ALCOHOL

1. ALCOHOL What is Alcohol? The scientific name for the type of alcohol that can be consumed is ethanolorethyl alcohol. It is a chemical, naturally it is found in fermenting fruits, vegetables and grains.

2. Task • In pairs consider: Why do people drink alcohol? • Don’t forget to include both positive and negative reasons.

3. Why do people consume alcohol? It is used by most people for: unwinding at the end of a day, celebrating and socialising, and also to build confidence. Why: because, small amounts of alcohol can make people feel more relaxed and it makes them feel a little silly, things can seem a lot funnier than they really are and inhibitions are lowered.

4. Negative Reasons. • To feel grown up, or to be accepted by their peers. • To psyche themselves up for something. • To drown their sorrows. • To cope with life. • Because they are physically addicted. • To get drunk! Why Negative: Alcohol is a depressant drug! If you are feeling sad, upset or angry, drinking alcohol will make those feelings worse.

5. Task • In groups make a list of as many short term effects of drinking alcohol as you can think of.

6. What does alcohol really do to you? Physical Effects: • Alcohol is a depressantdrug which effects the central nervous system, which means that it slows down the body’s systems; it mostly affects your brain’s control over your body. • It slows down your heart rate, and can even make the heart stop beating if large amounts of alcohol are drunk.

7. Alcohol dehydrates you: The body has to find water to try and dilute the toxic alcohol – it takes this from water rich parts of the body. Your brain in 70 to 80% water, so this in one of the first places from which water is redirected - this can lead to really bad ‘hangovers’. Sometimes, the person also loses their memory, this effect may be permanent.

8. Effects on the Brain follow a Sequence.

9. Itslows down your thinking:thinking is the first function of the brain to be affected. Choices and decisions are harder to make once the thinking process has been slowed down, which can mean that you might make unsafe choices and might not make the right decisions. This can be very dangerous in a variety of ways. Thinking it’s okay to drive a car when you’ve been drinking alcohol.

10. Speech:This is the next area to be affected. Words become slurred and difficult to pronounce. • Movement:Effects can range from appearing clumsy to being incapable of holding themselves up – this can then lead them to trip and fall over easily. They could hurt themselves very badly, but usually don’t feel any pain until the next day. This ‘clumsiness’ can have another unfortunate side effect, in that bumping into others can lead to arguments and aggression.

11. Hearing: loss increases with every drink, misunderstandings occur, which again can lead to arguments and aggression the more alcohol is drunk. Visual distortion: seeing double or the room spinning. These things together can make you feel very unwell and disorientated.

12. Breathing:This is the last function controlled by the central nervous system to be affected. It may be slowed to the point where someone becomes unable to breathe properly. In some cases breathing stops altogether and death follows. Couple this with the bodies natural defence of vomiting substances from the stomach that are causing harm or irritation, then we can be dealing with death through asphyxiation. Normally a person would cough automatically and get rid of anything in the air way, but because the systems have slowed down, this coughing does not always happen.

13. Life and Soul of the party?

14. What is a Unit of Alcohol? • A measure of the volume of pure alcohol in alcoholic beverages

15. Recommended Alcohol Intake

16. Task – How Many Units?Arrange the following in order of how many units of alcohol you think it contains

17. Binge Drinking The dangerous practice of consuming large quantities of alcoholic beverages in a single session. 90% of alcohol consumed by teens is consumed in the form of binge drinking.

18. Long Term affects of Drinking Alcohol. • In underage drinking the body is not developed enough to cope with the affects of alcohol, especially if a large amount is drunk quickly. This is can cause alcohol poisoning. • Risk of heart disease, heart attack and diseases of blood vessels • Alcoholic drinks also contain many other chemicals and a large amount of sugar, which can cause the drinker to put on weight, most of you will have heard about a ‘beer belly’, but it can also lead to the blood vessels becoming narrowed or even blocked with fatty deposits, which could lead to heart attacks, high blood pressure and strokes.

19. Alcohol is toxic to the body: the liver tries to get rid of the toxins (poisons) and over a long time, this can cause damage to the liver. • Other body organs, such as thekidneys are also damaged by the alcoholic toxins, the brainis especially damaged by alcohol. • Alcohol is addictive: a very expensive addiction to have, both to your health and also to your pocket.

20. Thirties: Body struggles to recover from drink...Weight piles on. Inflamed liver, nausea. Irregular periods. Foetal damage. Gout. Thinning bones. Depressed immune system. Puffy skin. Twenties: Blood vessels in the brain dilated by alcohol. Dehydration dries the skin. First sign of liver damage. Stomach lining irritated. Palpitations.

21. Forties: Risk of serious health problems taking hold...Increased liver damage. High blood pressure and strain on heart. Depression. Obesity and diabetes. Acid reflux. Nerve damage, tingling numbness. Fifties: Age-related problems exacerbated...Acute cirrhosis of the live likely. Anaemia. Cancer of throat and mouth. High risk of stroke. Broken veins, bloodshot eyes. Permanent memory lapse, brain damage. (pictures: Daily Mail)

22. So you are 18 and want to have a Drink! How can you avoid the harmful and unpleasant effects? • Have something to eat! • Be sensible about how much you drink and don’t mix drinks. Do Not binge drink. • Don’t drink too fast. • Make sure you have water between drinks. • Stay with your friends, you can help and support each other. • Don’t drink and drive. • Don’t leave your drink unattended. • Be wary of strangers buying you drinks.