Choosing to Be Alcohol Free

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Choosing to Be Alcohol Free
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Immediate Effects of Alcohol Consumption

• Depressant a drug that slows the central
  nervous system
• Affects motor skills
• Intoxication the state in which the body is
  poisoned by alcohol or another substance and the
  persons physical and mental control is
  significantly reduced
• Intoxication varies from person to person
• Body size, stomach contents, amount of alcohol,
  etc.

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Factors that influence alcohol use

• Peer pressure
• Family
• Media messages
• Many are targeted to a teen audience

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Advertising Techniques

• Spend billions of dollars to sell their product
• Advertisements are every where
• Alcohol companies sponsor events (sporting
  events, concerts, art festivals, etc) to get
  their name out

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Alcohols role in unsafe situations

• Accidents related to Drinking and Driving are the
  number one cause of death and disability for
  teens
• Alcohol is also linked with deaths by drowning,
  fire, suicide, and homicide
• Lowers your inhibitions

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Statistics

• Alcohol is a key factor in
• 33 of suicides
• 50 of homicides
• 62 of assaults
• 68 of manslaughter cases
• 50 of head injuries
• 41 of traffic fatalities
• Domestic abuse and injury, child abuse and
  neglect, and workplace injuries
• More than 50 of all drowning incidents

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Alcohol and the Law

• If you are under 21, it is illegal to buy,
  possess or consume alcohol
• Can be arrested, fined and sentenced to a youth
  detention center
• MIP Minor in Possession
• PI Public Intoxication
• DUI Driving Under the Influence
• DWI Driving While Intoxicated

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Alcohol, Violence, and Sexual Activity

• Teens who drink alcohol are more likely to be
  involved in violent crimes
• Rape, aggravated assault, and robbery
• Also fights
• Alcohol and sexual activity
• Teens who drink are more likely to become
  sexually active at earlier ages, engage in sexual
  activity more often, and engage in unprotected
  sex more often
• Impairs a persons judgment
• Lowers inhibitions
• Compromises moral standards

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Alcohol Abuse

• Alcohol abuse the excessive use of alcohol
• 25 of youth are exposed to family alcohol abuse
• Higher risk for neglect, abuse, economic
  hardship, and social isolation
• Sometimes these problems can lead to trying
  alcohol to escape

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Extracurricular Activities

• Zero-tolerance policy
• If students are caught using alcohol, they may
  become ineligible or suspended from activities or
  school

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Being Alcohol Free

• Maintain a healthy body
• Make responsible decisions
• Avoid risky behavior
• Avoid illegal activities

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Strategies for Preventing Use of Alcohol

• Be assertive
• Refuse to drink
• Leave the situation quickly
• Call for a ride home
• Avoid parties where alcohol is served
• Practice refusal skills

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Harmful Effects of Alcohol Use
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Short-term Effects of Drinking

• Nervous System
• Brain less able to control the body
• Movement, speech and vision may be affected
• Memory thought processes are disorganized
• Memory and concentration dulled
• Judgment is altered
• Coordination is impaired

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Short-term Effects of Alcohol

• Cardiovascular system
• Heart
• Low intake
• Increase in heart rate and blood pressure
• Higher intake
• Heart rate and blood pressure decrease
• Heart rhythm becomes irregular
• Risk of cardiac arrest increases
• Blood Vessels
• Blood vessels expand
• Increased surface area of blood vessels allows
  body heat to escape and body temperature to drop

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Short-term effects of alcohol

• Digestive system
• Stomach
• Some alcohol passes quickly from the stomach to
  the blood stream
• Stomach acid production increasesoften results
  in nausea and vomiting
• Liver
• Toxic chemicals are releases as the liver
  metabolizes alcoholcausing inflammation and
  scarring
• Kidneys
• Increase in urine outputcan lead to dehydration

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Short-term effects of alcohol

• Respiratory system
• Lungs
• Carbon dioxide is formed by the liver and
  released through the lungs
• Breathing
• Alcohol depresses nerves that control involuntary
  functions (breathing)
• In excess, breathing may slow, become irregular,
  or stop

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Factors that influence the short-term effects

• Body size and gender
• Smaller people feel the effects faster
• Food
• Slows down the passage of alcohol into the
  bloodstream
• Amount and Rate of intake
• When a person drinks faster, the liver cant
  break it down quickly enoughleading to
  intoxication

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Alcohol and Drug Interactions

• Alcohol-drug interactions are a factor in ¼ of
  all emergency room visits
• Multiplier effect the medicine has a greater or
  different effect than if it were taken alone

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Driving Under the Influence

• Drinking and Driving is the leading cause of
  death for teenagers
• Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) the amount of
  alcohol in a persons blood
• DUI Driving Under the Influence
• DWI Driving While Intoxicated

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Consequences of DWI

• Harm to driver and others
• Restricted driving privileges and/or confiscation
  of drivers license
• Alcohol-related injuries, property damage, and
  death
• Living with regret
• Loss of parental trust and respect
• Arrest, jail time, court appearance, heavy fine
  or bail
• Police record and possible lawsuits
• Higher insurance rates up to 3x higher than
  non-drinking peers

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Every day, eight teens die in alcohol-related car
crashes in the United States
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Binge Drinking

• Drinking five or more alcohol drinks at one
  sitting
• Can cause alcohol poisoningcan lead to death
• Alcohol poisoning a severe and potentially
  fatal physical reaction to an alcohol overdose
• Depressant shuts down involuntary actions
  (breathing and the gag reflex prevents choking)

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Effects of Alcohol Poisoning

• Passing out
• Alcohol is still entering the blood stream after
  a person passes out
• BAC continues to rise
• Symptoms of Alcohol Poisoning
• Mental confusion, coma, vomiting and seizures
• Slow respiration less than 8 breaths a minute
• Irregular heart beat
• Hypothermia low body temperature
• Severe dehydration

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Long-term Effects of Alcohol Abuse

• Changes to the Brain
• Addiction inability to stop drinking
• Loss of brain functions loss of verbal skills,
  visual and spatial skills, and memory
• Brain damage
• Reduction of brain size and Frontal Lobe
  Development

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Long-term effects of alcohol abuse

• Cardiovascular changes
• Heart damage to the muscle
• Enlarged heart from increased workload
• High blood pressure damages the heart and can
  cause heart attack/stroke

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Long-term effects of alcohol abuse

• Liver Problems
• Fatty liver
• Fats build up in the liver and cannot be broken
  down
• Excess fat blocks the flow of blood leads to
  cell death
• Alcohol hepatitis
• Inflammation or infection of the liver
• Cirrhosis
• Liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue
• Can lead to live failure and death need a liver
  transplant

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Long-term effects of alcohol abuse

• Digestive System Problems
• Irritation
• Digestive lining is damaged can lead to stomach
  ulcers and cancer
• Pancreas Problems
• Lining of the pancreas swells to block the
  passage from the pancreas to the small intestine
• Chemicals (needed for digestion) cant pass
• Chemicals begin to destroy pancreas causes pain
  and vomiting can lead to death

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Alcohol during pregnancy

• When a mother drinks, alcohol passes from the
  mothers body into the bloodstream of the fetus
• Fetus liver is not developed enough to filter
  alcohol
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) a group of
  alcohol-related birth defects that include
  physical and mental problems
• Can occur even if the mother drinks before she
  knows she is pregnant

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Effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

• Born with a small head and deformities of the
  face, hands, or feet
• Heart, liver, and kidney defects
• Vision and hearing problems
• Experience slow growth and coordination
• Have difficulties with learning, attention,
  memory, and problem solving
• FAS is the leading known cause of mental
  retardation in the US

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Preventing FAS

• There is NO safe amount of alcohol to drink
• Even small amounts can harm a fetus
• NO safe time to drink alcohol

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Alcoholism

• Alcoholism a disease in which a person has a
  physical or psychological dependence on drinks
  that contain alcohol
• Characterized by an impaired ability to study,
  work, and socialize normally

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Alcoholism

• Alcoholic an addict who is dependent on alcohol
• Symptoms
• Craving a strong need to drink
• Loss of control cannot limit his/her drinking
• Physical dependence may experience withdrawal
  symptoms (nausea, sweating, shakiness, and
  anxiety) when not drinking
• Tolerance need to drink more to feel the
  effects
• Health, family, and legal problems

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Factors Affecting Alcoholics

• Genetic link
• Children of alcoholics are 4x more likely to
  become alcoholics
• Environmental factors
• Family
• Friends
• Culture
• Peer pressure
• Availability of alcohol
• Stress

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Stages of Alcoholism

• Stage 1 Abuse
• Begins with social drinking
• A person begins to drink and become intoxicated
  regularly
• A person may start to lie or make excuses about
  his/her drinking
• Start to develop a tolerance
• May be a problem drinker

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Stages of Alcoholism

• Stage 2 Dependence
• The person cannot stop drinking physically
  dependent on the drug
• Alcohol is the persons central focus
• Drinker tries to hide the problem
• Performance starts to suffer
• Makes excuses/blames others for the problem

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Stages of Alcoholism

• Stage 3 Addiction
• Drinking is the most important thing in the
  persons life
• Liver damage is common at this stage less
  alcohol may be required to intoxicate the person
• If they stop drinking, they would experience
  severe withdrawal symptoms

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Effects on Society

• Estimated 14 million alcoholics in the US
• Factor in the 4 leading causes of death
• Car accidents
• Falls
• Drowning
• House fires
• Plays major role in violent crimes
• 40 (3 million) crimes are alcohol-related
• 2/3 domestic violence cases are alcohol-related
• ½ of all homicide victims have alcohol in their
  system

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Effects on Family

• Codependency
• Codependents learn to ignore their own needs and
  focus their energy and emotions on the needs of
  the alcoholic
• Codependents lose their trust in others, their
  self-esteem, and sometimes their own health

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Treatment for Alcohol Abuse

• Recovery the process of learning to live an
  alcohol-free life
• Steps to recovery
• Admission person admits to having a problem
• Detoxification a process in which the body
  adjusts to functioning without alcohol
• Counseling to help learn to live without
  alcohol
• Recovery takes responsibility of his/her own
  life
• Sobriety living without alcohol
• Lifelong commitment

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Getting help

• For the alcoholic
• Alcoholics Anonymous AA
• For friends and family of alcoholics
• Al-Anon/Alateen
• National Association for Children of Alcoholics
• To get information
• National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug
  Information
• National Drug and Treatment Referral Routing
  Service
• Provides treatment referral and information about
  treatment facilities