Alcohol 
Fact: Even at low doses, alcohol significantly impairs the judgment and coordination required to drive a car or operate machinery safely. Low to moderate doses of alcohol can also increase the incidence of a variety of aggressive acts, including domestic violence and child abuse.
Fact: Three general steps are involved in treating the alcoholic once the disorder has been diagnosed: intervention, detoxification, and rehabilitation.
Fact: Research finds that the traditional confrontational intervention - where the employer or family members surprise the alcoholic and threaten consequences if treatment is not begun - is NOT effective.
Fact: Studies find that more people enter treatment if their family members or employers are honest with them about their concerns, and try to help them to see that drinking is preventing them from reaching their goals.
Fact: Effects of moderate alcohol intake include dizziness and talkativeness. The immediate effects of a larger amount of alcohol include slurred speech, disturbed sleep, nausea, and vomiting.
Fact: Long-term effects of consuming large quantities of alcohol can lead to:
• permanent damage to vital organs
• several different types of cancer
• gastrointestinal irritations, such as nausea, diarrhea, and ulcers
• malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies
• sexual dysfunctions
• high blood pressure
• lowered resistance to disease
Fact: Mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol syndrome. These infants may suffer from mental retardation and other irreversible physical abnormalities.
Fact: Research indicates that children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk than other children of becoming alcoholics.
Fact: More than 100,000 U.S. deaths are caused by excessive alcohol consumption each year.
Fact: Nearly 14 million Americans meet diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorders.
Fact: Youth who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than those who never drink alcohol.
Fact: Among current adult drinkers, more than half say they have a blood relative who is or was an alcoholic or problem drinker.
Fact: More than 18% of Americans experience alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence at some time in their lives.
Fact: Traffic crashes are the greatest single cause of death for persons aged 6–33. About 45% of these fatalities are alcohol-related.
Fact: Underage drinking costs the United States more than $58 billion every year.
Fact: Alcohol kills 6½ times more youth than all other illicit drugs combined
Fact: Alcoholism is an illness marked by drinking alcoholic beverages at a level that interferes with physical health, mental health, and social, family, or occupational responsibilities.
Fact: People with alcohol dependence, the most severe alcohol disorder, usually experience tolerance and withdrawal. Tolerance is a need for markedly increased amounts of alcohol to achieve intoxication or the desired effect.
Fact: Alcohol abusers may have legal problems such as drinking and driving. They may also have problems with binge drinking (drinking 6 or more drinks at one sitting).
Fact: Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant despite its seemingly stimulating results in some people. Thus people who drink to "feel better" often feel worse after the drug has worn off.
Fact: Withdrawal develops because the brain has physically adapted to the presence of alcohol and cannot function adequately in the absence of the drug. Symptoms of withdrawal may include elevated temperature, increased blood pressure, rapid heart rate, restlessness, anxiety, psychosis, seizures, and rarely even death.
Fact: Men who consume 15 or more drinks a week, women who consume 12 or more drinks a week, or anyone who consumes 5 or more drinks per occasion at least once a week are all at risk for developing alcoholism.
Fact: One drink is defined as a 12-ounce bottle of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a 1 1/2-ounce shot of liquor.
Fact: Alcoholics Anonymous is a self-help group of recovering alcoholics that offers emotional support and an effective model of abstinence for people recovering from alcohol dependence. There are more than 1 million members worldwide, and local chapters are found throughout the United States.
Fact: Only 15% of those with alcohol dependence seek treatment for this disease.