Abstract
Alcohol abuse is one of the most serious and underrecognized health problems in primary care. One in ten Americans abuse alcohol (1) and one in three families report problems related to drinking (2). Alcohol abuse is the leading cause of death in 15 to 45 year olds and is associated with 10% of all deaths in the U.S. including suicide, homicide, and fatal accidents. Suicide is 30 times more common in alcoholics, and one half of all fatal automobile accidents are due to drunk driving. Patients who abuse alcohol use medical services much more often than other patients. The direct health costs related to alcohol misuse is estimated to be $15 billion, and indirect costs (lost productivity, MVAs, fires and crime) account for an additional $90 billion (3).
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McDaniel, S.H., Campbell, T.L., Seaburn, D.B. (1990). When Drinking Is Part of the Problem. In: Family-Oriented Primary Care. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2096-9_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2096-9_18
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