Alcohol Facts

« How to Identify Drug Addiction | Main | How Does Addiction Counseling Fit into Addiction Treatment? »

What do you know, or think you know about alcohol? That you feel buzzed and a little goofy when you have one drink too many? That alcohol makes you talk too much and behave in ways not in your best interests? That you go to jail for DUI if you’re driving a car with a blood alcohol content greater than .08%? All these facts about alcohol are true. However, there are some facts about alcohol that you probably do not know since they are rather obscure and scientific. In this article, we’ll look at some of these facts, put into “plain English.”

There are many types of alcohol, such as wood alcohol (methanol) and isopropanol, or rubbing alcohol. These are poisonous substances that should NEVER be consumed by people since they are industrial forms of alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is found in a lot of hygiene products like aftershave lotions. In prison, inmates who are desperate to consume alcohol will drink their alcohol-based hygiene products, called “green lizards.” The physical effects of consuming these forms of alcohol can be fatal. According to his wife, Tabitha, America’s best-selling author of all time, Stephen King, overcame a drug and alcohol problem, including drinking mouthwash that contained alcohol. The man’s a billionaire and can buy anything he wants. Go figure.
Ethyl alcohol, also called ethanol or grain alcohol is the drinkable form of alcohol that we know best. Do you know that ethyl alcohol is also used as a cleaning solvent and as an ingredient in explosives depending upon the “proof?” Perhaps, when you were a teenager or in your early 20’s, you tried the experiment of setting Everclear brand alcohol on fire. It worked, didn’t it? Today you’re putting a toxic chemical into your body that you can actually set afire. Is this working for you?
Ethyl alcohol is made from the fermentation of sugars, yeast and starches. During the Great Depression in the 1920’s, when Prohibition was the law of the land, people used to make their own alcohol that they called “bathtub gin.” Rather than buying bootleg alcohol at a high price from Al Capone and other gangsters, many people used to make their own alcohol from grains – like slices of bread – and fruits for sugar content, and let it all ferment in their bathtubs until it was drinkable (barely). Moonshiners in the Southern US perfected the art of distilling alcohol. Moonshine is an “absolute” alcohol that is not more than 1% diluted by water. Depending upon the skill of the moonshiner, this form of alcohol was easily fatal to unsuspecting users during Prohibition.
Yeah, okay. The first miracle that Jesus performed, according to the Bible, was turning water into wine. But the wine of 33 A.D. was far different from the wine of today, which can have a whopping alcohol content of up to 12%. Jesus didn’t do this very well, when you consider the alcohol content of many of today’s wines. Besides, in the days of Jesus, there wasn’t a lot of safe, drinkable water. Just about everyone drank wine instead. Where in the Bible did Jesus approve of drunkenness? He didn’t, so let that argument go; it won’t work with addiction counselors.
Have you seen the movie trilogy, “Pirates of the Caribbean?” Pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) was certainly fond of rum; it was the drink of the day during pre-colonial days. Everybody, from pirates to the British aristocracy, in the Caribbean drank rum. Unfortunately, in those days rum was an “all or nothing” drink; it was either well-made and drinkable, or ill-made and frequently fatal when used to excess in a very short time. Don’t let Hollywood fool you; real pirates of the Caribbean didn’t have a long life-span if they were too fond of rum alcohol.

Well, there you have it. Some well-known facts about alcohol and some little-known facts as well. You already know by now that alcohol dependence (addiction) is a chronic, progressive, and fatal condition. When you take alcohol into your body, just know what you’re doing.