t save up for 14 on Friday, that much alcohol in one day is definitely high risk!).
Not only has the misuse of alcohol been normalized in society, recent reports have noted that alcohol use increased during the pandemic, as did alcohol related emergency room visits. Alcohol is often used to cope with stress and the pandemic has brought a tremendous amount of stress into our lives. Additionally, access to alcohol was easier with restrictions eased allowing for take-out or even delivery. Jokes about kids being homeschooled by drinking parents and alcohol in the coffee cups during zoom meetings tended to reflect more truth than humor.
Shortly before the pandemic I was noticing a trend. A rash of articles focused on the benefits of abstaining from alcohol. Whether it is for 30 days, a year, or indefinitely it is always interesting to hear this person extol the myriad of benefits they experienced including more energy, better focus, and improved sleep. Some of the authors were making high risk choices. Even the authors that were making low risk choices saw improvements when abstaining.
Whether you decide to abstain for a period of time, or choose to drink responsibly by making low risk choices, the Army Substance Abuse Program can provide education and assistance. If you would like more information on alcohol use the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has a website, available for anyone, called “Rethinking Drinking” at https://www. rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/. The site answers questions such as “How much is too much?” It provides information for selfassessment, how to make changes, and helpful tools to support your choices. The information is confidential and free.
For service members and their families there is Military One Source, at www.militaryonesource. mil or 1-800-342-9647. The Employee Assistance Program, (928) 328-2249, for YPG DA Civilians, family members, and retirees can provide support and a referral for anyone who may have questions about alcohol use.
This last year was challenging and there may be more challenges before the return to a life more normal. Take a few minutes to identify positive, healthy coping skills, reach out to family, friends, and neighbors, and make low risk choices when drinking alcohol for continued mental fitness.