Alcohol Chapter 21

Review Why is alcohol considered a drug? What is the difference between a stimulant and a depressant? Which one is alcohol? What is the process in which alcohol is made? Why would a mug of beer, a glass of wine, and a shot of liquor have the same amount of alcohol?

Statistics Game Take 5 minutes to match the percentages to the statistics on your paper. All statistics have been taken from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Statistic #1 What percent of 8th graders have tried alcohol at some point in their lives? 52% 1. F. 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5. A. 6. E.

Statistic #2 What percent of 8th graders have tried an alcoholic beverage in the past year? 43% 1. F. 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5. A. 6. E.

Statistic #3 What percent of 8th graders have reported feeling drunk at one point in their lives? 25% 1. F. 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5. A. 6. E.

Statistic #4 What percent of 8th graders have had one or more binge drinking episodes? Binge drinking is consuming excessive amounts of alcohol in one setting. 15% 1. F. 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5. A. 6. E.

71% What percent of 10th graders have tried alcohol? Statistic #5 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5. A. 6. E.

Statistic #6 What percent of 10th graders have had an alcoholic drink in the past year? 64% 1. F. 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5. A. 6. E.

Statistics Game Were you surprised by any of the statistics?

Alcohol’s Effects on the Body Alcohol travels through the body just like food does, but it does not have to be digested before it is absorbed into the blood stream. A person becomes intoxicated once they have consumed too much alcohol for the body to break down into harmless compounds.

Effects of Intoxication 2 1 3 4 5

Cardiovascular System Heart rate and blood pressure increase. More blood flows to the skin’s surface. Core body temperature decreases.

Nervous System Brain activity slows down. Coordination becomes impaired. Sensations and perception become less clear. Reflexes become sluggish.

Digestive and Excretory Systems Digestive System Excretory System Too much alcohol in the stomach can cause vomiting Safety feature Alcohol is also known to disrupt the digestive system by overriding stomach acids Kidneys increase urine production Drinking alcohol causes the body to lose more water than normal What is the outcome?

Effects on Behavior Drinkers can lose judgment and self-control Alcohol also decreases a person’s natural fears Results in taking more risks Leading to more unintentional injuries A person who drinks a lot of alcohol may suffer a blackout A blackout is a period of time that the drinker cannot recall These can happen to first-time drinkers as well as experienced drinkers

Blood Alcohol Concentration BAC is the amount of alcohol in a person’s blood, expressed as a percentage What is the legal limit? What is the lethal or deadly limit? Factors affecting BAC Rate of consumption Gender Body Size Amount of food in the stomach

Rate of Consumption Roughly one ounce of alcohol is metabolized by the liver per hour This is the amount of alcohol in one can of beer, one shot of liquor, or one glass of wine People who have a few drinks in one hour have a higher BAC than those who consume one drink per hour

Gender At the same rate of consumption, males generally have a lower BAC than females More metabolism in males tends to be done in the stomach before entering the bloodstream

Other Factors Body Size Food in the Stomach Smaller people, by height and weight, feel the effects of alcohol more than larger people Smaller individuals will have a higher BAC after consuming the same amount of drinks Drinking on an empty stomach increases the rate of alcohol absorption into the bloodstream A higher BAC will result

After Drinking The BAC will begin to decrease while the effects of alcohol slowly diminish Myths of “sobering up”: Taking a cold shower Exercise Fresh air Coffee Nothing can change the speed of the liver’s ability to break down alcohol besides time

Hangover A hangover is a term used to describe the after-effects of drinking Symptoms include Nausea Upset stomach Headache Sensitivity to light and noise The only way to avoid a hangover is to avoid alcohol altogether