Transcript Alcohol
Alcohol
The Facts Served “Straight Up”
Definitions
• Alcoholism: Physical Dependency that affects
person’s family, social, or work life
• Alcohol Abuse: Drinking too much without
physical cravings or withdrawal symptoms
• Alcohol Poisoning: An over dosage of alcohol
• Binge Drinking: Too much, too fast
Definitions
• Blackouts: Too much alcohol in brain may
cause gaps in memory that might have
happened while drinking
• BAC: Blood Alcohol Concentration is the
amount of alcohol in a persons blood
• Intoxication: Amt. of alcohol consumes
exceeds individuals tolerance
Definitions
• Tolerance: Over a period of time
more alcohol is needed to achieve
the same effect
Binge Drinking Dangers
•More then 38 millions adults
binge drink approximately 4 times
a month
•Largest number of binge drinks
on average is 8
•On average binge drinking
causes 80,000 deaths in the US
each year
•Increases chances of getting
hurt or hurting others due to car
crashes, violence, and suicide.
Can result in the brain’s control center
closing down, at which point you can
slip into a coma and die…
Drinking in Young Adults
• Research consistently shows that
people tend to drink the heaviest
when they are in their late teens and
early to mid twenties
Drinking in Young Adults
• Students at 18-25 are at a higher risk of
getting involved in problems involving
alcohol
• WHY?
–They are on their own for the first time
–Allowed to make their own decisions
–The roles of the parents weaken
Why are college students at higher
risk?
• Customs and traditions at college
encourage high-drinking patterns
• Peer pressure to participate in drinking
games
• College students are a primary target for
alcohol industry advertising and
promotions
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDMchM
D9kyg
Guidelines for Decision Making
• Abstinence from alcohol is a safe
and acceptable decision. IT’S OKAY
NOT TO DRINK.
• You can still have a good time
without drinking at a social event
• Don’t allow yourself to fall prey to
peer pressure. If you don’t want to
drink do not feel embarrassed.
Guidelines for Decision Making
• What if you do decide to drink?
–Do so safely, legally, and responsibly
–Set limits for yourself, alternate alcohol
and nonalcoholic drinks
–Keep track of how much you’ve had
–Never drink and drive OR drive with
someone who has been drinking
Consequences of Drinking
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Flunking Courses
Unintended or unwanted sexual activity
Unwanted Pregnancy
Getting an STD
Being involved in fights and accidents
Engaging in risky behavior
Developing a long term drinking habit
Some Sobering Statistics
• Average students spends about $900
on alcohol each year
• 159,000 of today’s first-year college
students will drop out of school for
alcohol related reasons
Some Sobering Statistics
• One night of heavy drinking can impair
your ability to think abstractly for up to
30 days
–Limiting your reading comprehension
–Your ability to understand what your
teacher says
–Your problem solving abilities
Statistics
• 70,000 students re victims of
alcohol-related date rape or sexual
assaults
What Happens when you Drink
• Alcohol enters your stomach through
your small intestine where it is
absorbs into bloodstream, alcohol
quickly travels to every organ in the
body, including the brain
• The more alcohol the body absorbs
the higher the BAC- the drunker the
person gets
BAC
• .02%- alcohol immediately slows the nervous
system and reaction time is impaired to some
extent. You become more relaxed
• .04%- Reaction time continues to slow. A
“buzz” develops. Relaxation deepens.
• .055-.06%- Good feelings get less positive and
negative feelings more negative. Brains ability
to process information and make judgments is
greatly impaired
• .08%- Legally Drunk. Decrease in motor
coordination. May feel nauseous or throw up
• .10%- A clear breakdown in judgment and
motor coordination, visibly sloppy
• .15-.25- Blackouts
• .25-.35- Can pass out. Risk of Death
• .40-.45- Lethal dose for most
Factors that Influence BAC
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Gender
Body Weight
Alcohol Content in Drinks
How Much you Drink
Food Intake
Age
Mood
Myths
• Alcohol is a sexual stimulant
– Alcohol actually decreases your ability to function
sexually
– You may be less inhibited, but are less likely to be
able to follow through
• One or two drinks has not noticeable effect on
a persons behavior and/or judgment
– Behavior and judgment changes with the first
drink
• You can sober up faster with food or coffee
– It takes your liver one hour to burn off about .016
of your BAC
– As a rule it will take a 150lb male one hour to
metabolize one glass of wine, one shot of liquor,
or one bottle of beer
Health Problems
• Alcoholism
• Cancers: Esophagus, mouth, throat, larynx,
increase in colon and rectal cancer
• Heart Damage: High BP, cardiomyopathy, high
triglycerides
• Liver Damage
• Stomach Problems
How to Protect Yourself
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Limit the amt you drink, sip slowly
A heavy meal may slow alcohol absorption
Avoid salty foods
Drink diluted drinks, not straight shots
Avoid carbonated mixers or sparkling wines as
they speed the alcohol in your bloodstream
• Avoid Spiked Drinks
• Car crashes are the leading cause of death
among people ages 15 to 20. About 1,900
people under 21 die every year from car
crashes involving underage drinking.
• Young people are more susceptible to alcoholinduced impairment of their driving skills.
Drinking drivers aged 16 to 20 are twice as
likely to be involved in a fatal crash as drinking
drivers who are 21 or older.
Alcohol Poisoning
• Immediately call 911
– Signs include:
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mental confusion, unable to wake them
Vomiting while asleep
Seizures
Slow Breathing
Irregular Breathing
Hypothermia
Alcohol Poisoning
• Keep person warm and turn them on their
side to prevent them from choking on their
vomit