SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Alcohol
A drug found in certain
beverages that depresses the
brain and nervous system
Beer: 2-6% alc
Wine: 8-20% alc
Liquor: 40-50% alc
Proof:
A measure of the amount of alcohol in a
beverage.
Twice the percent of the alcohol in the
beverage (20% = 40 proof)
I only had one drink…
What is a standard drink?
A standard drink is any drink that contains 14
grams of pure alcohol.
What does that look like?
Why is it important to know what a
standard drink is?
The liver processes (breaks down) alcohol.
It can process 1 drink per hour without
increasing your Blood Alcohol Content (BAC).
If your ‘drink’ is actually 2 standard drinks, your
BAC will start rising.
The Truth About Alcohol
https://youtu.be/DoqXsOE_O4c
Quiz
1. Is alcohol considered a stimulant or
depressant?
2. What type of drink has the highest alcohol
content? (Beer, Wine, or Liquor)
3. If a drink is 80 proof, what is the alcohol
content?
BAC or BLOOD ALCOHOL
CONCENTRATION:
• The amount of alcohol in a person’s blood
stream
• Measured in a percentage… the higher the
percentage the greater the effect of alcohol on
the body.
• A beverage that contains ½ ounce of alcohol
is considered one drink
1 can of beer
4-5 oz of wine
1.5 oz of liquor
• Drinking more than one of these causes the
BAC to rise.
• 20% of the alcohol that is consumed is
absorbed into the blood stream through the
walls of the stomach.
• Alcohol affects every cell in the body
Liver –
• breaks down alcohol into waste.
• Can only handle 1 drink/hr
alcohol-induced liver disease
Alcoholic cirrhosis is the most serious type of alcohol-induced liver
disease. Cirrhosis refers to the replacement of normal liver tissue
with scar tissue.
Other complications:
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Bleeding from veins in the esophagus
Enlarged spleen
High blood pressure
Changes in mental function/coma
Kidney failure
Liver cancer
Alcohol is a TOXIN
• Toxin – a substance that is poisonous
• If too much is swallowed then the stomach
will reject it
Myth or Fact
• Coffee, showers, and fresh air help you get rid
of the alcohol in your body…
MYTH
there is no way to speed up the break
down of alcohol.
Factors that affect BAC:
•
Percent body fat – body fat does not absorb as
much alcohol as lean tissue
•
Amount of alcohol consumed
•
Speed at which alcohol is consumed
•
Body weight – the same amount of alcohol
produces a greater effect on people who weigh less
(more weight = more blood volume)
* The effects of alcohol on people intensify as the BAC rises
continued…
•
Presence of other drugs in the blood stream
•
Age
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Carbonation – passes into the blood stream
more quickly (beer, sparkling wine,
champagne, mixed drinks)
continued:
• Gender – BAC rises faster in females than in
males (body fat, hormones, stomach enzymes)
• Feelings – Stress, anger, and fear can speed up
the rate of alcohol absorption into the blood
stream
• Amount of food eaten – passes more quickly
into the blood stream on an empty stomach
Effects on the BODY:
• Nervous System: destroy nerve cell and cause
blackouts and seizures
• Digestive System: develop cancer of the mouth,
esophagus, and stomach; liver disease
• Immune System: Depresses the immune system
• Cardiovascular System: increased risk for high blood
pressure, stroke
• Skeletal System: Osteoporosis (alcohol causes body to
lose calcium)
• Excretory System: kidney failure
Effects on THINKING and DECISION
MAKING:
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Wrong Decisions
False Sense of Self-Confidence
Impaired Judgment
Feelings of Invincibility
Giving in to Negative Peer Pressure
Intensified Sexual Feelings and Impaired
Reasoning – more than ½ of teen females who
became pregnant report that they were
drinking before they had sex. Also increases
the likelihood of and STI
continued…
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Impaired Reaction Time and Coordination
Aggressive Behavior
Intensified Emotions – mood swings
Hangovers – an aftereffect of using alcohol
and other drugs. It may involve a headache,
increased sensitivity to sounds, nausea,
vomiting, tiredness, and irritability.
Blackouts – loss of memory for what
happened during a period of time.
Binge Drinking:
What Is Binge Drinking?
• The heavy consumption of alcohol over a short
period of time.
• the consumption of five or more drinks in a row by
men or four or more drinks in a row by women — at
least once in the previous 2 weeks.
Heavy binge drinking includes three or more such
episodes in 2 weeks.
Why Do People Binge Drink?
Liquor stores, bars, and alcoholic beverage
companies make drinking seem attractive and
fun. It's easy for a student to get caught up in
a social scene with lots of peer pressure.
Inevitably, one of the biggest areas of peer
pressure is drinking.
Other reasons why people drink include:
• They're curious — they want to know what it's
like to drink alcohol.
• They believe that it will make them feel good,
not realizing it could just as easily make them
sick and hung-over.
• They may look at alcohol as a way to reduce
stress, even though it can end up creating
more stress.
• They want to feel older.
What Are the Risks of Binge
Drinking?
• Excessive drinking can lead to:
– difficulty concentrating
– memory lapses
– mood changes
– and other problems that affect your day-to-day life.
But binge drinking carries more serious and longer-lasting
risks as well…
Alcohol Poisoning
• Alcohol poisoning is the most life-threatening
consequence of binge drinking.
• When someone drinks too much and gets alcohol
poisoning, it affects the body's involuntary reflexes
— including breathing and the gag reflex.
• If the gag reflex isn't working properly, a person can
choke to death on his or her vomit.
Signs someone may have alcohol
poisoning:
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extreme confusion
inability to be awakened
vomiting
seizures
slow or irregular breathing
low body temperature
bluish or pale skin
1)
2)
3)
4)
What does BAC stand for?
Cirrhosis is a disease of the _________.
Alcohol is a _________ which means it is a poison.
The liver can only break down ____ drink(s) per
hour.
5) When a person consumes too much alcohol in a
short amount of time it can cause __________
___________, which can lead to death.
6) _____________ is the measure of alcohol, it is 2x
the percent of alcohol.
7) The consumption of 5 or more (men) or 4 or more
(women) drinks in a short amount of time is called
_____________ drinking.