April is Alcohol Awareness Month - time to raise awareness and understanding of alcohol use and misuse. There are 488 deaths each day in the U.S. due to excessive alcohol use, or more than 178,000 per year. That’s enough to fill the Rose Bowl twice. One American dies every 39 minutes because of alcohol-impaired driving. You’re less likely to be in a crash involving a drunk driver if you live in a state with more alcohol policy safeguards, like Social Host Laws.
Alcohol consumption is linked to an increase risk of cancer and the Surgeon General’s office has called for warning labels on alcoholic beverages to increase awareness of these risks. Mouth cancer, throat (pharynx) cancer, voice box (larynx) cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, and rectum cancer have all been linked to alcohol use. In fact, nearly 15% of breast cancer deaths among women in the U.S. were linked to alcohol consumption.
We want our communities to stay safe and one way to do that is educate yourself and your families about the dangers of alcohol use. It’s also important to learn what your local communities are doing to prevent alcohol misuse. A great way to learn is by attending local prevention coalitions. To find out more information about the local coalition meetings and their prevention efforts in your community please visit https://www.swoda.org/substance-use-prevention-treatment-and-recovery/prevention/ odmhsas or contact deshawna@swoda.org and she will get you connected to the coordinator in your area.
This program is funded by Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, SWODA, and local coalition