Alcohol

In this section you will find information about the effects and other consequences of alcohol drinking.

So, how many people really are drinking alcohol?

 A LOT! Alcohol -- including beer, wine, and hard liquor -- is the MOST commonly used and widely abused psychoactive drug in the country. Among teenagers, alcohol is the most widely tried drug; over 50% of 8th graders and 8 out of 10 12th graders report having tried alcohol. (Monitoring the Future, 1998)
 
What happens when you drink alcohol?

 When a person drinks alcohol, the alcohol is absorbed by your stomach, enters your bloodstream and then goes to all of your tissues. A person′s size, weight, age and sex are all factors that modify the effects of alcohol. The amount of food and alcohol consumed can also alter the effects of alcohol. Alcohol disinhibits many of your actions, which is one of the main reasons why it is used in so many social situations. People say and do things that they might not otherwise do.

Short-term effects of drinking alcohol are dizziness and talkativeness, slurred speech, disturbed sleep, nausea, and vomiting.

Long-term effects can include permanent damage to vital organs such as the brain and liver.

Even at low doses, alcohol significantly impairs the judgment and coordination needed to drive a car safely. Small amounts of alcohol can also increase the number of violent acts, including domestic violence and child abuse.
 
What′s a hangover?

A hangover happens after you′ve consumed large amounts of alcohol. You may feel headachy, nauseated, thirsty, dizzy and tired. Your brain is depleted of an important enzyme called NAD during heavy drinking. NAD is essential to proccessing energy. Cells will die without it. That′s why alcoholics have serious brain damage. The most energy consuming cells in your body are brain cells. Deprived of normal NAD by consistent use of alcohol, enough brain cells die, over time, to have serious consequences.
 
What is binge drinking?

Binge drinking is when you have 5 or more drinks in one sitting. Many teenagers report binge drinking. In 1998, 30% of 12th graders surveyed reported binge drinking. 25% of 8th graders reported having been drunk.
 
What does it mean to be an alcoholic?

An alcoholic is someone who is addicted to alcohol. Prolonged, heavy use of alcohol can lead to alcoholism (addiction). If someone is addicted to alcohol and then suddenly stops drinking it, they are likely to experience withdrawl symptoms such as severe anxiety, tremors, hallucinations and convulsions.
 
Can I drink alcohol if I′m pregnant?

Mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol syndrome. These infants may suffer from mental retardation and other irreversible physical abnormalities. Also, research indicates that children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk than other children of becoming alcoholics.
 
Negative Effects of Alcohol:

•    Dizziness
•    Slurred speech
•    Disturbed sleep
•    Nausea
•    Vomiting
•    Hangovers
•    Impaired motor skills
•    Fetal alcohol syndrome
•    Impaired learning
•    Violent behavior
•    Respiratory depression and death (with high doses)
•    Addiction (alcoholism)

Adapted from http://www.drugfreeamerica.org/alcohol.html
 
Facts You Should Know...

•    Alcohol remains the leading drug problem among our nation′s youth.
•    Underage drinking is associated with the leading causes of death among young people, including car crashes, murder and suicide.
•    Ten million American teenagers drink monthly, 8 million drink weekly and over 500,000 teenagers go on weekly binges of five or more drinks in a row.
•    On average high school students consume 31 million gallons of wine coolers and 102 million gallons of beer each year.
•    Alcohol is the drug of choice for young people, with kids starting to drink earlier and earlier, not infrequently beginning at 11 or 12 years of age.
•    Alcohol use in youth is associated with poor performance in school, truancy, rape, drownings, fights, assaults and vandalism.
•    The glamorization of alcohol through advertising sends a mixed message to our young people