Although per capita alcohol consumption has declined over the past decade, alcohol-related illnesses and deaths remain significant problems. As many as 44 percent of the more than 40,000 traffic crash fatalities each year involve alcohol. Heavy drinking also contributes to other killers: liver cirrhosis, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that the economic cost of alcohol abuse in 1992, the most recent year for which sufficient data are available, was $148 billion.
Alcoholism Sourcebook presents information about alcohol use and abuse and its relation to a variety of social, psychological, and behavioral problems. It describes alcohol's effects on the brain and other organs of the body, and a special section offers facts about alcohol and pregnancy. Other chapters cover treatment and recovery options and provide information about preventing alcohol abuse and maintaining sobriety.
