Alcohol and Drugs

Alcohol: The drug in beer, liquor, and wine that causes intoxication.

Alcohol slows down the nervous system because it acts as a depressant. About 15 minutes after

taking just one or two drinks, a person begins to feel more relaxed and talkative, but they also start to lose their ability to cope with difficult situations, follow complex thoughts, make good decisions, pay attention, etc. After a few more drinks, they lose coordination and the ability to focus their eyes, may experience drastic mood swings, and start to slur their words.

Long-term effects of alcohol include: brain damage, including death to brain cells and shrunken brain; cancer of the esophagus, mouth, and stomach; cirrhosis; decreased ability to absorb minerals and vitamins; diminished immune system function; hepatitis; liver cancer; and stomach bleeding and irritation.

Short-term effects of alcohol include: Alcohol dilates, or widens, the blood vessels. The heart has to work harder to pump blood through the wide blood vessels. Wide blood vessels also makes a person feel warm and look flushed, but they may actually be too cold. Alcohol irritates the esophagus, mouth, stomach, and throat and enhances the above defects by making a person feel nauseated. Dehydration occurs because the breaking down of alcohol requires water. The kidneys produce more urine, which takes water away from the rest of the body. The liver breaks down toxic substances, such as alcohol itself, to neutralize any poisonous effects. Drinking more alcohol than the liver can break down causes a buildup of alcohol.

Other effects of alcohol include: blackout, coma, death, loss of judgement, memory, and self-control, poor vision, and reduced reaction time.

Alcohol abuse: Drinking alcohol at inappropriate times, in inappropriate amounts, or too often. Alcoholism: A disease that causes a person to lose control of their drinking behaviour; an emotional or physical addiction to alcohol.

Alcohol effects on the family of an alcoholic include becoming victims of isolation, neglect, and violent episodes, guilty feelings, ignoring their own needs, never being able to predict the alcoholic's behaviour, and protecting the alcoholic.

Alcoholics Anonymous and Alateen are programs that provide support and treatment to the families of alcoholics. Al-anon is designed to help family members share advice on and talk about the problem. Alateen is designed specifically for teens to learn to deal with the disease of alcoholism. Alcoholics Anonymous is the most widely used alcohol treatment program. It has alcoholics attend regular meetings to talk about the problem of alcoholism and being an alcoholic.

The stages of alcoholism are problem drinking, tolerance, dependence, and finally, alcoholism. Alcoholism begins with experimentation. No one believes that they will become an alcoholic, they just usually start drinking for fun. Eventually, it takes more alcohol for a person to feel the same effect from

 alcohol as they did when they first started drinking. They begin to need alcohol to function normally. A craving of alcohol and the inability to control their drinking is the final stage.

The warning signs of alcoholism are being defensive about drinking; changing friends, interests and personal habits; drinking more for the same high; drinking to deal with anger, disappointment, and frustration; drinking to get intoxicated; experiencing memory lapses as a result of drinking; and feeling depressed.

Codependency: A condition in which a family member or friend sacrifices their own needs to meet the needs of an alcoholic.

Enabling: Helping an addict avoid the consequences of their behaviour.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS): A set of mental and physical defects that affect a fetus that has been exposed to alcohol abuse during pregnancy.

Binge drinking: The act of drinking five or more drinks at one sitting.

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC): The amount of alcohol in a person's blood (expressed as a percentage).

A person that has one drink per hour and weighs 90-130 pounds will experience the feeling of euphoria and loss of judgement. The BAC of a female is typically .05 and the BAC of a male is typically .04. A person that has three drinks per hour and weighs 90-130 pounds will experience impaired coordination, judgement, and vision with mood swings. The BAC of a female is typically .11 and the BAC of a male is typically .09. A person that has five drinks per hour and weighs 90-130 pounds will experience blackouts, memory loss, stomach irritation, and vomiting. The BAC of a female is typically .19 and the BAC of a male is typically .16.

Cirrhosis: A deadly disease that replaces healthy liver tissue with scar tissue (most often caused by long-term alcohol abuse).

Intoxication: The mental and physical changes caused by drinking alcohol.

The number one cause of death among teens in the United States is motor vehicle accidents. The majority of these accidents are alcohol related. All the skills you need to be a good driver are impaired by alcohol because it affects your judgement and vision, makes you drowsy, reduces your coordination, and slows your reaction time. A person caught driving with a BAC of .08 percent or higher will be arrested for driving under the influence (DUI). A person caught driving with a BAC of .1 percent or higher will be charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI). In all 50 states, anyone under 21 years of age caught driving with any percentage of alcohol in their body will face serious penalties.

To avoid a dangerous alcohol use situation on the roads you should call a cab, make arrangements with someone to pick you up, not drink, or plan ahead.

 To avoid being pressured into drinking you should buy yourself time to leave the situation, give good reasons why you choose not to drink, say no, state the consequences that could result if you do drink, or walk away.