ALCOHOL

INTRODUCTION Alcohol is a drug that slows the brain down. It is created when grains, fruits or vegetables are fermented (turning the sugars into alcohol).

EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL Alcohol affects different people in different ways. How alcohol affects a person will depend on: How LONG you drink. How MANY you drink. Your body WEIGHT How much drinking you’ve done in the PAST. How much FOOD is in the stomach. What your INTENTIONS are about drinking. WHERE you are when you drink.

SHORT TERM EFFECTS Intoxication results when the liver cannot break down alcohol as fast as it enters the body. Alcohol reduces sensation and muscle coordination. The brain and the stomach are affected by a hangover. A hangover is your body’s physiological response to excess consumption of alcohol. It is characterized by a headache, dry mouth/throat, upset stomach, and sluggish feeling. Excess alcohol causes the kidneys to release too much water from the body. This results in dehydration. Blood alcohol concentration of 0.4 to 0.5 can cause breathing and your heart to stop.

LONG TERM EFFECTS The mouth, throat, esophagus and tongue are at an increased risk of cancer. The liver is damaged so that it cannot break down fats. The liver is the primary organ that breaks down alcohol. Alcohol abuse can also contribute to heart disease.

ALCOHOL & YOUR BRAIN

ALCOHOL & YOUR BRAIN 1 to 2 Drinks (BAC 0.01 to 0.05) Organ systems begin to slow down, relaxed feeling, less inhibitions, slight decrease in motor skills. 3 to 4 Drinks (BAC 0.05 to 0.10) Fine motor skills are decreased, performance and responsiveness are reduced. Reduction in judgment AND reaction time. People feel more alert and talkative, but actually are the opposite. 5 to 7 Drinks (BAC 0.10 to 0.18) Senses are dulled (speech, hearing, vision). Balance is altered and person might stagger. Decreased sensation of pain.

ALCOHOL & YOUR BRAIN 8 to 10 Drinks (BAC 0.20 to 0.33) Reflexes are decreased, body temperature drops, circulation and respiration slow down. Unconsciousness can occur. Further drinking may cause a coma and eventual death from alcohol overdose. NOTE: These numbers are based on a 130 lb. person who has consumed the alcohol in a 2-hour span of time.

What's ONE DRINK?

THE PATH OF ALCOHOL When alcohol is consumed, it enters the mouth and passes down through the esophagus. Some alcohol enters the walls of the stomach and into the bloodstream, but most passes into the small intestines. Alcohol is rapidly absorbed into the walls of the small intestines, and directly into the bloodstream.

THE PATH OF ALCOHOL Once alcohol is in the bloodstream, the heart pumps it to all parts of the body. Alcohol enters the brain very quickly after consumption. It will stay in the brain until the liver completely oxidizes it (burns it up).

THE PATH OF ALCOHOL 6. The liver burns up alcohol at a rate of approximately ½ ounce per hour. Oxidation changes alcohol into water, carbon dioxide and energy. The body eliminates water through urine and carbon dioxide through breathing. This is why you can smell alcohol on someone’s breath when they have been drinking.

ALCOHOL EFFECTS ON DRIVING Alcohol decreases your ability to judge distance of both stationary and moving objects. Alcohol decreases the ability of your eyes to recover from glare. Alcohol reduces your ability to scan the environment. Impaired drivers make fewer scans and tend to fixate on certain objects (i.e. a traffic sign) for a longer period of time.

ALCOHOL EFFECTS ON DRIVING Alcohol reduces the ability to locate objects in your periphery. It is much more difficult to detect minor details/movement in peripheral vision. Alcohol influences judgement. Our ability to rapidly appraise situations is reduced. Reflexes are impaired. Lower limbs are particularly affected, causing difficulty with braking abilities.

DRINKING & DRIVING Alcohol is the cause of 60% of all teen deaths in car accidents. 31% of teenage drivers who are involved in fatal car wrecks had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher. Teenage boys who have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05 are18 times more likely to suffer a single vehicle crash than a non drinking teenage boy. Teenage girls who have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05 are 54 times more likely to be involved in a vehicle crash. Nationally in the United States, over 12% of all fatal crashes were alcohol related and 40% of those involved teenage drivers who were drinking. Teenagers are less likely to drive drunk than adults. Adolescents are more likely to drive drunk than teenagers.

DRINKING & DRIVING Eight teens die daily in alcohol related vehicle crashes. Each day 1,400 injuries and 15 deaths occur to teenage drivers, 40 percent are alcohol related. Almost 1,500 teens age 15-20 die in car crashes annually in the United States. The excuse given by teens who were caught drinking and driving include: Prom, graduation, spring break and breaking up with their boy or girl friends. Six out of ten high school juniors and seniors admit to riding with an alcohol impaired teenage driver. The number of teenagers who drink in cars is about 40%. Of that number, 40% of those were teenage drivers who were drinking. Alcohol is the cause of 60% of all teen deaths involving car accidents.