A Message from Your Hometown Health Manager
Congratulations to the 2017 Hometown Health Award Winners:

  • City of Cooper City
  • City of Greenacres
  • City of North Lauderdale
  • Emerald Coast Utilities Authority

These four local governments have met the nine best practice standards for employee health promotion. Applications for this prestigious award are accepted once a year from eligible municipalities across the state that actively engage in the Hometown Health wellness program. 

Additionally, these members have implemented a variety of wellness activities and programs like quarterly wellness seminars and challenges, on-site flu shot clinics, biometric screenings and health fairs. These members have not only shown a strong commitment to supporting employee health and well-being but have laid strong foundations for a workplace culture of health! 

All the Best,

Gwen Mahabir
City of Greenacres
City of North Lauderdale
Emerald Coast Utilities Authority
When Drinking Is a Problem, Treatment May Help
One in 16 — that’s how many adults in the U.S. struggle with an alcohol use disorder*. So the first thing to know if you think you might have a problem is that you’re not alone.

The second thing? There’s no shame in asking for help.

As part of your UnitedHealthcare benefits, you may have access to treatments designed to help you overcome problem drinking*.

Only you can decide to get help. But getting treatment — and staying the course — may help you be healthier and happier in the long run.

More than one way to beat the bottle
Your primary doctor can tell you about your treatment options. You may find that a combination works best for you. They could include:

Behavioral treatments. Counseling may help you pinpoint and change habits that contribute to your drinking. For example, you might learn techniques to help you cope with stress without using alcohol. And it’s flexible. You could see a therapist on your own — or try group sessions.

Medicines. Prescription medicines may also help treat an alcohol use disorder. Some may help reduce the urge to drink. Others make it harder to tolerate alcohol, which may help you avoid drinking again.

Peer support groups. With programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, people who are on their way to recovery support one another. Many use a 12-step approach. Support groups may work best alongside other treatments.

What is a Standard Drink?  
Many people are surprised to learn what counts as a drink. The amount of liquid in your glass, can, or bottle does not necessarily match up to how much alcohol is actually in your drink. Different types of beer, wine, or malt liquor can have very different amounts of alcohol content. For example, many light beers have almost as much alcohol as regular beer – about 85% as much.  Here’s another way to put it:

  • Regular beer: 5% alcohol content
  • Some light beers: 4.2% alcohol content

That’s why it’s important to know how much alcohol your drink contains. In the United States, one "standard" drink contains roughly 14 grams of pure alcohol.
What is “at-risk” or “heavy” drinking? When is "low-risk" drinking still too much? 
For healthy adults in general, drinking more than these single-day or weekly limits is considered "at-risk" or "heavy" drinking:

  • Men:  More than 4 drinks on any day or 14 per week
  • Women: More than 3 drinks on any day or 7 per week

About 1 in 4 people who exceed these limits already has an alcohol use disorder, and the rest are at greater risk for developing these and other problems. Again, individual risks vary. People can have problems drinking less than these amounts, particularly if they drink too quickly.

Too much + too often = too risky
It makes a difference both how much you drink on any day and how often you have a "heavy drinking day," that is, more than 4 drinks on any day for men or more than 3 drinks for women.

In short, the more drinks on any day and the more heavy drinking days over time, the greater the risk—not only for an alcohol use disorder, but also for other health and personal problems.

What is “low-risk” drinking?
A major nationwide survey of 43,000 U.S. adults by the National Institutes of Health shows that only about 2 in 100 people who drink within both the single-day and weekly limits below have an alcohol use disorder. 
Healthy Mocktail Recipes: Agua Frescas 
Looking for a refreshing drink during the summer heat but don’t want to drink plain water? Try these yummy fruit-infused mocktails!

To Make: Add all the ingredients (chill liquids and fruit first). Stir well. Best when you let the juices sit and marinate in the fridge for at least twenty minutes or so.

Citrus Peach Spritzer
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup sparkling peach juice
1 cup mineral water (sparkling or still)
agave syrup (sweeten to taste)
1/4 cup chopped citrus - rind on for at least one slice

Coconut Raspberry Lemon
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1-2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 lemon slices
1 cup coconut water
sweeten to taste if desired
mint is a nice touch here too!

Strawberry Lemon Fizz
1 Tbsp mashed strawberries
2 Tbsp whole sliced strawberries
3/4 cup sparkling mineral water
1/4 cup sparkling lemon soda
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 lemon slice
sweeten to taste if needed

Source: HealthyHappyLife.com 
Florida League of Cities | www.floridaleagueofcities.com | 850.222.9684