During Men’s Health Month, which takes place in June, we want to tackle health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. That includes understanding the negative effects of excessive alcohol use specifically on men’s bodies.
Men’s and women’s addictions to alcohol are based on very different physical, physiological, social and environmental factors. Statistically, men consistently have higher rates of alcohol-related deaths and hospitalizations than women. This is because men are more likely than women to drink excessively and are more likely than women to take other risks (e.g., drive fast or without a safety belt), when combined with excessive drinking, further increasing their chance of injury or death.
Whether daily consumption or binge drinking (i.e. the consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period of time) risks to men’s health from excessive drinking are supported by some startling facts:
- Among males, 48.5 percent of liver disease deaths involve alcohol.
- Drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, esophagus, pharynx, larynx and liver.
- Among drivers in fatal motor-vehicle traffic crashes, men are almost twice as likely as women to have been intoxicated (i.e., a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or greater).
- Excessive alcohol consumption increases aggression and, as a result, can increase the risk of physically assaulting another person.
- Alcohol use by men increases the chances of engaging in risky sexual activity including unprotected sex, sex with multiple partners, or sex with a partner at risk for sexually transmitted diseases.
- Men are more likely than women to commit suicide, and more likely to have been drinking prior to committing suicide.
If you fear that you or a man you love might be consuming an excessive amount of alcohol and are at risk for these health issues, please encourage him (or yourself) to get help. We can get you started in the right direction and believe that recovery can only be accomplished through developing positive relationships. No matter how long alcohol abuse has been happening, it’s not too late. Good health CAN be possible. So, please make the first step to changing everything and call Bradford Health Services at 888-577-0012.