(WMS) - Despite more than 20 years of public awareness campaigns and law enforcement efforts, many people are not aware of the dangers surrounding alcohol abuse. Myths abound -- have you ever heard that drinking coffee will "wake up" someone who is drunk? The truth is, only time can end a "buzz." Alcohol is responsible for millions of injuries and deaths each year across the United States. Approximately half of all fatal motor vehicle accidents involve alcohol, a number which is rising according to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In 2000, the nation experienced its largest percentage increase in alcohol-related traffic deaths on record. In a recent survey by Nationwide Insurance, 13 percent of adults say that they have ridden with someone who has had too much to drink, or they themselves have driven while intoxicated in the past year. Underage, and especially binge drinking -- often considered a "rite of passage" -- also remains a very important national concern, costing more than $52 billion per year. Studies have shown that young people who drink are more likely to develop drinking or drug problems, be involved in a violent crime and engage in unsafe sexual activity. With television networks set to lift bans on liquor advertising and "zero tolerance" rules in effect across the country, it's more important than ever for individuals and families to be aware of the facts when it comes to alcohol abuse at all ages.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ALCOHOL?

1. Alcohol has been used as a medicine. TRUE FALSE
2. Alcohol is digested in the same way that food is digested. TRUE FALSE
3. Moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages is generally not harmful to the body. TRUE FALSE
4. An estimated 85 percent of adult Americans who drink are alcohol abusers. TRUE FALSE
5. Alcoholic beverages do not provide weight- increasing calories. TRUE FALSE
6. A blood alcohol concentration of 0.10 percent is the legal definition of alcohol intoxication in most states with respect to driving. TRUE FALSE
7. Alcohol is not a drug. TRUE FALSE
8. Approximately 10 percent of fatal highway accidents are alcohol-related. TRUE FALSE
9. Eating while drinking slows the absorption of alcohol in the body. TRUE FALSE
10. It takes about as many hours as the number of beers drunk for the liver to completely burn up the alcohol ingested. TRUE FALSE
11. Few women become alcoholics. TRUE FALSE
12. Alcohol is considered a stimulant. TRUE FALSE
13. The most commonly drunk alcoholic beverages in the United States are distilled liquors (e.g., whiskey, gin, vodka). TRUE FALSE
14. A person cannot become an alcoholic by just drinking beer. TRUE FALSE
15. "Proof" on a bottle of liquor represents half the percent of alcohol contained in the bottle. p TRUE FALSE
16. Alcohol consumption improves sexual performance. TRUE FALSE

Answers 1. True; 2. False; 3. True; 4. False; 5. False; 6. True; 7. False; 8. False; 9. True; 10. True; 11. False; 12. False; 13. False; 14. False; 15. False; 16. False.