What Is Alcohol?

 

Alcohol is created when grains, fruits, or vegetables are fermented. Fermentation is a process that uses yeast or bacteria to change the sugars in the food into alcohol. Fermentation is used to produce many necessary items - everything from cheese to medications. Alcohol has different forms and can be used as a cleaner, an antiseptic, or a sedative.

 

How Does It Affect the Body?

 

Alcohol is a depressant, which means it slows the function of the central nervous system. Alcohol actually blocks some of the messages trying to get to the brain. This alters a person's perceptions, emotions, movement, vision, and hearing.

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Why Do Teens Drink?

 

Experimentation with alcohol during the teen years is common. Some reasons that teens use alcohol and other drugs are:

             

 

From a very young age, kids see advertising messages showing beautiful people enjoying life - and alcohol. And, because many parents and other adults use alcohol socially, having beer or wine with dinner, for example, alcohol seems harmless to many teens.

 

  

Why Shouldn't I Drink

Although it's illegal to drink alcohol in the United Kingdom until you are 18, most teens can get access to it. Its there for up to you to make a decision about drinking. In addition to the possibility of becoming addicted, there are some downsides to drinking:

You can look really stupid. The impression is that drinking is cool, but the nervous systems changes that come from drinking alcohol can make people do stupid or embarrassing things - like throwing up or peeing on themselves. Drinking also gives you bad breath, and no one enjoys a hangover.

Alcohol puts your health at risk. Teens who drink are more likely to be sexually active and to have unsafe, unprotected sex. Resulting pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases can change - or even end - lives. The risk of injuring yourself - maybe even fatally - is higher when you're under the influence, too. One half of all drowning deaths among teen guys are related to alcohol use. Use of alcohol greatly increases the chance that a teen will be involved in a car accident, homicide, or suicide.

Teen drinkers are more likely to get fat or have health problems, too. One study by the University of Washington found that people who regularly had five or more drinks in a row starting at age 13 were much more likely to be overweight or have high blood pressure by age 24 than their no drinking peers. People who continue drinking heavily well into adulthood risk damaging their organs, such as the liver, heart, and brain.

 

How Can I Avoid Drinking?

If all your friends drink and you don't want to, it can be hard to say "no thanks." No one wants to risk feeling rejected or left out. Different strategies for turning down alcohol work for different people. Some people find it helps to say no without giving an explanation, others think offering their reasons works better ("I'm not into drinking," "I have a game tomorrow," or "my uncle died from drinking," for example).

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Where Can I Get Help?

If you think you have a drinking problem, get help as soon as possible. The best approach is to talk to an adult you trust - if you can't approach your parents, talk to your doctor, school counsellor, clergy member, aunt, or uncle. It can be hard for some people to talk to adults about these issues, but a supportive person in a position to help can refer students to a drug and alcohol counsellor for evaluation and treatment. In some states, this treatment is completely confidential.

 

What If I'm Concerned About Someone Else's Drinking?

Many people live in homes where a parent or other family member drinks too much. This may make you angry, scared, and depressed. Many people can't control their drinking without help. This doesn't mean that they love or care about you any less. Alcoholism is an illness that needs to be treated just like other illnesses.

 

Worried about somebody Else's Drinking habit's

 

 

Where Can I Get Help?

If you think you have a drinking problem, get help as soon as possible. The best approach is to talk to an adult you trust - if you can't approach your parents, talk to your doctor, school counsellor, clergy member, aunt, or uncle. It can be hard for some people to talk to adults about these issues, but a supportive person in a position to help can refer students to a drug and alcohol counsellor for evaluation and treatment. In some states, this treatment is completely confidential.