Alcohol
Alcohol is the drug in beverages such as beer, malt liquors, liquors, wine, and wine coolers. It is also found in many prescriptions and over the counter medications.
What immediate effects does alcohol have on the body?
Alcohol first impairs judgment and mental processes that have
been learned through training and experience. It also impairs
vision and other senses, memory, balance, and muscle
coordination. In high doses, alcohol will depress the brain
enough to cause unconsciousness, coma, respiratory failure, and
death.
Why does alcohol seem to effect different people
differently?
The effects of alcohol on a drinker is influenced by many
factors such as; how much and how quickly the alcohol is
consumed, whether the person has food in their stomach, whether
or not the person has mixed the alcohol with other drugs. Other
personal factors include the person’s weight, gender, body fat
level, tolerance, personality, level of fatigue, and mood.
What immediate problems are caused by alcohol?
Alcohol use is a major factor in problems such as fights and
arguments, spouse abuse, child abuse, rapes, other crimes, and
unplanned or unprotected sex. Alcohol use can also be a factor
in absenteeism from work and school. An alcohol overdose can
cause a coma and/or death.
What long-term problems are caused by alcohol?
Heavy alcohol use over time damages many body organs. These
include the liver, heart, stomach, and brain. Alcohol-related
social, emotional family, and job-related problems often
continue over a long period of time. Alcohol dependency is
another long-term problem. Alcohol problems can also lead to
financial problems in areas such as rising costs in medical care
and alcohol treatment services.
Can alcohol kill?
Alcohol can lead to death through overdose, injury, and gradual
health damage. A large dose of alcohol can cause respiratory
failure and death. When a drinker consumes alcohol rapidly and
in large amounts this is when the risk of overdosing is the
greatest.
Can people become dependent on alcohol?
Alcohol can cause both psychological and physical dependence.
“Psychological dependence” refers to how the drinker feels and
thinks about drinking. It is present when a person uses alcohol
to escape from their problems, comes to depend on the drug for
relief, or they think frequently about drinking. “Physical
dependence” refers to changes that occur in a person’s physical
reactions to the drug. Signs of this include a need to consume
more of the drug to get the same tolerance, or needing alcohol
to function.
What is alcoholism?
Alcoholism is a term for dependence on alcohol. It is also
called an addiction or a disease. Signs of alcoholism include:
when a drinker has little control over when or how much he or
she drinks, they think often about drinking, and they keep
drinking although it may be causing major problems in their
life.
What is “problem drinking”?
This term is used to describe a situation in which alcohol
is causing serious problems, but the drinker is not yet clearly
dependent on alcohol. Binge drinking and frequent intoxication
are two serious forms of problem drinking. Also any drinking
which causes problems with family, friends, or at work are
considered “problem drinking”.
Is a person who gets drunk an alcoholic?
Getting drunk one time does not make a person an alcoholic, but
getting drunk often is a sign of alcoholism. Some alcoholics
will never appear to be drunk because, they have developed a
high tolerance to the drug.
What help is available to those with an alcohol problem?
Several levels of treatment may be given for alcohol dependence.
These include outpatient, residential, and hospital programs.
The support of other recovering alcoholics either through
Alcoholics Anonymous or other support groups is an important
part of recovery.
How does alcohol affect young people?
Young people who drink are more likely than adults to drink to
get drunk. Young drinkers become dependent on alcohol more
rapidly than adults. Alcohol related traffic crashes are the
leading cause of death among young people. It is involved in
many suicides and overdose deaths. It is also a factor in many
cases of unplanned sexual activity, date rapes, and other rapes.
What effect does alcohol have on the human fetus?
Alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman affects the fetus. Drinking
increases the risk of having a baby born with birth defects
called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effects. Babies
born with either FAS or FAE have life-long physical, mental, and
behavioral problems. Alcohol consumption also contributes to low
birth weight, impaired fetal growth and development, and other
problem outcomes of the pregnancy.
Legal Information
Alcoholic beverages may be purchased or consumed only by those
who are twenty-one years of age or older.
It is illegal for a minor to be in possession of alcohol.
It is illegal for drivers under age 21 to operate a motor
vehicle if they have any bodily alcohol content.
It is illegal to provide alcohol to minors or to allow minors to
use alcohol or other drugs in your home. Adults are legally
responsible for anything that might happen to a minor who has
been served alcohol or other drugs in their home.
It is illegal to use fraudulent identification by a person under
21 years of age to purchase alcoholic liquor.
It is illegal to possess alcoholic liquor in a motor vehicle by
a person under 21 years of age.