ALCOHOL

1. WHAT YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW! ALCOHOL

2. Here’s The Facts: • Alcohol is a depressant, which means that it SLOWS the bodies processes. • It is the oldest and most abused drug in history • Alcohol affects many of the body’s organs and slows their function, including the heart, stomach, liver, and brain. • It is not just what you drink but how you drink that affects your level of intoxication: Time, Age, Previous drinking experiences, and Use of other drugs can all effect intoxication in UNPREDICTABLE ways. • Only time can cause a person to become sober. The liver detoxifies ½ ounce of alcohol per hour. No matter what. Coffee, Red Bull, or a Cold Shower will not help. • ALCOHOL IS ADDICTIVE.

3. What is in Alcohol? Proofis the amount of alcohol in hard liquor. The percentage of pure alcohol in the hard liquor is one-half the proof. For example, a 100-proof liquor is about 50% pure alcohol. Thus, the higher the proof, the more pure alcohol the hard liquor contains. Beer, wine, and hard liquor all contain alcohol. The following common alcoholic drinks contain equal amounts of alcohol and are often referred to as a drink: *Different beers have different alcohol content. Malt liquor has higher alcohol content than most other brewed beverages. **It is important to remember that not all drinks are created equal. • Ethanol or Ethyl Alcohol

4. Short-Term Effects There are many short term affects when or shortly after consuming alcoholic beverages. Some of them are… • Intoxication • Clumsiness • Dehydration • Delayed reflexes • Slurred speech • Head aches • Fainting • Loss of memory

5. Long-Term Effects • The long-term toll of heavy drinking is serious. One of the most serious consequences is for the liver. In response to long-term alcohol exposure it starts producing more of, the enzyme which it uses to break ethanol down. This means, you need more alcohol for the same effect. This worsens the addiction. The liver then becomes over-active, cells die and the tissue hardens. The result is cirrhosis of the liver. This is a deadly condition that cannot be reversed.

6. Long-Term Cont’d • Other risks of long-term drinking include: • Heart Disease • Stroke • Dementia and brain damage • Myopathy - a weakening of the muscles (and shrivelled sex organs.) • Cancers related to alcohol include those of the liver, colon, rectum and breast cancer in women

7. Factors that influence alcohol’s effects: How alcohol affects you is different based on different absorption rate factors, these include: Body Size: The bigger you are, the more blood you have to dilute the alcohol in your system. Smaller people are usually affected more quickly by alcohol than larger people. Mood: A person who is obviously upset, exhausted, or under a lot of stress may feel the effects of alcohol more quickly. • Body Composition: In general, the less you weigh the more quickly alcohol will be absorbed. However, for people of the same weight, a person who has greater muscle mass will absorb alcohol slower than someone with a higher percentage of body fat. Gender: Women are generally smaller than men, have a higher percentage of body fat, and tend to reach higher BAC’s more quickly. Food: A full stomach slows the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. WHY?

8. What is the only thing that really determines how DRUNK YOU ARE? • Alcohol is a lethal substance. Being knowledgeable about Blood Alcohol Content will help you understand the effects of varying amounts of alcohol in your system, and allow you to make informed decisions about drinking. • The standard way of measuring how much alcohol is in the blood stream is Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)or Blood Alcohol Level (BAL). It can be measured using blood, saliva, urine or breath and is measured in milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, or milligrams percent. • For Example: A BAC of .10 means one-tenth of 1% or (1/1000) of your total blood content is alcohol.

9. How does BAC affect you! .02-.03 % BAC: You are slightly light headed; inhibitions are loosened .05%-.06 BAC: You’re warm and relaxed; you’re behavior may become exaggerated. .08-.09% BAC: You are legally drunk; you may start to slur your speech, your sense of balance is probably off, and your motor skills are becoming impaired. .10%-.12% BAC: At this level, you feel euphoric, but you lack coordination and balance; your motor skills are markedly impaired, as are your judgment and memory. .14%-.17% BAC: Euphoric feelings may give way to unpleasant feelings; you have difficulty talking, walking, or even standing; your judgment and perception are severely impaired. .20% BAC: You feel confused, dazed, or otherwise disoriented ; at this point you may experience nausea and/or start vomiting; blackouts are likely. .25% BAC: All mental, physical, and sensory functions are severely impaired; you're at increased risk of asphyxiation from choking on vomit and of seriously injuring yourself by falling or other accidents. .30% BAC: You have little comprehension of where you are; you may suddenly pass out --with an alarming BAC like .30%, your body will decide to pass out for you. .35% BAC: This blood alcohol level is the level of surgical anesthesia; you will probably stop breathing.

10. FUN Facts About Drinking! • 159,000 of today's first-year college students will drop out of school next year for alcohol related reasons. • One night of heavy drinking can impair your ability to think abstractly for up to 30 days, limiting your ability to relate textbook reading to what your teacher says, or to think through a football play. • Alcohol has no food value, It is metabolized by your body into sugar. Even “skinny” drinks light beers or straight liquor will cause weight gain. • Alcohol takes more water out of the body than it puts in. The harmful effects of a hangover are mostly a result of severe dehydration. The headache one might feel after a night of drinking is because your brain has shrunk away from the sides of your skull BECAUSE IT HAS NO WATER. • Only 20% of the alcohol you swallow is absorbed by the stomach. Most Alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream through the small intestine. None of it is digested. Your stomach treats it as a toxin. • Alcohol interferes with the nerve endings that control erections.

11. Why Drink? Why Not? Respond to these reasons that someone might give for drinking or not drinking • My parents say NO • I don’t like the taste • I’m afraid of losing control • I’ll get kicked off the team • I’m too young • I’ve seen the damage it can do • I’d rather spend my money other ways • It makes me sick • It’s illegal • If I get caught it can mess up my future • It’s dangerous • To have fun • To not feel left out • Just to try it • To be sociable • To calm down • I’m thirsty • To fit in • To forget my problems • To relax • Everyone else is doing it