EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL USE AND RISKS TO MEN’S HEALTH
Men are more likely than women to drink excessively. Excessive drinking is associated with significant increases in short-term risks to health and safety, and the risk increases as the amount of drinking increases. Men are also 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 risk of injury or death.
DRINKING LEVELS FOR MEN:
- Men average about 12.5 binge drinking episodes per year, while women average about 2.7 binge drinking episodes per year.
- Most people who binge drink are not alcoholics or alcohol dependent.
- It is estimated that about 17% of men and about 8% of women will meet criteria for alcohol dependence at some point in their lives.
INJURIES AND DEATHS AS A RESULT OF EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL USE:
- Men consistently have higher rates of alcohol- related deaths and hospitalizations than women.
- Among drivers in fatal motor-vehicle traffic crashes, men are almost twice as likely as women to have been intoxicated.
- Excessive alcohol consumption increases aggression and, as a result, can increase the risk of physically assaulting another person.
It is important to keep in mind that not all men drink. In 2007,
1 IN 5 MALE MISSOURI COLLEGE STUDENTS REPORTED NOT DRINKING ALCOHOL AT ALL.
(Data taken from the 2007 MCHBS)
ALCOHOL AND FITNESS
Alcohol cancels out gains from your workout. Consuming alcohol after a workout inhibits protein synthesis, or in other words, prevents muscle growth.
ALCOHOL ADVERSELY AFFECTS SLEEP CYCLES
It is popularly believed that a drink before bedtime can help a person fall asleep. However, alcohol’s effect on sleep patterns results in increased fatigue and physical stress to the body. This disruption negatively affects the secretion of HGH (human growth hormone), which is essential to muscle growth and repair.
Alcohol also reduces testosterone levels in the blood while increasing the conversion of testosterone to estrogen, causing increased fluid retention and fat deposits.
ALCOHOL CONSTRICTS METABOLISM AND ENDURANCE
No matter how much you exercise, alcohol constricts your aerobic metabolism and endurance. This is because alcohol prevents the production of ATP, the necessary fuel for muscle contraction. This causes loss of energy and endurance.
ALCOHOL PREVENTS ABSORPTION OF VITAMINS
Regular drinking can lead to vitamin deficiency and actually acts to prevent vitamins from being absorbed in the bloodstream. Alcohol prevents the absorption of thiamin, folacin and B12, decreases the efficiency of vitamin D and forces kidneys to excrete more calcium, magnesium, zinc and potassium.
ALCOHOL AND FLUID REPLACEMENT
Alcohol is a diuretic, a substance that causes greater loss of fluids (and minerals and electrolytes) than it contains. Alcohol decreases production of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), the brain hormone that regulates fluid balance. This causes increased urination, water loss, dehydration and the loss of the essential minerals mentioned above.
BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL
Blood alcohol level depends on the amount of alcohol consumed in relationship with body size, proportion of body fat, the amount of food in the stomach, and what is mixed with the alcohol. Alcohol is absorbed quicker for those drinking on an empty stomach. Fruit juices and water slow the absorption process while carbon dioxide speeds it up. BAL also rises quicker in females than in males.
Body Weight |
Drinks |
100 |
120 |
140 |
160 |
180 |
200 |
220 |
240 |
1 |
.02 |
.02 |
.01 |
.01 |
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
.00 |
2 |
.06 |
.05 |
.04 |
.03 |
.03 |
.02 |
.02 |
.02 |
3 |
.10 |
.08 |
.06 |
.05 |
.05 |
.04 |
.04 |
.03 |
4 |
.13 |
.11 |
.09 |
.08 |
.07 |
.06 |
.05 |
.05 |
5 |
.17 |
.14 |
.12 |
.10 |
.09 |
.08 |
.07 |
.06 |
6 |
.21 |
.17 |
.14 |
.12 |
.11 |
.10 |
.09 |
.08 |
7 |
.25 |
.20 |
.17 |
.15 |
.13 |
.12 |
.10 |
.09 |
8 |
.28 |
.23 |
.20 |
.17 |
.15 |
.13 |
.12 |
.11 |
9 |
.32 |
.27 |
.23 |
.19 |
.17 |
.15 |
.14 |
.12 |
10 |
.36 |
.30 |
.25 |
.22 |
.19 |
.17 |
.15 |
.14 |
EFFECTS AT SPECIFIC B.A.C. LEVELS
- 0.02-0.03 BAC: Mildly relaxed and slightly lightheaded.
- 0.04-0.06 BAC: Lowered inhibitions, minor impairment of reasoning and memory.
- 0.07-0.09 BAC: Slight impairment of balance, speech, vision, reaction time, and hearing.
- 0.10-0.125 BAC: Significant impairment of motor coordination and loss of good judgment.
- 0.13-0.15 BAC: Blurred vision. Judgment and perception are severely impaired.
- 0.16-0.19 BAC: Dysphoria. nausea may appear.
- 0.20 BAC: Disoriented. May need help to stand or walk. Nausea and vomiting. Blackout is likely.
- 0.25 BAC: All mental, physical and sensory functions are severely impaired.
- 0.30 BAC: Little comprehension of where you are. May pass out suddenly and be difficult to awaken.
- 0.35 BAC: Coma is possible.
- 0.40+ BAC: Onset of coma, and possible death due to respiratory arrest.
ALCOHOL AND MALE SEXUAL FUNCTION
The sexual effects of alcohol on men and women are different; however both men and women both are more likely to engage in casual sexual behavior when there is alcohol involved. Alcohol decreases inhibitions concerning sexual behavior meanwhile increasing the likelihood of risky behavior.
ALCOHOL’S NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON MEN
- Difficulty getting and maintaining erections
- Difficulty ejaculating/delayed ejaculation
- Reduced sexual desire
- Increased sexual aggression
- Infertility
STIS AND ALCOHOL
- Young adults who used alcohol were seven times more likely to have unprotected sex
- Only 28% of young adults say they are concerned about STIs or pregnancy because of sexual intercourse they had while using alcohol, even though they were at increased risk
- Young adults who used alcohol were twice as likely to have multiple sex partners, a HIGH risk factor for contracting STIs
SEXUAL ASSUALT
- 20-25% of college women reported some kind of rape in college (attempted or completed) 1
- At least 50% of college students’ sexual assaults are associated with alcohol use
- 47% of the sexual assaults reported by college men involved alcohol consumption
- In 81% of the alcohol related sexual assaults both victim and the perpetrator had consumed alcohol 2
1. CDC. (2008, Spring.) Sexual violence data sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved on September 9, 2009, from http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/SV-DataSheet-a.pdf.
2. Kahn, A., Jackson, J., Kully, C., Badger, & K., Halvorsen, J. (2003) Calling it rape: Differences in experiences of women who do or do not label their sexual assault as rape. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 27(3), 233-242.
