Mazie B.
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Curiosity
It is being modeled by others
Belief that it will relieve stress
They expect a good experience
It is accessible
It has become culturally normalized
They believe it will make them look “cool”
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Slurred speech
Drowsiness
This didn’t really make you
Vomiting
look cool did it?
Diarrhea
Some of these effects could
Upset stomach
also lead to you hurting
yourself or others.
Headaches
Breathing difficulties
Bad breath
Distorted vision and hearing
Impaired judgment
Decreased perception and coordination
Unconsciousness
Blackouts (memory lapses, where the drinker
cannot remember events that occurred while
under the influence)
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Researchers have linked alcohol consumption to more
than 60 diseases.
Heavy drinking can lead to anemia, cancer,
cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis, dementia, seizures,
gout, high blood pressure, infectious disease, nerve
damage, and pancreatitis.
Information verified by a professor of psychiatry at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of
Medicine and researcher at the University's Bowles
Center for Alcohol Studies.
For more information on these health risks and how
the consumption of alcohol leads to them read the next
two slides.
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Anemia-Heavy drinking can cause the number of oxygen-carrying
red blood cells to be abnormally low.
Cancer- risk comes when the body converts alcohol into
acetaldehyde, a potent carcinogen.
Cardiovascular disease- Heavy drinking, especially bingeing,
makes platelets more likely to clump together into blood clots,
which can lead to heart attack or stroke.
Cirrhosis- Alcohol is toxic to liver cells, and many heavy drinkers
develop cirrhosis, a sometimes-lethal condition in which the liver
is so heavily scarred that it is unable to function.
Dementia- heavy drinking speeds the shrinkage of certain key
regions in the brain, resulting in memory loss and other
symptoms of dementia. Brain shrinks as a person gets older.
Seizures- Heavy drinking can cause epilepsy and can trigger
seizures even in people who don't have epilepsy.
Gout- alcohol and other dietary factors seem to play a role in the
risk of gout which is caused by the formation of uric acid crystals
in the joints.
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High blood pressure- Alcohol can disrupt the sympathetic nervous
system, which, among other things, controls the constriction and
dilation of blood vessels in response to stress, temperature, exertion,
etc. High blood pressure can lead to many other serious diseases.
Infectious disease- Heavy drinking suppresses the immune system,
providing a toehold for infections, including tuberculosis,
pneumonia, HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Nerve damage- alcohol is toxic to nerve cells. Heavy drinking can
cause a form of nerve damage known as alcoholic neuropathy, which
can produce a painful pins-and-needles feeling or numbness in the
extremities as well as muscle weakness, incontinence, constipation,
erectile dysfunction, and other problems.
Pancreatitis- In addition to causing stomach irritation, drinking can
inflame the pancreas. 60% of chronic pancreatitis cases stem from
alcohol consumption.
• If you think you have a drinking problem, get help as soon as possible.
• Easiest thing to do is talk to an adult you trust. If you can not approach
your parent, talk to your doctor, school counselor, or a church member.
• It can be hard for some people to talk to
adults about these issues, but a supportive
person in a position to help can refer
students to a drug and alcohol counselor for
evaluation and treatment.
• In some states, this treatment is completely
confidential. After assessing a teen's
problem, a counselor may recommend a brief
stay in rehab or outpatient treatment. These
treatment centers help a person gradually
overcome the physical and psychological
dependence on alcohol.
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Maintaining a healthy body
Establishing healthy relationships
Making healthy decisions
Avoiding risky behavior
Avoiding illegal activity
Saving money
There are better
things to do
with your life.
This topic is important to me because my life
was affected by someone I knew drinking alcohol.
Today, they no longer drink and have been sober for
years. The change was amazing. It made that person
happier and able to enjoy life more.
Drinking alcohol is a personal choice. As you can
tell in this presentation there are many risks to
alcohol consumption. On the other hand there are
many benefits of living an alcohol free life.
Ultimately the decision is up to you.
"Alcohol." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's
Health. Ed. Steven Dowshen. The Nemours Foundation, 01 June 2013.
Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
"Alcohol Linked to 75,000 U.S. Deaths a Year." Msnbc.com. N.p., n.d.
Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
"Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse." Drug Addiction Drug Abuse
Alcoholism Alcohol Abuse Dual Diagnosis Treatment Summit Malibu
RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
Feature, David FreemanWebMD. "Health Risks of Alcohol: 12 Health
Problems Associated with Chronic Heavy Drinking." WebMD.
WebMD, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
"Short and Long Term Effects of Alcohol - Effects of Binge Drinking Truth About Alcohol." Short and Long Term Effects of Alcohol Effects of Binge Drinking - Truth About Alcohol. N.p., n.d. Web. 16
Mar. 2014.
"Understanding Alcohol's Effects." - Online Medical Encyclopedia.
N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.