ALCOHOL

What is alcohol?

Alcohol is created when grains, fruits, or vegetables are fermented. Fermentation is a process that uses yeast, bacterium, mold, or enzymes to change the sugars in the food into alcohol.

It’s natural so it won’t hurt me, right?

When people drink alcohol, it gets absorbed into their bloodstream where it affects the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS is made up of your brain and spinal cord, and controls almost all body functions. 

 

Why Do Teens Drink?

Some reasons that teens use alcohol and other drugs are:

· curiosity

· to feel good, reduce stress, and relax

· to fit in

· to feel older

For years, media has depicted beautiful people enjoying life and alcohol. Exposure to this from an early age, or to parents or other adults who use alcohol socially, give teens the message that it is harmless.

What Is Binge Drinking?

The generally accepted definition of binge drinking is "the consumption of five or more drinks in a row by men or four or more drinks in a row by women." Heavy binge drinking includes three or more of these incidences in 2 weeks.

What Are the Risks of Drinking?

Many people don't think about the downfalls of drinking. While they might think about the possibility of getting drunk, they may not think about the possibilities of being hung-over the next day or being sick. They may not know or think about that excessive drinking can lead to difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, mood changes, and other problems that affect your day-to-day life. Binge drinking can have far greater risks such as:

Alcohol poisoning is the most life-threatening consequence of binge drinking. If a person has too much to drink and gets alcohol poisoning, it affects the body's involuntary reflexes like breathing or the gag reflex. If the gag reflex isn't working properly, a person can choke to death on his or her vomit! Other signs of alcohol poisoning include:

· extreme confusion

· inability to be awakened

· vomiting

· seizures

· slow or irregular breathing

· low body temperature

· bluish or pale skin

If you think someone has alcohol poisoning, call 911 immediately!

Impaired judgment can result from binge drinking. So drinkers are more likely to behave in ways they might not when they're sober, like driving drunk and injuring themselves or others. Even walking becomes more difficult when intoxicated. In 2000, about one third of people 16 and older who were killed in traffic accidents were intoxicated. Some people have such impaired judgment that they have unprotected sex, which can result in a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or unplanned pregnancy.

Physical health is impaired. Studies show that people who binge-drink throughout high school are more likely to be overweight and have high blood pressure by the time they are 24. Just one regular beer contains about 150 calories, which adds up to a lot of empty calories if someone drinks four or five beers a night. Empty calories are calories obtained from ingesting food with little to no nutritional value.

Mental health is also at risk. Binge drinkers have been reported to have a harder time in school and are more likely to drop out. Since drinking disrupts sleep patterns, which can make it harder to stay awake and concentrate during the day, they may struggle with studying and keeping up with academics.

There is a risk of alcoholism. Some studies have shown that people who heavily binge drink have some of the symptoms of alcoholism.

Spotting the warning signs

Here are a few of the early warning signs that someone may have a substance abuse problem:

· relying on drugs or alcohol to have fun, forget problems, or relax

· having blackouts

· drinking or using drugs alone

· withdrawing or keeping secrets from friends or family

· losing interest in activities that used to be important

· performing differently in school (such as grades dropping and frequent absences)

· building an increased tolerance to alcohol or drugs — gradually needing more and more of the substance to get the same feeling

· lying, stealing, or selling stuff to get money for drugs or alcohol

It's usually hard for people to recognize that they have a problem. This is why it is so important that friends and/or family step in. People who are addicted to drugs or alcohol may promise over and over that they'll stop, but quitting is hard to do! Many people find they can't do it without help.

Lots of resources are available for people with substance abuse problems. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous offer information and recovery programs for teens. The Alcohol and Drug Information hotline is 1-800-729-6686.