ASK AUNT MARY-TOBACCO/ALOCHOL

July 14th, 2011 | By admin

Today, I want to talk about tobacco and alcohol. Below are listed the three major factors of death in the United States. Tobacco and Alcohol rank first and second.

Tobacco (Average 1990 – 94):……………..   430,700(1)

Alcohol (1996): ………………………………………  110,640 (2)

We all know tobacco has been a killer for years. In 2005, the CDC reported 23% of high school students were smokers. That rose from 21.9% in 2003. Another interesting fact is that 80% of all smokers started before they were 18 years old. Each day, approximately 3,900 teens under 18, begin to smoke. Of that number, 1,500 will become regular smokers. That’s pretty impressive to me.

Why would you want to smoke? Here are some things that smoking does to your body:

1. Chronic cough – if smoking is continued
2. Reduced stamina
3. Bad breath
4. Yellow teeth
5. Stinky clothes
6. Expensive habit – 1 pack/day = about $1000/year.

That is horrible and those things are not cool. One thing this study did not say is it can cause cancer. That’s one thing you don’t want, believe me. When I was young, and up to my adult years, we raised tobacco. Some of the things that get into the tobacco is enough to make me not want to smoke.

Now, let’s look at alcohol. All of my information I am getting is from a web site, www.familyfirstaid.com. You may want to go on there and get more information that I am putting in here. Here are some statistics about underage drinking.

Underage Drinking Stats for all youth, ages 12-17:

7.2 million adolescents drank at least once in the past year
2.7 million teens drank alcohol about once a month or more in the past year
1 million youths drank at least once a week or more in the past year
Girls were as likely as boys their age to drink alcohol
Hispanic youth were as likely as white non-Hispanic youth to be current drinkers
Black non-Hispanic youth were the least likely of the racial/ethnic groups to be current drinkers
66% thought drinking 4 or 5 alcoholic drinks nearly every day was a great risk
47% thought drinking 4 or 5 alcoholic drinks once or twice a week was a great risk

Teen Alcohol Use for all youth, ages 12-17:

13% had at least one serious problem related to underage drinking in the past year
6% had built up tolerance to the effects of alcohol
3% reported psychological problems related to their teen drinking
1% reported health problems related to their teen alcohol use

Youth, ages 12-17, who drank any alcohol in the past year:

39% had at least one serious problem related to drinking in the past year
18% had built up tolerance to the effects of alcohol
8% reported psychological problems related to their teen drinking
4% reported health problems related to their teen alcohol use

Youth, ages 12-17, who drank alcohol heavily (5 or more drinks on 5 or more occasions in the past month):

77% had at least one serious problem related to underage drinking in the past year
63% had built up tolerance to the effects of alcohol
20% reported psychological problems related to their teen drinking
12% reported health problems related to their teen drinking

Young adults, ages 18-20, who drank heavily (5 or more drinks on 5 or more occasions in the past month):

66% drove under the influence of alcohol in the past year
42% often drove or rode without wearing a seat belt

Young adults, ages 12-20, rates of teen alcohol use in 1998:

Among youth ages 12-20, the rates of teen alcohol use were highest among those 18-20, among whites, male and among those living in the North Central region of the United States. The lowest rates of teen alcohol use were among blacks, females, and youth living in large metropolitan areas.

What does that report tell you? There are a lot of young people drinking. Look what it does for them. Is that what you want out of life?

What does the Bible say? This is the best place to go for any question you have about a risk you may be taking. Romans 12:1 tells us to “present our bodies a living sacrifice…” A sacrifice is pure, without blemish. If we are harming our bodies with any of the above, we are not a pure sacrifice to God. Our bodies are to be a “temple of the Holy Spirit” in 1 Corinthians 6:19. In Romans 12:6-21, the writer is telling us to keep our bodies without sin and it compares sin to a slave. Are you a slave to tobacco or alcohol?

Keep your bodies pure without adding these things that can harm it.