The Facts Served

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Alcohol

• The Facts Served
• Straight Up

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Alcohol The Facts Served Straight Up
Objectives

• In this presentation participants will learn
• The age group most likely to engage in heavy
  drinking and why.
• Guidelines for personal decisions to use or not
  to use alcohol.
• Personal risks involved with irresponsible use of
  alcohol.
• Factors that influence alcohol concentration and
  physical effects of various blood alcohol
  levels.
• Myths associated with alcohol
• Medical consequences of alcohol use
• Consequences of alcohol poisoning
• Guidelines for self protection with the use of
  alcohol.
• Binge drinking, consequences of alcohol
  poisoning, and what to do for a person
  suspected of having overdosed on alcohol.
• What to do if stopped by the police. Texas laws
  regarding DUI and underage
  drinking.
• Resources available for anyone who has or knows
  someone with an alcohol problem.

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Definitions

• Alcoholism a physical dependency on and a
  preoccupation with alcohol to the extent that
  this behavior interferes with normal personal
  family, social, or work life.
• Alcohol abuse drinking too much or too often
  without physical cravings or withdrawal symptoms.
  (this behavior can lead to alcoholism)
• Alcohol poisoning an over dosage on alcohol.
• (this is considered a medical emergency)
• Binge drinking drinking too much, too fast.
• for men is considered five or more drinks in a
  row.
• for women is considered four or more drinks in a
  row.

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Definitions, continued

• Blackouts Alcohol in the brain may cause a
  person to have gaps in their memory of things
  that happened while drinking.
• Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Alcohol
  concentration in a persons blood.
• Intoxication - The amount of alcohol consumed
  exceeds the individual's tolerance and produces
  behavioral or physical abnormalities.
• Tolerance Over a period of time more alcohol is
  required to achieve the same effect. This is a
  sign that a person is becoming dependent on
  alcohol and may not realize how impaired they
  actually are.

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Drinking in Young Adults

• Research consistently shows that people tend to
  drink the heaviest in their late teens and early
  to mid-twenties.

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Reasons College students ages 18 to 25 are at a
higher risk for problems involving alcohol.

• This is an age when young adults are moving out
  of their parents homes and into dorms or their
  own apartments.
• They are on their own for the first time and
  are free to make their own decisions.
• The roles of their parents weaken.

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College students risk for problems
involving alcohol, continued

• 
  
• Customs and traditions on some campuses encourage
  high-risk drinking patterns.
• Peer pressure to participate in drinking games is
  commonplace in social settings.
• Alcohol is often combined with sports betting and
  other forms of gambling.
• College students are a primary target for alcohol
  industry advertising and promotions

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Not all college students choose to drink.
However, some do and they choose to drink
moderately and responsibly.
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Here are some guidelines to help you make a
decision for yourself

• To drink or not to drink should be a conscious
  choice made before the occasion arises.
• Abstinence from alcohol is a safe and
  acceptable decision. It is ok not to drink.
• The use of alcohol can be risky and is not
  essential for enjoying social events.
• No one should feel pressured to drink or
  feel embarrassed because of a personal choice
  not to drink. Dont allow yourself to
  fall prey to peer pressure.

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Guidelines to help you make a decision for
yourself continued

• If you choose to use alcohol, do so safely,
  legally, and responsibly.
• Set a limit for yourself before you start
  drinking.
• Space your drinks, alternate alcohol and
  nonalcoholic drinks
• Keep track of how much youve had.
• Never drink and drive or ride with someone
  who has been drinking
• Have a designated driver

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The decision to use or not use alcohol is a
personal one. However, there can be
consequences of making poor decisions about
drinking.
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Possible Consequences of Drinking
Irresponsibly

• flunking courses
• unintended or unwanted sexual activity
• unwanted pregnancy
• getting an STD
• being involved in fights and accidents
• engaging in other risky behavior you might
  not have normally engaged in
• developing a long-term drinking problem

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Some Sobering Statistics

• The average student spends about 900 on
  alcohol each year.
• 159,000 of todays first-year college students
  will drop out of school for alcohol or other drug
  related reasons.
• One night of heavy drinking can impair your
  ability to think abstractly for up to 30 days,
  limiting
• your reading comprehension,
• your ability to understand what your professor
  says
• your problem solving abilities
• 70,000 students are victims of alcohol-related
  date rape or sexual assaults.

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40 of all traffic fatalities are alcohol
related.Could this be you someday?
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What Happens When You Drink?

• Alcohol enters the stomach and small intestine,
  where it is absorbed into the bloodstream.
• Once in the bloodstream, alcohol quickly travels
  to every organ in the body, including the brain.
• As you continue to drink, the amount of alcohol
  in your bloodstream continues to increase.
• The more alcohol the body absorbs, the higher the
  Blood Alcohol Concentration and the drunker the
  person gets.

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Blood Alcohol Concentration How does
this affect you?

• .02 - Alcohol immediately slows the nervous
  system and reaction time is impaired to some
  extent. You become more relaxed
• .04 - Reaction time continues to slow.
  A buzz develops. Relaxation deepens.
• .055 - .06 - Effects of alcohol change. Good
  feelings get less positive and negative feelings
  more negative. The negative effects will continue
  as long as you continue to drink. Brains ability
  to process information and make judgments is
  greatly impaired.

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BAC - How it affect you ? Continued

• .08 - Legally Drunk. Decrease in Motor
  coordination. May feel nauseous and throw up.
  This can occur in some people with just one or
  two drinks.
• .10 - A clear breakdown in judgment and motor
  coordination, visibly sloppy.
• .15 -.25 - High risk of blackouts and injuries.
• .25 -.35 - Can pass out. Risk of death.
• .40 -.45 - Lethal dose for most.

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What Is A Standard Drink?
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Factors that may influence alcohol concentration
levels

• Gender body compositions differ
• Body weight
• Alcohol content in drinks
• How much you drink
• Food intake
• Age
• Mood

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Myths Associated With Alcohol

• Alcohol is a sexual stimulant
• Alcohol actually decreases your ability to
  function sexually
• You may be less inhibited, but are less likely to
  be able tp follow through
• One or two drinks has no noticeable effect
  on a persons behavior and/or judgment
• Behavior and judgment changes with the first
  drink
• Some people are legally drunk with just one or
  two drinks
• You can sober someone up faster with food
  or coffee
• It takes the liver one hour to burn off about
  .016 of your blood
  alcohol level.
• As a rule it will take a 150lb male one hour to
  metabolize
  one glass of wine, one shot of liquor, or one
  bottle of beer
• Beer doesnt contain as much alcohol
  as hard liquor
• A 12 ounce bottle of beer has the same alcohol
  content as a standard shot of
  80-proof liquor or a 5 ounce glass of wine.

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Health problems associated with long term use of
alcohol

• Alcoholism (addiction to alcohol)
• Cancers
• Esophagus, mouth, throat, larynx (voice box).
• Increase risk of colon and rectal cancer
• Heart damage
• Cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle)
• High blood pressure
• High triglycerides leading to heart attack or
  stroke.
• Liver damage
• Cirrhosis
• Hepatitis
• Stomach
• Chronic irritation of the stomach lining and
  bleeding ulcers
• pancreatitis

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How to control the situation Protect
yourself if you choose to drink

• Limit the amount you drink, sip drinks slowly and
  space them out over time
• A heavy meal or dairy products before and while
  drinking may help slow the alcohol absorption
• Avoid salty foods that make you more thirsty such
  as salted peanuts or popcorn
• Drink diluted drinks rather than straight shots
• Avoid carbonated mixers or sparkling wines as
  they speed the alcohol into your bloodstream
• Avoid spiked punch and other drinks with
  unknown amounts of alcohol

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Binge Drinking Drinking too much alcohol too fast

• Can result in the brains control center
• closing down, at which point you can
• black out, slip into a coma,
• Stop breathing, and die.

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Binge Drinking

• Is all too often a common pattern of excessive
  alcohol use at parties fueled by peer pressure.
• Many times occurs in the form of drinking
  contests, dares, bets, or
  guzzling beer.
• In a recent U. S. college survey, nearly 50 of
  binge drinkers reported doing something they
  regretted while drunk.
• Binge drinkers are more likely to drive drunk or
  ride with a driver who has been drinking.
• Every year about 600,000 students between 18 and
  24 are assaulted by someone who has been
  drinking.
• The proportion of current drinkers that binge is
  highest in the 18 to 20 year old groups (52.1).

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Binge drinking is associated with many health
problems including

• Unintentional injuries (e.g. car crash, falls,
  burns, drowning)
• Intentional injuries (e.g. firearm injuries,
  sexual assault, domestic violence)
• Alcohol poisoning and death
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Unintended pregnancy
• Children born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• one of the leading known preventable causes of
  mental retardation and birth defects, such as
  mental and physical disabilities, abnormal facial
  features, growth deficiencies, vision, hearing
  and learning disabilities.
• High blood pressure, stroke, and other
  cardiovascular diseases
• Liver disease, Neurological damage, Poor
  control of diabetes
• Sexual dysfunction

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Alcohol Poisoning

• This is a Medical Emergency Call 911
  
• If alcohol poisoning is not treated, a person
  may become comatose, suffer brain damage and die!
• Alcohol poisoning is when someone overdoses on
  alcohol.
• Alcohol depresses nerves that control breathing
  and the gag reflex. This may cause one or both of
  the following
• pass out, stop breathing and die.
• pass out, choke on their own vomit and die
• Even after a person passes out their alcohol
  level keeps rising.
• The alcohol in the stomach and intestines
  continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate
  through the body.
• It is dangerous to assume the person will just
  sleep it off.

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Signs of Alcohol Poisoning

• Mental confusion, unable to wake them
• Vomiting while asleep
• Seizures
• Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per
  minute)
• Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between
  breaths)
• Hypothermia (low body temperature), bluish skin
  color and cold to the touch

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If you suspect someone has alcohol poisoning

• Call 911
• Keep the person warm and turn them on their side
  to prevent them from choking on vomit.
• Dont worry about the drinker being mad or
  embarrassed because you sought medical help. Be
  safe not sorry.

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Texas Law and The Legal Limit

• A blood alcohol level of .08 is the legal
• limit for driving in the state of Texas.
• However, drivers can be stopped and cited for
  impaired driving due to alcohol or other drugs
  regardless of BAC.
• Texas has a zero tolerance law.
• For anyone under 21, it is illegal to drive
  with any detectable amount of alcohol.

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Texas Laws What Happens If You are Stopped

• If a law enforcement officer asks you to take a
  blood or breath test to measure how much alcohol
  is in your system, you should comply.
• If you refuse, you are subject to an automatic
  180-day drivers license suspension.
• Punishment for DWI varies depending on the number
  of times you've been convicted.

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Texas Laws

• First Offense
• up to a 2,000 fine
• 72 hours to 180 days in jail
• drivers license suspension 90 days to 1 year
• Second Offense
• up to a 4,000 fine
• 30 days to 1 year in jail
• drivers license suspension 180 days to 2 years
• Third Offense
• up to a 10,000 fine
• 2 to 10 years in penitentiary
• drivers license suspension 180 days to 2 years

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So i got arrested for drinking and driving so
now i have 5 misd. and 1 class 6 felony it
fcking sucks i almost killed two of my friends
and myself and the truck i ran in to......if
wouldn't have been there i could've killed some
little 6 year old a 6 year old kid. The point
of this is think befor you act it could mean the
differance of life and death....sober or not
always think of what could happen this happend on
7/28/06 in tucson arizona -Anthony
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Texas Laws and Underage Drinking

• If youre under 21, the first time you are found
  in possession of alcohol can result in the
  following consequences Any amount of beer, wine
  or liquor will trigger the penalties.
• 30-day drivers license suspension
• up to a 500 fine
• 8 to 12 hours of community service
• mandatory attendance in alcohol-awareness classes
  
• A second or third offense can lead to suspension
  of your drivers license for 90 to 180 days.
• If youre 17 or older, you also can be fined as
  much as 2,000 and go to jail for up to 180 days
  for a third offense.

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Four of my friends were going to a party, They
pulled off the road because they saw someone
swerving. The drunk driver crossed two lanes of
traffic and slammed into their neon going 75mph.
One of my friends died, the other one cannot
walk, another has a broken arm and blood clots in
her chest and the other has serious head
injuries. The drunk driver fled on foot and had
no serious injuries, he is now being charged with
murder.
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Texas Laws and Underage Drinking cont.

• If you are under 21, heres what happens the
  first time you are stopped for drinking and
  driving
• 60-day drivers license suspension
• up to a 500 fine
• 20 to 40 hours of community service
• mandatory attendance in alcohol-awareness classes
• Get caught drinking and driving a second or third
  time, and the penalties increase, including
  suspension of your drivers license for up to 180
  days.

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 On the early morning of Sunday, February 5, 2006
around 1215 AM, a drunk driver with a BAC of
.227 decided to leave the roadway and go through
the side of a friends house. The car managed
to snake its way through telephone poles, trees,
etc and go through a double wide glass door,
through the kitchen wall, and, well, just check
out the pictures. No one was hurt badly, the
drunk was taken to jail. Don't drink and drive,
its stupid, and as the driver told the owner of
the house, he was really sorry and he was also
really screwed. He summed it all up.
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Texas Laws and Underage Drinking cont.

• If youre 17 and over, and stopped for drinking
  and driving with a blood alcohol concentration of
  .08 or greater.
• Some people, particularly teenagers, can reach
• a .08 BAC with two or three beers in an hour.
• up to a 2,000 fine
• 72 hours to 180 days in jail
• drivers license suspension of 90 days
  to one year

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A Sixteen year old drinking at a party killed
two girls. He lived and was sentenced to prison
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Acknowledgements Information for this
presentation was obtained from

• American College Health Association
• College Drinking Prevention
• ETR Associates
• Health Promotion Resources
• Journeyworks Publishing
• Texas Department of Transportation
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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If you or someone you know has a problem
with alcohol, help is available

• AA WWW.alcoholics-anonymous.org
• Al-Anon WWW.al-anon.alateen.org
• National Drug Abuse Hotline [phone]
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
• Alcoholism (NIAA) WWW.niaa.nih.gov
• Student Health Center 1-409-880-8466