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Types of Alcohol
BEER
WINE
LIQUOR/
SPIRITS
Standard Drink

12 fl oz of regular beer


8–9 fl oz of malt liquor


about 12% alcohol
1.5 fl oz shot of 80-proof spirits
(“hard liquor”— whiskey, gin, rum,
vodka, tequila, etc.)


about 7% alcohol
5 fl oz of table wine


about 5% alcohol
about 40% alcohol
The percent of “pure” alcohol,
expressed here as alcohol by volume
(alc/vol), varies by beverage.
Alcohol
A
drug that is produced by a chemical
reaction in some foods and has powerful
effects on the body
 It
is a central nervous system depressant
that is rapidly absorbed from the stomach
and small intestine into the bloodstream.
Drunk/Intoxicated
 Same
thing as a drug overdose.
 This is what happens to your body when
you drink too much alcohol
Alcoholic
 Is
the person that is addicted to alcohol
Tolerance
 When
your body gets used to the alcohol
 It takes more alcohol to receive the
desired “feeling.”
 Instead 1 beer to get the desire feeling it
will take 2, 3, 4, and so on…
Depressant
A
type of drug that slows down your
body’s functions
 Alcohol is a depressant
 It slows down reaction time, slurs your
speech, can’t walk straight, etc…
Cirrhosis

A liver disease
caused by
alcohol abuse
 Cirrhosis is
scaring and
destruction of
liver tissue
 Mickey Mantle
died of cirrhosis
Alcoholism
 The


disease an alcoholic suffers from
There is no cure for Alcoholism
There is treatment but once somebody is an
alcoholic they are always an alcoholic.
• Why????
 Genetic
links have been made to
alcoholism…what does that mean?
BAC
 Blood
Alcohol Concentration (or Content)
is the amount of alcohol in a person’s
blood.
 There are three ways to test your BAC:



Blood test
Urine Test
Breathe Test
 .08
and over is considered illegal.
Hangover
 Symptoms


of drinking too much alcohol:
Dehydration
Nausea
 Your
body is punishing you just like you
punished it the night before 
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Occurs when a woman is pregnant and she
abuses alcohol.

It may cause permanent damage to the baby:
•
•
•
•
•
Causes birth defects
Learning disabilities
Emotional disabilities
Low birth weight
Behavior problems
Alcohol Breakdown
 The
breakdown, or oxidation, of ethanol
occurs in the liver.




The kidney eliminates 5 percent of alcohol in the urine.
The lungs exhale 5 percent of alcohol, which can be detected by
breathalyzer devices.
The liver chemically breaks down the remaining alcohol into
acetic acid.
As a rule of thumb, an average person can eliminate
0.5 oz (15 ml) of alcohol per hour.
Statistics

CDC Stats from 2011:




12 to 20 year olds drink 11% of all alcohol
consumed in the United States
More than 90% of this alcohol is consumed in the
form of binge drinks.
On average, underage drinkers consume more
drinks per drinking occasion than adult drinkers.
In 2010, there were approximately 189,000
emergency rooms visits by persons under age 21
for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol.
Drinking Levels among Youth
(12-20 year olds)
 39%
drank some amount of alcohol.
 22% binge drank.
 8% drove after drinking alcohol.
 24% rode with a driver who had been
drinking alcohol.
Other surveys via CDC

In 2011 the National Survey on Drug Use and
Health reported that 25% of youth aged 12 to 20
years drink alcohol and 16% reported binge
drinking.

In 2011, the Monitoring the Future Survey
reported that 33% of 8th graders and 70% of
12th graders had tried alcohol, and 13% of 8th
graders and 40% of 12th graders drank during
the past month.
When is a Driver Considered to
be Legally Drunk in Georgia?

Non-commercial (standard cars, trucks, and SUV’s)
drivers age 21+ are considered legally drunk when their
blood alcohol level is .08 or more.

Drivers of commercial vehicles (semi trucks) are legally
drunk when their blood alcohol level is .04 percent or
greater.
 In Georgia, school bus drivers are commercial
drivers.

Drivers under 21 are legally drunk when their blood
alcohol level is .02 or more.
Penalties for Drunk Driving in
Georgia
 First-time





offenders:
Face a term of imprisonment of 10 days to 12
months.
They must also pay a fine ranging from $300
to $1,000.
At least 40 hours of community service work
Complete a DUI program.
Driver’s license is revoked for12 months.
• At the end of 120 days, the offender may apply for
reinstatement.
Myths About Sobering Up
 Drinking
 Taking
black coffee will sober you up
a cold bath will sober you up
 Sleeping
 Walking
it off will sober you up
it off will sober you up
Effects on the Body
Heart
 Heavy




drinking can
Damage heart tissue
Produce an irregular heartbeat
Increase the risk of stroke
Small amounts of alcohol can reduce the risk
of heart disease
• BUT doctors DO NOT recommend that
nondrinkers start drinking to reduce their risk
Liver

The liver helps break down food
during digestion and process waste
so it can be excreted from the body.

Heavy drinking is associated with
liver damage.

The liver is the main organ where
alcohol is metabolized, or broken
down, into different chemicals that can
be passed out of the body.
Digestive System

Heavy drinking can stop the
esophagus from contracting and
helping move food to the
stomach.

This allows stomach acids to back
up into the esophagus.
• Can progress to esophageal cancer.
• Can lead to cancer in other parts,
including the mouth, throat, breast,
colon, and rectum.
Hormones
 Hormones
are chemical messengers in
the body that coordinate the functions of
tissues and organs.
 Can
impair the functions of both the
glands that release hormones and the
tissues that respond to them.

These effects can lead to problems regulating
blood sugar, infertility, and osteoporosis.
Sleep
 Alcohol
interferes with the normal sleep
pattern

May leave the person feeling tired and unrefreshed upon awakening.
Every 15 minutes….
Someone dies from an alcohol related
accident!
Fact or Myth??
Alcohol is a stimulant:
MYTH
 Alcohol

is actually a depressant.
It can appear to be a stimulant because it
initially depresses the part of the brain that
controls inhibitions.
Caffeine will sober you up:
MYTH
 Caffeine
will not help an individual become
sober more quickly.

Factors that influence a person’s BAC:
•
•
•
•
the amount of alcohol consumed
the pattern of drinking
body weight
Gender

Only time will reduce the BAC as the body breaks down
the alcohol.
Food will keep you from becoming
intoxicated:
MYTH
 Food
in the stomach causes alcohol to be
absorbed more slowly than when the
stomach is empty.
 Food can delay the effects of alcohol, but
it cannot eliminate them.
Alcohol-related car crashes are all
caused by drunk drivers:
MYTH

Most alcohol related car
crashes are caused by
drivers with BACs over the
legal limit.
 However, drivers with BACs
less than the legal limit also
have crash rates higher than
nondrinkers.
 Also, BACs below the legal
limit produce impairments.
Alcoholism is a disease:
FACT

Alcoholism is a chronic disease involving





strong craving for alcohol
a constant or periodic reliance on use of alcohol
despite adverse consequences
the inability to limit drinking
physical illness when drinking is stopped
the need for increasing amounts of alcohol in order to
feel its effects.
Alcohol abuse or alcoholism will
never be my problem: BOTH
 Many
factors influence whether a person
uses alcohol, abuses alcohol, or becomes
an alcoholic:



Some factors are genetic
Many others are environmental (who you’re
around)
The primary factor is PERSONAL CHOICE
Nothing can be done about alcohol
abuse or alcoholism: MYTH
 Alcohol
abuse and alcoholism can be
treated effectively using medications and
psychological (behavioral) therapies.
 Currently,
there is no cure for alcoholism.