Alcohol
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In moderation, drinking can be a healthful activity [Harvard
School of Public Health], but it can also be a source of considerable
harm. The "dose" of alcohol (grams per drink) in various alcohol beverages is described here. Alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of death in the
United States, after tobacco and diet/inactivity [PubMed].
During FY 2003-4, alcohol was the second-most frequently involved substance,
after heroin, in substance abuse treatment. (source: Profile of Injury
in San Francisco [large
PDF]). It also contributes to many injuries and many primary health
care problems.
The reduction of alcohol-related
harm in San Francisco is an important objective for the realizaton of
the Department of Public Health's Strategic Prevention Plan, which looks
at the social determinants of health. As the sociologist Troy Duster
once observed, "alcohol is to society as dye or stain is to microscopy."
A substance abuse prevention plan,
which will build upon the Department of Public Health's Prevention
Strategic Plan, will be completed by the Fall of 2006.
