Transcript Alcohol

Alcohol
Getting the Facts
• 21 years old to drink
• Almost 80% of high school students have tried
alcohol
– Why?
• Deciding to drink is a personal decision and
you will need to make an educated choice
Alcohol: What is it?
• Alcohol is created when grains, fruits, or
vegetables are fermented
• Fermentation is a process that uses yeast or
bacteria to change the sugars in the food into
alcohol
• Alcohol has different forms and can be used as
a cleaner, an antiseptic, or a sedative
No, not that type of alcohol
• When people drink alcohol, it is absorbed into
the bloodstream
• From there, it enters the central nervous
system, which controls most all body functions
How does it affect our bodies?
• Depressant
– Slows the function of the CNS
• Blocks messages trying to get to the brain
• Alters a persons:
– Perceptions
– Emotions
– Movement
– Vision
– Hearing
How else…
• In very small amounts, alcohol can relax the
body and make people feel less anxious
• More alcohol causes greater changes in the
brain, resulting in intoxication
• When a person is intoxicated (drunk) they may:
– Stagger
– Lose coordination
– Slur their speech
– Be easily confused
– Be disoriented
There’s more…
• Depending on the person, intoxication can
make someone very friendly and talkative or
very aggressive and angry
• Reaction times are slowed
– Drinking and driving
• People who are intoxicated may think they're
moving properly when they're not
• They may act totally out of character.
Alcohol Poisoning
• When large amounts of alcohol are consumed
in a short period of time
• The body has become poisoned by large
amounts of alcohol
• Violent vomiting is usually the first symptom
• Extreme sleepiness, unconsciousness,
difficulty breathing, dangerously low blood
sugar, seizures, and even death may result
So why do teens drink?
• Experimentation with alcohol during the teen
years is common
• Some reasons that teens use alcohol and other
drugs are:
– curiosity
– to feel good, reduce stress, and relax
– to fit in
– to feel older
Why you shouldn’t drink
• Punishment is severe
– Under 21Against the law = arrested
– Crime
– School & sports
• You can look really stupid
– Throw up, pee yourself, bad breath, hangovers
• Alcohol puts your health at risk
– Unsafe sex, injuries, car crash, homicides, suicides,
overweight
How can I avoid drinking?
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Say “no, thanks”
Make an excuse
Plan in advance
Have high self esteem
Where can I get help?
• If you think you have a problem, get help as
soon as possible
• Talk to a trusted adult
• Drug and alcohol counselors
What to do for a friend?
• Friends, family
• People with drinking problems can't stop
drinking until they are ready to admit they
have a problem and get help
• Turn to a trusted adult for help
• Keep them safe
– Drink and drive, alone
Everyone goes through it!
• Everyone makes decisions about whether to
drink and how much — even adults
• It's possible to enjoy a party or other event
just as much, if not more so, when you don't
drink
• And with your central nervous system working
as it's supposed to, you'll remember more
about the great time you had!