Alcohol Unit Notes
Mr. Bower
Health Education
Name:_____________________
“Drunkenness is nothing but voluntary madness”
~Seneca
Alcohol and Teens
•Alcohol is related to over________ 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 __________________________________
–Known as a DEPRESSANT
•Depresses (slow down) your:
–Heart rate
–Breathing rate
–Reflexes
–Neural Functions
The affects of alcohol are influenced by:
1. ______________
2. Age
3. _____________
4. Mood
5. ________________
6._________________
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 _______________________* 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 _______________ of alcohol.
20% Alcohol = 40 proof
•Drinks and Averages
•Beer: 4% Alcohol
•Wines: 12-14% Alcohol
•Wine cooler: 1.5-6% Alcohol
•Liquors: 40% Alcohol
Effects on Body
Good/Healthy Liver
•Ex.
Long-term Effects of Alcohol on the Body
To the Brain –
•Addiction – inability to stop drinking
•Loss of verbal skills, ________________
•Major brain damage
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 effects
____________ –
•fatty liver – fats builds up and cannot be broken down – excess fat blocks the
flow of blood to liver cells, leading to cell death
•Alcoholic hepatitis – inflammation of the liver caused by the toxic effects of
alcohol
•____________ – liver tissue is replaced with _______________.
This disease can
lead to liver failure and death.
Alcohol’s effect on the body
Digestive system
•Irritation – digestive lining is damaged; can lead to stomach ulcers and cancer of
the stomach and esophagus
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)
•_______________________ (FAS)
–The presence of severe birth defects in babies born to mother who drink
alcohol during pregnancy.
•Babies with FAS may have small eye slits, small head, and retarded physical and
mental growth.
•Leading cause of ____________________.
•Blackouts
–A period in which a person cannot remember what has happened.
Alcohol and your BAC
•Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream in the small intestines.
Blood Alcohol Content and DUI
–The amount of alcohol content found in your blood
–The higher BAC, the more impairment occurs
•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
•Just because it is legal, does having a BAC below .08 make you safe?
•Should a driver be able to have a blood alcohol content?
•Should teens have a .02 BAC for DUI?
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 one
– 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”
•Stage two –
- 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
•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
•Alcoholic anonymous – provides help for the alcoholic
•Nat’l. Asso. For Children of Alcoholics – provides help for children
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)