Slang:
Booze, juice, sauce, grog, piss
Background:
Alcohol is produced by fermenting fruits, vegetables or grains. It
is found in drinks like beer, lager, wine, alcopops, cider, and
spirits such as whiskey or gin. Alcoholic drinks range in strength
and are measured as a percentage (%) per volume. The higher the
percentage, the stronger the effect.
The Effects:
- Over 90% of the
adult population enjoy a drink. For most people, alcohol has a
relaxing effect and helps them feel more sociable.
- It can become a
problem for some when they drink as a way of blotting out
difficult or troubling issues in their lives.
- In increasing
quantities, speech can become slurred, co-ordination affected
and emotions heightened.
- The intensity of
the effects depends on the strength of the alcoholic drink, plus
the rate and amount consumed.
- Other factors that
influence the effects of alcohol include the weight of the
drinker, their mood and surroundings and how recently they ate.
- Hangovers make you
feel ill for a period of time, sometimes even for days.
The Risks:
- Alcohol is a
depressant drug. If you're feeling down, it will make you feel
worse.
- A regular, long
term drinking habit can lead to physical as well as
psychological dependency.
- Tolerance can
develop, which means you need more to get the same effect.
- A long term, heavy
drinking habit may cause serious damage to internal organs. It
can also cause skin problems, trembling (the shakes), obesity,
brain damage, mood swings and personality changes.
- Getting very drunk
can lead to loss of consciousness. Users then risk choking to
death on their own vomit.
Drinking too much can
lead to alcohol poisoning. This can kill.
The Law:
- It is illegal to
sell alcohol to anyone under 18 (unless they're 16-17 and eating
a meal in a restaurant).
- The legal limit
for driving in the UK is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The
number of drinks it takes to reach this level varies from person
to person. Safety experts advise people not to drink at all if
they are going to drive.
Health Hazards
- People who begin drinking before the age of
15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than
those who wait until age 21. Each additional year of delayed
drinking onset reduces the probability of alcohol dependence by
14 percent.
- Adolescents who drink heavily assume the
same long-term health risks as adults who drink heavily. This
means they are at increased risk of developing cirrhosis of the
liver, pancreatitis, hemorrhagic stroke, and certain forms of
cancer.
- Adolescents who use alcohol are more likely
to become sexually active, which places them at greater risk of
HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases.
- One study showed that students diagnosed
with alcohol abuse were four times more likely to experience
major depression than those without an alcohol problem.
- Alcohol use among adolescents has been
associated with considering planning, attempting, and completing
suicide.
For more information about talking with your
teen about alcohol, tips for your teen to handle peer pressure, and
warning signs of a drinking problem, please refer to: The National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's pamphlet: Make
A Difference: Talk to Your Child About Alcohol - Parents Booklet
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