The Youngest Victims
When a pregnant mother drinks, alcohol enters the bloodstream, crosses into surrounding tissue and affects the fetus (unborn child).
Alcohol exposure during pregnancy can result in alcohol-related birth defects including growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities and brain and nervous system damage.1
My addiction built steadily and, before I realized it, I had become a morning as well as an afternoon drinker.
“I decided to stop drinking. I lay awake most of that night and, by noon the next day, every bone in my body ached. In a blind panic, I nervously poured a glass full of gin, my hands shaking so violently that I spilled half the bottle. As I gulped it down, I could feel the agony gradually lessening. Then I finally knew the terrible truth: I was hooked. I couldn’t quit.”
—Faye
A Trail of Tragedy
Over the past decade, alcohol has claimed the lives of many gifted actors, musicians, writers and athletes. The following are just a few of those lost:
Amy Winehouse was an English singer and songwriter who died at age 27 of alcohol intoxication in July 2011.2
Dwayne Haskins, a 24-year-old American football player in the NFL, was killed when he was accidentally struck by a truck while attempting to cross a major highway under the influence of alcohol.3
Verne Troyer, known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies, was an alcoholic and committed suicide at the age of 49 in 2018.4
Dolores O’Riordan, Irish singer and lead of The Cranberries, drowned in her bathtub at 46 years old while intoxicated.5
Steve Clark, guitarist for Def Leppard, was a heavy drinker. He died in 1991 at his London home of a lethal combination of alcohol and drugs.6
Brian Connolly, Scottish rock vocalist for Sweet, left the band in 1978 due to his drinking problem. He reunited years later, but died of liver failure in 1997.7
Mickey Mantle, a 20-time all-star baseball player who spent his entire career with the New York Yankees, required a liver transplant due to alcohol abuse. He died in 1995, aged 63.8
REFERENCES
- Alcohol and Pregnancy, Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Amy Winehouse, Wikipedia
- Dwayne Haskins Was Legally Drunk at Time of Death, According to Toxicology Report, ESPN
- Verne Troyer, Wikipedia
- Dolores O’Riordan, Wikipedia
- Steve Clark, Wikipedia
- Brian Connolly, Wikipedia
- Mickey Mantle, Wikipedia
How much do you really know about alcohol?
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