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Alcohol
101
Is
alcohol
a
drug?
Yes.
Alcohol
is
a
depressant
that
slows
down
your
central
nervous
system
which
includes
your
breathing
and
heart
rate.
Alcohol
also
impairs
your
judgment
and
motor
skills.
What
happens
after
you
drink
alcohol?
When
alcohol
is
consumed
it
moves
throughout
the
entire
body
and
affects
almost
every
organ.
It
can
enter
the
bloodstream
through
the
mouth,
stomach
walls
and
the
small
intestine.
The
majority
of
it
enters
the
bloodstream
through
the
small
intestine.
Alcohol
is
metabolized
by
the
liver.
But,
the
liver
can
only
process
about
one
drink
per
hour,
so
when
you
drink
quickly
alcohol
stays
in
the
body
and
you
become
more
intoxicated.
What
does
BAC
stand
for?
BAC
stands
for
Blood
Alcohol
Content
and
it
is
the
percent
of
alcohol
per
1000ml
of
blood.
Here
are
some
examples
of
the
effects
a
person
might
feel
at
different
BAC
levels*:
• 0.02
Effects:
euphoric,
social,
talkative,
fewer
inhibitions
• 0.08
Effects:
excited,
emotional,
less
rational,
slowed
reactions
• 0.15
Effects:
confusion,
impaired
balance,
slurred
speech,
nausea
• 0.20
Effects:
vomiting,
severe
motor
impairment,
blackouts
• 0.30
Effects:
loss
of
consciousness,
onset
of
coma,
possible
death
from
respiratory
arrest
• 0.40
Effects:
decreased
breathing
and
heart
rate,
50%
probability
of
death
due
to
respiratory
arrest
or
cardiac
failure.
*Everyone
processes
alcohol
differently,
so
some
of
these
effects
may
be
felt
at
lower
BAC
levels
for
some
people
and
in
higher
BAC
levels
for
others.
Sources:
NHTSA
(National
Highway
Traffic
Safety
Administration),
NIAAA
(National
Institute
of
Alcohol
Abuse
and
Alcoholism)
Why
does
alcohol
affect
people
differently?
People
process
alcohol
differently
for
a
number
of
different
reasons.
Some
factors
that
affect
how
your
mind
and
body
handles
alcohol
include:
• Gender‐
males
have
a
higher
concentration
of
an
enzyme
that
allows
them
to
break
down
alcohol
more
effectively
than
woman.
Also,
alcohol
is
water
soluble
and
women
tend
to
have
a
higher
percentage
of
body
fat,
which
does
not
absorb
alcohol.
• Weight
• Concentration
or
type
of
alcohol
• Mood‐
alcohol
will
amplify
negative
emotions,
so
find
other
ways
to
deal
with
stress
or
anger
before
drinking
• Whether
you
have
eaten
• Medications
or
other
drugs‐
Certain
medications
when
mixed
with
alcohol
could
be
harmful.
If
you
are
taking
a
prescription,
you
can
ask
a
doctor
or
pharmacist
if
it
is
safe
to
drink
alcohol
while
taking
it.
Be
careful
with
over‐the‐counter
medications
too.
Some
drugs,
like
antihistamines,
can
make
you
drowsy
and
the
depressant
effects
of
alcohol
would
amplify
that
feeling.
Find
out
more:
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Medicine/Harmful_Interactions.pdf
• Carbonation‐
liquor
mixed
with
soda
or
other
bubbly
drinks
speeds
up
the
passage
of
alcohol
from
the
stomach
to
the
small
intestine,
which
increases
the
speed
of
absorption.
Brought
to
you
by
SNAP—Student
Network
for
Abuse
Prevention.
SNAP
is
a
Boynton
Health
Service
student
group.
For
more
information,
visit:
www.bhs.umn.edu/peer‐health‐promotion