As obesity in America has skyrocketed over the past decade, doctors have focused on the effects of soda. We know that Americans get about 6% of their daily calories from sugary soda drinks, which is why cities like New York have put the kibosh on selling super-sized soda drinks. However, the Center for Disease Control released a study this past week that shows that alcohol also plays a large party in obesity, as adults in the U.S. consume about 100 calories per day from alcoholic beverages. The study shows that consumers of alcoholic drinks get about 16% of their total daily calories from these beverages. This exceeds the recommended 15% limit.

This government study is important for our overall health because similar to soda, alcohol is high in calories and low in nutrition. The CDC based their research on interviews with over 11,000 adults from 2007 to 2010. Further information included that on an average day:

1) About 1/3 of men and 1/5 of women consume calories from beer, wine or liquor.

2) The average male drinks 150 calories of alcohol or the equivalent of one can of beer.

3) The average woman drinks about 50 calories, or ½ glass of wine with higher earning females drinking more than those who earn less.

4) There is no racial or ethnic difference in calories consumed.

5) Younger people drink more alcohol. Men between the ages of 20 – 29 get the caloric intake, at about 174 calories a day.

So, if you are interested in trying to lose weight and get healthy, step away from the alcohol cabinet! Empty calories as well as numerous other health risks are presented when drinking too much alcohol. Alcohol abuse also contributes to anemia, cancer, cardiovascular disease and cirrhosis of the liver, as well as contributing to depression and family and work problems.

If you are ready to get your habitual drinking under control and your life to a healthier and happier place, try taking alcohol awareness classes online. In today’s world, it’s easy to access quality educational courses at the click of a button. To insure that you are getting the most current and accurate information, look for a class that is designed by a licensed and practicing psychotherapist. Taking a course from your computer screen enables you to have complete privacy and get on your way to recovery without having to share your story with a big group of strangers.

A good 10 Hour Online Alcohol Awareness Class will cover the health risks of alcohol use for men and women, and how it effects the brain, central nervous system and body. Clients will learn effective communication techniques and stress management skills to help individuals better manage their daily life. Classes are also available for minors to teach the consequences and risks specific to their age group. Also be sure that the class you choose enables you the ability to speak with a therapist while taking the course, in case any questions or support issues arise.

Getting your drinking under control will not only help you lose weight, but will positively affect your relationships and productivity at work and at home. Taking an online alcohol awareness class is an educational and convenient way to learn techniques for creating a safer, more fulfilled lifestyle. It is a short amount of time to invest for the greater good of you and your family!

Studies show that at the end of 2011, marijuana continued to be the most popular drug among teens. Marijuana use increased for the fourth year in a row after a decade of decline with about 7% of high school seniors reporting that they smoked daily. This is the highest rate seen in 30 years and can be attributable to the general idea that teenagers have that marijuana isn’t a dangerous drug.

However, recent research conducted in New Zealand showed that teens that started smoking marijuana before age 18 and were diagnosed as being addicted to cannabis by age 38 experienced an IQ drop in early adulthood. While marijuana users who began smoking after age 18 didn’t show much of a decline in IQ even if they were heavy users.

“The effect of cannabis on IQ is really confined to adolescent users,” says lead author Madeline Meier, a postdoctoral researcher at Duke University. “Our hypothesis is that we see this IQ decline in adolescence because the adolescent brain is still developing and if you introduce cannabis, it might interrupt these critical developmental processes.”

Other negative effects resulting from marijuana usage include problems with complex task performance, delusional behavior such as hearing or seeing things not there and it is also associated with anxiety and depression. Furthermore, exposure to lung and throat irritants might lead to respiratory injury. All of these issues combined can contribute to an unhealthy lifestyle and cause teens to forego the pursuit of athletic, academic and other life goals because of this irresponsible behavior.

Cementing strong values at home is important to preventing adolescents from using and abusing this substance. Open communication is extremely important during these highly influential years, as peer pressure and lack of attention at home are major reasons why teens get involved in this behavior. To help with the discussion of drug and alcohol use with their teens, many parents are turning to online classes. High quality online drug and alcohol awareness classes are now easily available from any web-based device in your home. Parents can enroll their teens in an 8 hour online drug class from an Ipad, laptop or personal computer. There is nothing to download or print out, so the teen can sit comfortably anywhere in the house to take the course. Adults can also participate with their teen by sitting through the class with them to discuss any issues that come up.  Participants can drop in and out of the class whenever it’s convenient, so they can take it whenever they have some downtime.

Look for a class that is designed by a licensed and practicing therapist and specialist in the field. The course will teach your teen all about the different types of drugs they will hear about or potentially be exposed to on the street, and how these drugs negatively affect mental and physical health in the short and long-term. They will learn all about the risks and repercussions involved with drug and alcohol use, enough information to understand exactly why they should not even try what they think is a benign drug like marijuana.

Online classes are an easy, convenient and low-cost way to educate adolescents on the dangers of drug use. As parents, we shouldn’t ignore the reality that our kids will be exposed to marijuana and alcohol at some point during their high school career. Take the time now to arm your child with the information he needs to overcome the peer pressure.

Reviewing reports on alcohol and drug addiction and its affects on society can be upsetting. Current U.S. statistics indicate that there are 17.6 million people, about 1 in every 12 adults, who are alcohol dependent or abusers. Alcohol is the leading risk factor of death for males ages 15 – 59 years old. Furthermore, more than 10 million people abuse prescription medications and more than 3 million people use cocaine.

When it comes to substance abuse, professionals who treat individuals for addictive behavior agree that prevention does work and that therapeutic treatment is effective. Millions of people do recover from substance abuse to go on and live healthy and fruitful lives. It’s never too late to start to take charge of life and start down a new path. There are many different ways to go about overcoming alcohol and drug addiction. Some of them include taking alcohol and drug awareness classes, joining AA, attending one-on-one meetings with a specialist in the field, or actually entering a rehab facility. Some people are successful with utilizing one of these support networks and some may need to source every avenue to help them stay on track. Some individuals like to share their experience with a group and gain strength from hearing other people’s stories that are similar to their own. However, a great number of individuals like to take a more private route to sobriety.

Online alcohol and drug awareness classes are available for those who do not want the community to know about their personal struggles or are embarrassed, or just downright shy. Taking a class online is highly beneficial for the main reason that the client does not need to leave the convenience of her own home to learn new information and skills to help them stay sober. Online classes enable you to learn in the quiet and relaxed atmosphere of your own home, which many believe provides for more focus on the issue at hand.

Quality online classes are available at the click of a button. It is advisable to do some research first to make sure you are choosing the best class. Start by looking at the credentials of the person or people who designed the program. Many people might claim to be “experts” but check to make sure the course is designed by a licensed and practicing psychotherapist to insure the quality of the education. Furthermore, choose a class that has a BBB rating of A+, a 100% money-back guarantee, and does not require any downloading or paper trails.

Furthermore, find a program that utilizes cognitive-behavioral therapy as its approach to addiction. This type of treatment teaches skills for coping better with situations that commonly trigger relapse. You will learn all about the health risks and repercussions of drugs and alcohol on the body both mentally and physically, as well as how to employ stress management and communication skills to help with prevention. The goal of these online classes is to provide convenient, affordable, and relevant information in a private atmosphere, and so the client doesn’t need to miss any time from work or school. Classes are available online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Online classes are also available for minors who have been caught in possession (MIP), and for those who have to fulfill court or legal requirements due to DUI or other related offenses. A certificate of completion is awarded when the course has successfully been finished. If your jurisdiction accepts online classes, than this certificate is all you need to give them to prove the mandate was fulfilled.

Alcohol and drug awareness classes online provide the education necessary to obtain the goal of sobriety and are also an excellent way to teach adolescents about why they should stay away from these substances.

Trying to overcome alcohol and drug addiction is a very difficult task for most people. Abstinence can be an overwhelming process when you have to face the same temptations day after day that originally led you down this destructive path. In order to prevent yourself from falling back into the same old habits, it is important to change things up. Some useful techniques for people recovering from alcohol or drug addiction are as follows:

Change Your Environment

Sometimes it's hard to stop drinking or doing drugs because your mind is constantly being bombarded with the same reminders (people, places and events) that you were used to when you were still drinking. Your brain then automatically connects these memories with the addiction and craves it. Some people address this by going into a rehab facility for a period of time. Or, you can go stay at your sister’s house for a while, go away on a vacation, or simply avoid all of the old places you used to frequent. It’s time to start fresh by going to the library, new restaurants or the movies.

Change Your Social Circle

This is absolutely imperative to any type of withdrawal. Stay AWAY from the people that you used to drink with. They're like magnets charged with negative energy that want and WILL negatively affect your efforts. You'll start drinking again, because these people are addicts and they want YOU to continue this behavior with them so they don’t feel alone. Replace these old friends with people who will help support your sobriety. Find friends who understand what you are going through and will be real and honest with you.

Enjoy Yourself

Do something you really like. When you initially stop drinking or doing drugs, the first difficulty you will encounter is filling the time you would have spent indulging with something else. Try to find some other source of enjoyment besides alcohol so that you are not sitting at home bored. Find a source of long term happiness like taking cooking classes, going to the gym, doing charity work or starting new friendships.

Take Care of Yourself Physically

After years of alcohol or drug abuse, you will find that your health has become compromised. Initially, you will experience cravings for these substances and you might also have headaches, tremors and nausea. During this time it is important to eat healthy, balanced meals and to get plenty of rest. This will help your body to heal itself and you will ultimately feel more energetic as your body regains physical health.

Find A Source Of Support

It’s hard for individuals who are struggling with addiction to overcome this habit on their own. If you like group experiences, go to AA meetings; surround yourself with people who care about you and want to see you stay sober; and most importantly educate yourself! With today’s technology, high quality educational alcohol and drug awareness classes are available for you to take online. This gives you the support, knowledge and intellectual experience you need to help you get your life back. Classes are readily available and can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the comfort of your own home and whenever you feel like it. Be sure to confirm that a licensed and practicing psychotherapist designs the course you decide on, so you can be sure that the information is current and accurate. Also, choose a class in which you can get a hold of a therapist to discuss any questions that arise while taking the course.

These classes can help you to regain control of your life because they will train you how to recognize and defeat your enemy. The best way to defeat alcohol or drug addiction is to learn everything about it so you are armed with the knowledge necessary to overcome the abuse.

When it comes to alcohol use and abuse, men and women are not created equal. Unfortunately for women, a recent study published in HealthDay News, suggests that women who are alcohol-dependent may be cutting their lives even shorter than smokers. According to Dr. James Garbutt, professor of psychiatry at the UNC, "This paper confirms the well-known association between alcoholism and premature death," and “it also supports the evidence that women are more likely to have more severe health problems from alcohol than men -- 'sicker quicker.' "

Women tend to get drunk faster than men, despite the fact that they may have had the same amount, because they tend to have a greater proportion of body fat. Fat can’t absorb alcohol, so it therefore becomes concentrated at higher levels in the blood system. Also, women have less of the stomach enzyme necessary to breakdown alcohol content before it enters the bloodstream. Therefore, women absorb almost 30% more alcohol into their bloodstream than men of the same height and weight and who drink the same amount.

The number of women who abuse alcohol and drugs has been steadily increasing in the U.S. and is now equal to about one quarter of all users. Women have an increased chance of the following complications due to alcohol abuse:

• Heart disease
• Poor nutrition
• Cancer
• Fertility and childbirth complications
• Liver problems
• Brain damage (shrinkage of the brain, dementia)
• Osteoporosis
• High death rate (suicide, accidents)
• Breast cancer
• Menstruation complications (early menopause, etc.)

If you or a family member are having difficulties resulting from alcohol dependence, it’s time to seek treatment before it’s too late. Online alcohol awareness courses are a highly suggested path for both men and women to start on. Often people with alcohol addiction issues are not comfortable taking the problem public at first. Online classes enable the individual to have a completely private, anonymous and safe environment to begin the process. Classes are available at the touch of a button, from any Internet based device. Nothing needs to be printed out or downloaded, so it can be taken from your living room, the library, work or the local coffee house. No classrooms full of strangers to deal with or pressure to “share” your story.

This most recent study continues to show an association between alcohol dependence and early death. Often people who are alcohol dependent also smoke, eat poorly and don’t take care of themselves. All of this in combination with the general degeneration of the body directly caused by the alcohol, is reason for alarm. Taking an online alcohol awareness class provides the education and support the addict needs to help overcome this detrimental behavior. Clients learn how to recognize the signs of abuse, how the abuse affects family and loved ones, stress management skills, and various prevention methods. Another benefit is that online classes can be taken together with other family members whenever it’s convenient for you. The support of having a loved one go through the program at your side can greatly help the rehabilitation process. Begin an online alcohol awareness class today to help create a new, healthier and emotionally happier life.