April is Alcohol Awareness Month!

Drinking too much alcohol increases people's risk of injuries, violence, drowning, liver disease and different types of cancer. This April, during Alcohol Awareness Month, Oregon City Family Practice Clinic encourages you to educate yourself and your loved ones about the dangers of drinking too much.

In Oregon alone, there were 495 people that died in crashes that involved drunk driving in 2016. "That is a 58% increase from 313 deaths in 2013. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Oregon recorded 467 fatalities that were caused by motor vehicle crashes involving drivers between the age of 15 to 20 from 2006 to 2015." To spread the word and prevent alcohol abuse, Oregon City Family Practice is joining other organizations across the country to honor Alcohol Awareness Month.

Of course motor vehicle fatalities are not the only way someone can be affected by alcohol abuse.

If you are drinking too much, you can improve your health by cutting back or quitting. Here are some strategies to help you cut back or stop drinking altogether:

* Limit your drinking to no more than 1 drink a day for women or 2 drinks a day for men.

* Keep track of how much you drink.

* Choose a day each week when you will not drink.

* Don't drink when you are upset.

* Limit the amount of alcohol you keep at home.

* Avoid places where people drink a lot.

* Make a list of reasons not to drink.

If you are concerned about someone else's drinking, offer to help. It takes courage to talk to a family member or friend about a drinking problem. Be honest about how you feel.

For more information, visit www.niaaa.nih.gov , www.aa.org