Download Alcohol - Henry County Schools

Alcohol
ethanol
• The type of alcohol found in
alcoholic beverages
• A powerful drug
• Made synthetically or
naturally
Fermentation
• The chemical action of
yeast on sugars
• Fruits, veggies, or grains
• Beer, wine, or spirits
• All can to do serious
harm
Depressant
• Causes the central
nervous system to slow
down.
Intoxication
• Physical and mental
impairment resulting from
the use of alcohol
• Inability to walk to
unconsciousness
Alcohol and Teens
• At any age, alcohol use can
become a high-risk behavior
• 80% of teens have had a
drink
• Alcohol among adults has
declined
• ½ all teens who die, die as a
result of alcohol or from other
drugs – many are accidents
• Unplanned pregnancies, STD’s,
date violence, rapes, suicides
and homicides
• 5 million problem drinkers are
between the ages of 14 - 17
• 100 million American use
alcohol
• 10 teens a day die in alcoholrelated crashes
• ½ of all fatal car crashes
involve alcohol
• 50% of boat accidents involve
alcohol
Factors that affect teen alcohol
• Friends
• Family
• Advertisements - $1 billion a
year – hidden messages
Short-term effects of
drinking
Brain
• Reaches brain almost as soon as
it is consumed
• Depresses activity
• Disorganized – memory and
concentration dulled – decision
making badly effected
Liver
• Oxidation – changes
alcohol to water, CO2,
and energy
• 1/3 – ½ an ounce an hour
• No way to speed up
Heart
• Increase heart rate and
blood pressure
• Abnormal heartbeats
BAC
• The amount of alcohol on a
person’s blood expressed as a
percentage
• Factors – gender, weight, and
metabolism, amount
consumed, time between
drinks
Designated drivers
• People in social settings
who choose not to drink
so that they can safely
drive themselves and
others
Long-term effects
• Brain damage – decrease in
size – destroy cells
• Chronic liver problems –
Fatty liver – a condition in
which fats build up in the
liver and cannot be broken
down
Cirrhosis
• Liver tissue
if destroyed
and then
replaced
with
useless scar
tissue
Hepatitis
• Inflammation or infection
that can cause weakness,
jaundice, fever and death
• Recovery slow and liver
failure sometimes results
Fetal alcohol syndrome
• Condition in which a
fetus has been adversely
affected mentally and
physically by its mother’s
heavy alcohol use
• Low birth weight
• Impaired speech
• Cleft palate
• General weakness
• Slow body growth
• Facial abnormalities
• Heart defects
Binge Drinking
• Periodic excessive drinking
• Popular in high school and
College
• Social event or contest
• Lead to serious difficulties
Alcohol poisoning
• A dangerous toxic condition
that occurs when a person
drinks a large amount of
alcohol in a short period of
time
Alcoholism
• A physical and
psychological
dependence on the
drug
Stages of Alcoholism
Stage one
• Social drinking
• Physical and psychological
dependency
• Short-term memory loss
• Makes excuses for drinking
Stage two
• Cannot stop drinking
• Physically dependent
• May drink alone
• More excuses
• Drinking is central in the
person’s life
Stage three
• Final and worst stage
• Drinking is most important
• Constant companion
• Malnutrition
• Needs less alcohol to get
drunk
Delirium tremens (DTs)
• Hot/cold flashes, tremors,
nightmares, hallucinations,
and having fear of people
and animals
• Alcoholism cannot be cured
but can be treated
• 2/3 of all alcoholics recover
with proper treatment
• AA – Alcoholics Anonymous
• Alateen