Power Your Life

Alcohol

Binge drinking is one of the most dangerous ways to drink alcohol. For women, binge drinking means having 4 or more drinks within a 2-hour period. Take the time to learn what counts as one drink.

Binge drinking is related to many risks, including:

• Drunk driving and related car crashes.
• Violence.
• Alcohol poisoning, which can lead to death.
• Sexually transmitted infections.
• Unintended pregnancy.
• Chronic diseases, such as heart disease and stroke.
• Memory and learning difficulties.

Currently, it's recommended that women limit alcohol to one drink or less per day. 

If you think you may have a drinking problem, learn about the signs, and reach out to a medical provider or one of the resources below for help.

More alcohol resources:

• Understanding binge drinking—National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
• Rethinking drinking—National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
• Alcohol treatment navigator—National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 
• Alcoholics Anonymous

Drugs

A drug is a substance that can change how your body or mind works. 

Drug use can have permanent negative effects on your physical and mental well-being. This includes illegal drugs and prescription drugs when they aren’t used as they’re meant to be or by someone for whom they weren’t prescribed. Never take prescription medications that aren’t prescribed to you.

Drug use can harm reproductive health by causing changes in the menstrual cycle, infertility, sexual dysfunction, and a higher risk for STIs and other infections.

More drug resources:

• Substance use in women—National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Stop the Opidemic—Utah Department of Health and Human Services
• Hear stories of people whose lives were impacted by prescription opioids at Rx Awareness.

Tobacco

Tobacco comes in many forms. Some of the most common include cigarettes, chewing tobacco (dip), cigars, and hookahs. 

There is no safe form of tobacco, and no safe amount to use. Using tobacco is directly linked to many types of cancers and lifelong diseases. 

In the U.S., smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death. Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body and has a serious negative effect on quality of life. 

Those who smoke are more likely than those who don’t smoke to:

• Have more irregular or painful periods. 
• Have low estrogen levels, which can lead to mood swings, fatigue, and vaginal dryness.
• Go through menopause at a younger age and have worse symptoms.
• Have an increased risk of heart disease, which is the leading cause of death for people in the U.S. For people younger than age 50, most cases of heart disease are related to smoking.
• Have an increased risk of many cancers, such as lung, pancreatic, cervical, kidney, liver, throat, bladder, and colorectal cancers.

If you take birth control pills, it’s especially important to avoid smoking. The combination of birth control pills and cigarettes greatly increases the chances of serious heart and blood problems. 

Quitting smoking or using any type of tobacco is one of the most important things a person can do. There are many resources available for those who need help quitting such as:

• Way to Quit 
• Smoke Free 
• See Through the Vape

More tobacco resources:

• Tobacco Free Utah—Utah Department of Health and Human Services
• Health effects of smoking—American Lung Association
• Health risks of smokeless tobacco—American Cancer Society
• E-cigarettes and vaping—American Cancer Society
• Is any type of tobacco product safe?—American Cancer Society

Vaping 

Vaping is inhaling the vapor from a device like an e-cigarette, vape pen, electronic hookah, and others. 

Vaping is not safe and can be just as addictive as smoking cigarettes. 

The vapor from e-cigarettes is not just water vapor, it contains harmful substances that can have serious effects on your health. When you vape, you breathe those harmful substances into your lungs.

The liquids in vapes are not regulated, so you can’t always know exactly what’s in them. Harmful and addictive substances can be in them without you knowing.

Vaping is not proven to be a safe way to help you quit smoking cigarettes. 

Those who vape are more likely than those who don’t vape to:

• Consume high levels of nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive and can have negative effects on attention, learning, and impulse control.
• Experience lung damage.
• Have an increased risk of heart and blood problems. 
• Breathe in substances that can cause cancer.

More vaping resources:

• See Through the Vape
• Vaping—Way To Quit
• E-cigarettes and vaping—American Cancer Society

What about during pregnancy?

No amount of alcohol, drugs, or tobacco are safe during pregnancy. It’s never too late to quit and there is help available. Visit our alcohol, tobacco, and drugs during pregnancy page to learn more.