Alcohol and Tobacco

Alcohol Many people enjoy a drink But it is a drug because it changes the way the body works. It can be abused Drinking too much alcohol can lead to addiction. An alcoholic is someone who cannot get through life without drinking.

What does alcohol do to the body? Alcohol slows down the body’s reactions It causes lack of co-ordination and judgement After a lot of alcohol a person can get slurred speech and the vision is affected. More alcohol causes stupor – you do not know where you are or what you are doing. This can be followed by coma.

Long term effects. Alcohol is a poison. Too much alcohol can cause cirrhosis of the liver. A person cannot live without a liver. Drinking over many years can cause brain damage. Excess drinking also increases the risk of – cancer, heart disease, obesity, and high blood pressure.

Tobacco Cigarette smoke contains – Nicotine which is an addictive drug. It makes people feel calm. Tar which is a mixture of thousands of chemicals. Some of these cause cancer. Carbon monoxide which is a gas. This reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry. It makes smokers short of breath.

What does tobacco do to the body? Nicotine makes the heart beat faster and narrows blood vessels. This can increase blood pressure and cause heart disease. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that attaches to red blood cells instead of oxygen. So the blood carries less oxygen. Tar irritates the airways and makes them narrower. Some of the chemicals in tar cause cancer.

Bronchitis and Emphysema Bronchitis is caused when the airways become inflamed and the cilia stop beating. The mucus , tar dirt and germs stay in the air ways and lungs. Emphysema is caused when the air sacs in the lungs are damaged by smoke. This makes breathing very hard. People with this disease often need an oxygen cylinder to help them breath.

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