Alcohol is a powerful depressant drug

1. (Chpt 25) What is alcohol? • Alcohol is a powerful depressant drug • Ethanol is the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. • Alcohol robs the body of its ability to absorb key nutrients and, with long term overuse may lead to malnutrition.

2. Why do young people drink? • Escape pressures or problem • Feel better or get over from sad or lonely • Deal with stress and relax • Boost self-esteem in social situations • Curiosity or excitement • Because their peers are doing it • Bored • Because people tell them they can’t drink

3. Short-Term Effects of Alcohol • Depends on several factors • Person’s gender, size and how much food is in the stomach • Brain • Slows down activity in the brain • Thought processes are disorganized • Decision making can be badly affected

4. Short-Term Effects of Alcohol • Liver • Causes oxidation, which is when alcohol is changed into water, carbon dioxide and energy • Liver can oxidize 10 to 15 ml of alcohol an hour, there is no way to speed up this process • Until the liver oxidizes all the alcohol, the alcohol keeps circulating throughout the body. • MYTH: cold shower and coffee.

5. Short-Term Effects of Alcohol • Blood Vessels and Heart • Causes blood vessels to widen, which cause you to feel warmer than your body is. • Your body actually gets colder because there is more blood flow near the top of the skin • Causes increase in heart rate and blood pressure • Causes scar tissue to build up on the muscles of the heart • Chance of heart attack and stroke is increased

6. Short-Term Effects of Alcohol • Kidneys and Stomach • Alcohol affects the pituitary gland, causing the kidneys to produce more urine • This is why there is a feeling of dehydration the day after drinking heavy • Alcohol can be absorbed right into the blood in the stomach, it doesn’t have to be digested • The more food in the stomach, the slower the absorption process • The more alcohol, the more acidic juices in the stomach, the more irritation in the stomach, leads to internal bleeding

7. Long-Term Effects of Alcohol • Vitamin deficiencies • Stomach and skin problems • Loss of appetite • Permanent damage to liver and central nervous system

8. Long-Term Effects of Alcohol • Causes brain damage • Chronic liver problems • Fatty liver- condition in which fats build up in the liver and cannot be broken down • Cirrhosis- liver tissue is destroyed and then replaced with scar tissue • Hepatitis- inflammation or infection in the liver that can cause weakness, fever and even sometimes death

9. Long-Term Effects of Alcohol • Builds up a tolerance and a dependence • Tolerance- condition in which the body becomes used to the effects of alcohol • Your body goes through withdrawal

10. Driving and Alcohol • DWI- (Driving while intoxicated) • DUI- (Driving under the influence) • BAC- (Blood alcohol content)- amount of alcohol in the blood expressed as a percentage • Signs of being intoxicated can be shown when a BAC reaches .02 • DWI and DUI fall under people that have a .08 BAC (changed JAN 2004)

11. Driving and Alcohol • Drinking on any level: • Reduces the ability to judge distances, speeds and turns • Reduces the ability to judge accurately one’s own capabilities and limitations • Increases the tendency to take risks • Slows reflexes • Adds to forgetfulness to take precautions such as using signals when turning • Reduces the ability to concentrate