Alcohol and its effects

Alcohol can effect people differently in terms of how it makes them feel, think and/or behave as well as how much they can tolerate before showing signs of drunkenness, this can be due to factors such as size, age or gender. Used in moderation, alcohol can make a person feel more sociable.

Definition

• Binge drinking
  -is defined as adults drinking more than twice the daily recommended units in one session.
  

Short term effects

Alcohol enters the bloodstream within minutes of being consumed and is carried to all parts of the body including the brain. The effects can take hours to wear off and vary depending on a variety of things including:
How much the person has drunk and how quickly
What they have been drinking (stronger drinks such as spirits, and fizzy drinks such as sparkling
cider, are absorbed more quickly)
How used they are to drinking alcohol
Their size and weight and gender.

Alcohol can give people a feeling of relaxation and confidence, although it makes some people feel down and miserable. It is addictive if used regularly. A person can become psychologically and/or physically addicted to alcohol which means they feel that they cannot live their life normally without using alcohol. Alcohol is a chemical that affects the way the brain can do its job; in the short term it can cause depression, irritability and problems with memory and concentration.

There is also the short term physical damage that binge drinking can lead to such as physical injuries that happen when a person is drunk, alcohol poisoning and physical withdrawal symptoms.

Alcohol, even in small amounts, affects physical co-ordination, reaction times and judgment. It affects the areas of the brain involved with decision making. It also affects how we see and react to things that happen and how we see situations, it can cause paranoia, and jealousy. Alcohol also can reduce anxiety and reduce the fear of consequences, this means someone is more likely to take risks and do daredevil activities. One drink too many can leave someone feeling out of control – they can slur their words, loose their balance and sometimes vomit. People are more likely to be hurt or hurt others when they have been drinking. Getting drunk may mean that people end up doing something they regret when sober. Young people can get themselves into dangerous situations if they are drunk, e.g. fighting, having unprotected sex, or getting into a car with someone who has been drinking.

Psychological long term effects

There are serious physical and psychological health effects if you drink regularly or binge drink. Although alcohol seems to lift people’s moods initially it is in actual fact a depressant in the long term which can make people more irritable, impatient and intolerant. In the longer term it can have more serious effects such as panic attacks, mood swings, insomnia (not being able to sleep), clinical depression and suicide. One person’s alcohol use can also affect the mental health and emotional well being of the people around them.

Physical long term effects

Alcohol can have negative effects on the body in the long term, and heavy drinking can lead to a number of serious life threatening conditions. It can affect the liver, nervous system and brain.
There are no known safe drinking limits for children and teenagers. There is a worrying increase in the number of younger people being admitted to hospital with liver problems caused by their alcohol use.

 

Alcohol in the Home

Alcohol is a massive problem in the home and is a contributory factor in over half the cases of domestic violence and child abuse in the UK.

A person’s drink problem can also lead to arguments between family members and friends, sometimes leading to the break down of these friendships and relationships.

Heavy drinking can also lead to problems with debt when money meant for food & bills is used to buy alcohol instead.

Alcohol can also affect a person’s ability to attend school, college or work costing people their education or their job as well as affecting their chances of future employment.

Accidents both at home, at work and on the roads are more likely to happen when the people involved have been drinking alcohol.

 

Young people may be particularly at risk from the effects of alcohol because:

Their bodies are still developing and the alcohol may disrupt this process

Their bodies are smaller and they are therefore more likely to be affected by smaller amounts of alcohol

Their bodies are not used to alcohol and so have a low tolerance to the effects.

Strength of alcoholic drinks

One way of comparing the amount of alcohol in different types of drink is using "units". Each of the following contains one unit:

A small 125ml glass of wine (9% ABV) = 1 UNIT (note: many wines are 11 or 12% ABV) Glasses of wine we buy are often sold in 175ml or 250ml measures = 2 UNITS or more.

A 25ml pub measure of spirit (40% ABV) = 1 UNIT
Half pint of ordinary strength lager/beer/cider (3.5% ABV) = 1 UNIT

Alcopops (bottle): up to 3 UNITS

Strong cider/lager (440ml can - alcohol content 9%): 4.0 UNITS

Vodka (half bottle, 350ml): 13 UNITS

It takes about an hour for the adult body to get rid of one unit of alcohol. This may be slower in young people.

There are no recommended 'low risk' levels of alcohol use for young people because of variations in physical maturity.

 

Talk to Frank is a free confidential drugs information and advice line. Tel. 0800776600; e-mail: frank@talktofrank.com; www.talktofrank.com.

NHS Direct can provide help and advice on any aspect of drug and alcohol use. Tel. 0845 46 47; www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk.

Know the Score – Rotherham Young Peoples drug and alcohol project. 01709 836047

Questions relating to the ‘Call it a Night’ dvd

• Do you think that drinking alcohol made the group of older young people behave in a less responsible way at any point during the dvd?
• Do you think there was a point in the dvd when the friends should have decided to end the night and go home? When was that point?
• How do you think that the different characters in the dvd might be feeling next day?
• How do you think that Pete’s dad might feel about his behaviour towards Pete or his mum once he has sobered up?
• How do you think Pete might feel about things that happened that night?
• Why did Daisy decide not go home once she had been sick at Pete’s house rather than going to the park? Was that the right decision that she made?
• What could Mikey and Peter have done to help Nathan while waiting for the ambulance?
• Why do you think the other young people didn’t wait?
  What do you think Mikey and Pete have done to help Nathan while waiting for the ambulance?
• Why do you think the other young people didn’t wait?