ALCOHOL

Alcohol:

Alcohol is seen by many as a more socially acceptable drug, but it’s not any less powerful than any other drugs.

It’s a nervous system depressant, which means it slows down your body's responses in all kinds of ways.

Just enough can make you feel great, too much and you’ll have a hangover the next day.

Street talk:

• Boos • Brew • Liquor • Fire • Poison • Mouthwash

Appearance:

REMEMBER: Alcohol comes in a range of different drinks

Spirits usually contain a higher level of alcohol to wine or lager.

‘Alco pops’ and ready-to-drink ‘mixers’ don’t seem it, they usually contain more alcohol by volume than beer or cider.

Alcohol is measured by units; one unit is half a pint of ordinary-strength beer, lager or cider, one small glass of table wine or a 25ml measure of spirits. Even a small (125ml) glass of wine is likely to be 1.5 units.

The effects:

• Alcohol starts from as soon as you drink, after two drinks you

might start feeling more sociable, but drink too much and your basic human functions become harder

• Alcohol most of the times intensify the mood you're in

• Alcohol is a relaxant so, in moderation, it can reduce feelings of anxiety and inhibitions, making you feel more sociable.

• It takes your body an hour to process one unit of alcohol.

Dependency:

For most people, if you drink sensibly and within your limits than it’s OK

Some people (if not most), drinking gradually gets out of control and results either in regular binge-drinking, heavy harmful drinking or alcohol dependence

It can seriously cause damage to your health and can result in liver failure amongst other illnesses like heart and breathing problems

Social drinkers can become ‘hooked’ on alcohol depending on how often they socialise and how much they drink each time

The risks:

• One drink too many can leave you feeling out of control (like

slurring your words, losing your balance and vomiting.)

• Official guidelines recommend that men shouldn’t regularly drink more than 3-4 units a day and women shouldn’t regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day because of the harm this may cause.

• The more you drink you more your tolerance builds which means the drinker tends to drink more and more in order to feel the same effect as if someone who had never drank before with their first drink

• Alcohol amplifies your emotions and moods (it can make you mouthy, argumentative and aggressive. There’s no real way of knowing beforehand if you’re going to turn into hard case)

• Drinking too much can lead to alcohol poisoning which could put you in a coma or even kill you.

• Drinking too much can affect the skin, it can cause dis-colouring and can damage under the eyes(dark circles), it dries out the skin which can lead to drinkers ageing quicker

• Long-term excessive use of alcohol causes illnesses such as liver damage, stomach cancer and heart disease

• If you have issues with having a big belly than drinking alcohol won’t help as it tends to create the whole ‘beer belly’ which will bring health problems in the long run