Alcohol

Mr. Bower

Health Education

Musicians who died an alcohol related death

• John Bonham - 1948-1980 Died of choking on his own vomit after drinking vodka. Steve Clark - 1960-1991 Died of mixing alcohol and prescription pills (morpheine, valium, codeine) Jimi Hendrix - 1942-1970 Died of choking on his own vomit after drinking alcohol and eating barbituates. Bon Scott - 1946-1980 Died of acute alcohol poisoning Stuart Cable - Stereophonics- 2010- Died of choking on his own vomit.

What do you know about Alcohol?

• Click the beer bottle below to take a T/F quiz on your practical knowledge of ALCOHOL.

Alcohol and Teens

• Alcohol is related to over ½ of all teen deaths each year

• Alcohol is a factor in many unplanned pregnancies, STD transmissions, Dating violence, rapes and suicides

• Nearly 5 million problem drinkers in the US are between the ages of 14-17 years old.

What is Alcohol?

• Drug that slows down the central nervous system

– Known as a DEPRESSANT• Depresses (slow down) your:

– Heart rate– Breathing rate– Reflexes– Neural Functions

The affects of alcohol are influenced by:

1. Gender

2. Age3. Weight

4. Mood

5. Physical health

6.Strength of drink

7.Amount of food eaten (before drinking)

8.Fatigue (before)

9.Speed of consumption

10. Other medicines taken

What is a drink?

• A standard drink is:– One 12-ounce

bottle of beer* or wine cooler

– One 5-ounce glass of wine

– 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.

How Much Alcohol is in a Product?

• Proof: • Amount of alcohol in

a drink• Double the percent of

alcohol.• Ex. 20% Alcohol = • 40 proof

• Drinks and Averages• Beer: 3-7% Alcohol• Wines: 12-14%

Alcohol• Wine cooler: 1.5-6%

Alcohol• Liquors: 40% Alcohol

Effects on BodyAlcohol affects all areas of the brain. (Reward system, Cortex (Thinking/Senses) and Brain Stem (Breathing/HR)

Kidneys are poisoned as they filter alcohol from the blood

Alcohol increases acid production in stomach. Leads to ulcers over time.

Liver is responsible for breaking down alcohol. While it is working, it is being poisoned.

Alcohol decreases calcium absorption. Bone loss occurs.

Good/Healthy Liver

Bad/Unhealthy Liver

Long-term Effects of Alcohol on the Body

1. To the Brain – • Addiction – inability to stop drinking• Loss of verbal skills, memory• Major brain damage2. Cardiovascular Changes• Damage to the heart muscle• Enlarged heart – from increased workload

caused by alcohol• High blood pressure – can cause heart

attack/stroke

Long term effects3. Liver problems –

• fatty liver – fats build up and cannot be broken down – excess fat blocks the flow of blood to liver cells, leading to cell death

• Cirrhosis – liver tissue is replaced with useless scar tissue. This disease can lead to liver failure and death.

Alcohol’s effect on the body

4. Digestive system

• Irritation – digestive lining is damaged; can lead to stomach ulcers and cancer of the stomach and esophagus

5. Pancreas Problems

• Chemicals begin to destroy the pancreas, causing pain, vomiting, and can lead to death

Other Problems With Drinking Alcohol

• Alcohol is a toxin.– Toxin: a substance that is poisonous (To all

parts of body)• Blackouts

– A period in which a person cannot remember what has happened.

• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

• No level of alcohol use during pregnancy has been proven safe

• Each year between 5,300 and 8,000 babies in the United States are born with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), a combination of physical and mental birth defects –leading known cause for mental retardation

Alcohol and Pregnancy– The presence of severe birth defects in babies born to

mother who drink alcohol during pregnancy. • Babies with FAS may have:• Low birth weight • Small size and retarded growth • Small head • Small eyes • Short, flat nose • Flat cheeks • Small jaws • Unusually shaped ears • Thin upper lip • Shaking or tremors • Sight and hearing problems • Heart defects • Small, abnormally formed brain • Minor joint defects that may restrict movement • Teeth prone to cavities • Vision problems • Ear infections• small eye slits, small head, and retarded physical

and mental growth.• Leading cause of mental retardation.

Alcohol and your BAC

• Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream in the small intestines.

• Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)– The amount of alcohol

content found in your blood

– The higher BAC, the more impairment occurs

Blood Alcohol Content and DUI

• Legal Limit for Adult: .08 BAC

• Underage Intoxication Limit: .02 BAC

• Anything beyond is considered Driving Under the Influence (DUI)

Impairments

• BAC of .02= decision making impaired.

• BAC of .05= reasoning and judgment are impaired, decreased muscular coordination and reaction time.

• BAC of .10= reasoning, judgment, self control, muscular coordination, and reaction time are seriously impaired.

• BAC of .12= confused, disoriented, blurred vision, vomit.

• BAC of .20= emotions are unpredictable, may pass out.

• BAC of .30= little or no control over mind and body.

• BAC of .40= unconscious and possible death

Questions for Discussion

1. Just because it is legal, does having a BAC below .08 make you safe?

2. Should a driver be able to have a blood alcohol content?

3. Should teens have a .02 BAC for DUI?

Refusal Skills

• Developing good self-esteem • Have good eye contact • Respond with a clear and firm "no" that

does not leave the door open to future offers

• How you say no is as important as what you say.

Refusal Skills

1. Identify the consequences ("We'll get in trouble.")

2. Suggest an alternative

3. Delaying

4. Use humor

5. Just say no

The disease of Alcoholism – Alcoholism

• Is a disease in which a person has a physical and/or a psychological dependence on alcohol.

• Will show itself in different behaviors - violent, aggressive, withdrawn, quiet

• Is a craving – he/she cannot manage stress without the use

• Is a loss of control – he/she cannot limit his drinking and is preoccupied with alcohol

• Is a Physical dependence – without alcohol, will experience withdrawal symptoms

The disease of Alcoholism• An alcoholic will build a Tolerance to alcohol - a

need to drink increasingly greater amounts in order to feel its effects

• An alcoholic will experience health/family, and legal problems – an alcoholic often suffers repeated injuries, receives multiple drunk driving citations, frequent arguments, poor relationships with family

• An alcoholic may have a genetic link to alcoholism

The Stages of Alcoholism

• Stage 1 -

– Abuse of alcohol. Use for social, use to relax, use for stress management, leads to psychological dependence. Drinks and gets intoxicated regularly, blackouts, memory loss – known as the “problem drinker”

The Stages of Alcoholism

• Stage 2 –

- Dependence – physically dependent on alcohol, becomes central focus, tries to hide the problem, performance of job, school work, etc, suffers. Makes excuses and blames others.

The Stages of Alcoholism

• Stage 3 – - Final stage – drinking is the most important

thing in a person’s life. The person is addicted to the drug and his or her life is out of control, although frequently he/she does not realize or acknowledge this fact. Because the liver is damaged, less alcohol is required to produce intoxication. Severe withdrawal symptoms if alcoholic tries to stop

How Alcoholism effects Family and Society

• Major factor in the four leading causes of accidental death – car accidents, falls, drowning, house fires

• Plays a major role in violent crimes – homicide, forcible rape, robbery

• 40% of violent crimes are alcohol related• 2/3’s of victims who encounter domestic violence

report that alcohol was a factor• Nearly half of all homicide victims have alcohol in

their bloodstream• Codependency – codependents learn to ignore their

own needs and focus their energy and emotions on the needs of the alcoholic

Treatment

• The process of learning to live an alcohol free life is called recovery

• Approx. 2/3’s of all alcoholics who try to recover are successful

• Many resources are available to help people who have a drinking problem. Help is also available to the families and friends

Treatment

• Al-anon – helps family and friends of the alcoholic- http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/

• Alcoholic Anonymous – provides help for the

alcoholic- http://www.aa.org

• Nat’l. Asso. For Children of Alcoholics – provides help for children - http://www.nacoa.org/

In Class Activity

• Students form groups of 5

• Each group should pair up with a second group

• One group thinks about 5 reasons that teens give for drinking

• The other group thinks about 12 reasons given for not drinking.

• Combine together and have each person pressure someone from the other group using their lines.

True or False #1

• Drinking is not really that dangerous.

FALSE- 1 in 3 teens is admitted to the Emergency Room for intoxication.

Suicide, Drowning and homicides are also associated with alcohol.

True or False #2

• Someone who doesn’t appear drunk probably is not drunk.

FALSE- Many people, particularly those with alcohol problems, can

drink a lot without showing signs of drunkenness

True or False #3

• Beer and wine are safer than “hard” liquors like whisky and gin.

FALSE- One standard serving of beer, wine or spirits contains the

same amount of alcohol.

True or False #4

• I can drink and still be in control

FALSE- drinking impairs your judgment and increases your risk of doing

something you would not normally do.

Examples: Violence, Rape, Sexual Activity, Drinking and Driving

True or False #5

• When a person has a hangover, coffee and a cold shower will sober him/her up.

FALSE- These do not speed up the liver’s ability to break down the alcohol. It takes about 3 hours to eliminate the alcohol from 2 drinks (Depending on

weight)

• http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh21-1/30.pdf