How can beer kill you

Beer is a major engine driving recreational activities in American society. Incredibly popular and relatively inexpensive, it is backed by a billion-dollar advertising industry that works relentlessly and unscrupulously to conceal the truth about its harmful effects, achieving their astronomical profits through a never-ending campaign of misleading imagery and subliminal messages. However, none of these manipulative images and messages can hide the underlying truth— that beer is not a harmless recreational beverage and can be dangerous and even lethal.

In recent years, there has been a paradigm shift in reporting the negative health effects associated with beer. Mild to moderate drinking used to be viewed as innocuous, and even beneficial, by certain sources— including public health authorities under the influence no pun intended of the advertising industry. That outdated myth is being shattered by emerging evidence that proves no amount of alcohol is safe for consumption.

According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence NCADD , alcoholism is the third leading cause of death in the United States, and approximately 90, deaths annually are related to excessive alcohol consumption. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC further reports that approximately 38 million people binge drink a minimum of four times monthly, with six dying daily from alcohol poisoning.

In , alcohol-related driving fatalities accounted for approximately 10, deaths, or 31 percent of total driving fatalities. A significant percentage of those deaths involved beer. Although the legal threshold for impairment is reasonably consistent with scientific findings, even one beer can have a negative, mind-altering effect.

Individual variables such as age, sex, weight, and percentage of body fat all factor into the overall equation of what constitutes impairment. To put blood-alcohol content BAC into a clearer context, the following six-point scale can be used to determine the likelihood of unintended death or other debilitating consequences:. Once an individual goes on a beer drinking binge, only time can eradicate the harmful effects—assuming the excessive incident is not repeated.

In extreme circumstances, alcohol poisoning can lead to permanent brain damage or death. Age, alcohol tolerance, gender, weight, specific medications and amount of food eaten can all be factors influencing whether someone experiences an alcohol overdose. You might not think beer contains enough alcohol to be deadly, but peer pressure to rapidly drink beer in risky ways — like shotgunning, beer pong and keg stands — could cause an alcohol overdose.

Even a minor uptick in BAC can slow reaction times and cloud judgment. In this state, you may do reckless things like getting behind the wheel or starting a fight.

Blackouts, lost consciousness and death can also occur. It could be dangerous to assume a severely intoxicated person who goes to bed or passes out will be OK after sleeping it off. When consumed at high levels, alcohol can block brain signals that control automatic responses such as the gag reflex. Even if a person who asphyxiates this way survives, they could have long-lasting brain damage.

Immediately call Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Alcohol poisoning is a serious — and sometimes deadly — consequence of drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time.

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Overview of alcohol consumption. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Accessed June 20, Alcohol overdose: The dangers of drinking too much. A word about alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning deaths. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drinking too much too fast can kill you. National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. American Diabetes Association.

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