Think Before You Drink!
Facts, Questions and Answers :)
Drinking is bad to health. It has many bad effects to the body. The age of drinking is 21 and above and this is the law, but unfortunately a lot of young teens are breaking this law. They start drinking at a young age and have no idea what harm alcohol can cause them. So think before you drink!
The Liver...
If you drink too quickly, your liver won't be able to break it down into acetic acid fast enough for your body to get rid of it. When there is too much alcohol for the liver process, it goes into the blood stream and you become intoxicated. Over time, the alcohol in the body can cause a disease called cirrhosis that prevents the liver from work as it should. Cirrhosis causes the liver to become hard, scarred, and bumpy.
Drinking and driving
After you drink alcohol, your vision may get fuzzy when the alcohol is consumed. You may have trouble adjusting your lights and your pupils will get small, plus your eyes will get red. For this reason, you should not drink and drive. While you drink and drive, you can't tell whether the road is straight or not. And because of your vision, the drunk driver, can cause a felony crime of ending a life by driving recklessly called vehicular homicide.
What happens when you are unconscious because of drinking too much alcohol?
Unless someone sees you, you are most likely to be taken to the hospital where they will put a long tube into your mouth and down to the stomach to absorb all the alcohol in your stomach. If you are conscious, you are asked to drink a thick liquid that is called charcoal to consume the alcohol.
Why Is Underage Drinking Dangerous?
Underage drinking is a major cause of death from injuries among young people. Each year, approximately 5,000 people under age 21 die as a result of underage drinking. This includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 results of homicides, 300 from suicide, and hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns, and drownings.
The Brain...
Alcohol is a depressant, which means that it slows down the brain. Alcohol also alters the brain’s chemistry and increases the risk of depression and anxiety. Drinking over a long period of time can also have long-term effects on memory.
Long-Term Effects
Alcohol travels through your bloodstream and causes damage to the brain, stomach, kidneys, and muscles. As a teenager, the body is developing, so damage to it now will affect the rest of your life. Over the time, drinking destroys your body and looks. The skin can become warm and puffy plus your lips will be cracked and your veins will pop out. You don't want that to happen. So all that hard work you've done to look good just went down the drain!
Blah, Blah, Blah!
Blah, blah, blah! That is all your gonna hear when a person is talking after drinking alcohol. Drinking just makes you dumber. Your words you will talk will become slurred and you will start talking slowly. This is because of the depressant effect of the drug on the brain and central nervous system.
Abuse...
When someone uses excessive amounts of alcohol and alcoholic drinks, they are most likely to be called an alcohol abuser. Alcohol abuse affects about 10% of women and 20% of men in the United States, most beginning by their mid-teen years. Signs of alcohol intoxication include the smell of alcohol on the breath or skin, glazed or bloodshot eyes, the person being unusually passive or argumentative. Usually a normal person does not argue without a reason. With alcohol abuse, the stomach will produce more acid than normal and this can cause ulcers or stomach cancer.
Signs of Alcohol Poisoning
- Repeated vomiting
- Fewer than twelve breaths per minute
- Cold and clammy skin
- Unresponsiveness
- Confusion
- In severe cases of alcohol poisoning, seizures can happen.
- Lower body temperature
Alcohol and your Brain
What is Binge Drinking?
Binge alcohol is defined as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion on at least one day past the 30 days. Heavy drinking is defined as binge drinking on at least five days in the past month. In 2007, 9.7% of youth aged 12 to 20 reported binge drinking in the past month. The rate for heavy drinking is 2.3%.
Women and Alcohol
- Women absorb alcohol into the bloodstream faster and metabolize it slower than men.
- Women who drink regularly are at significantly greater risk for liver damage than men even if they drink less or drink for a shorter period of time.
- Girls who start dieting in sixth grade are more likely to engage in alcohol misuse later in life.
- More alcoholic women die from cirrhosis than do alcoholic men.
Youth and Drinking
- The number of college students who do not drink has increased to approximately 20%.
- Members of fraternities and sororities tend to drink more than students who do not participate in the Greek system.
- Approximately one in three 18-to-24-year-olds admitted to emergency rooms for serious injuries is intoxicated.
- Binge drinking rates peaked in 1979 and were lowest in 1992.
Fun Facts :)
- Alcohol dehydrates you, so if you drink a lot, make sure to balance it out with water. Otherwise, you may have a particularly nasty hangover.
- Drinks that contain alcohol can also be heavy in calories, and alcohol itself may make you eat more. So not a good diet move!
- The heaviest drinking takes place in Russia and Europe.
- One shot of vodka has as much alcohol as an entire beer.
- Thousands of people have died from drinking too much and choking on their vomit.
- In the state of Missouri, if you are under 21 and carry a trash bag with an empty bottle of beer, you can be charged with unlawful possession.
- 1/3 of divorce requests in England mention alcohol abuse as a contributing factor.
- 75% of kids have tried alcohol by 9th grade.