Tobacco

Alcohol is a poison to the body, and if consumed in a large enough quantity over a short enough period of time, will result in death from respiratory arrest, heart failure or both. The body knows that alcohol is poison, and therefore makes every effort to rid itself of the alcohol, first by processing it in the liver, cleansing the blood of alcohol. Persons who drink heavily over a long period of their lives develop liver problems, in which a part of the liver is actually destroyed in its attempt to deal continuously with trying to filter out the alcohol. The body also rids itself of the alcohol through the urine and stool, through the pores in the skin (this is why it is easy to smell alcohol on someone who has been drinking), and through the breath, by exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide and alcohol. This is why breathalizers work so accurately, because we are literally breathing out the alcohol we drank earlier, directly from our bloodstream. Finally, if we continue drinking in spite of these efforts by the body to keep us alive, we may become sick and throw up. Becoming sick is a survival mechanism utilized by the body when too much poison is consumed.

The following chart provides a description of the effects of alcohol at increased levels of intoxication. The body takes between one hour and one and one half hours to completely absorb and rid itself of one serving of alcohol. One serving is equivalent to one 12 ounce beer, one six ounce glass of wine, or a mixed drink with one shot of ordinary hard liquor. Of course, hard liquors vary considerably in the "proof", or content of alcohol. 100 proof liquor, a rather strong drink, is 50% alcohol. If one consumes more than one drink per hour, then the body begins to experience the effects of alcohol intoxication. While the rate of consumption has the greatest influence on the level of intoxication, a number of other factors effect this level as well, including how large or heavy a person is, how much was eaten prior to or during drinking, and whether the drinker has developed a tolerance for alcohol due to their prior drinking history. Some users may become intoxicated at a much lower Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level than is shown. Women tend to be more easily effected by alcohol than men due to their physiological makeup.

* 0.02-0.03 BAC: No loss of coordination, slight euphoria and loss of shyness. Depressant effects are not apparent.

* 0.04-0.06 BAC: Feeling of well-being, relaxation, lower inhibitions, sensation of warmth, euphoria, some minor impairment of reasoning and memory, lowering of caution.

* 0.07-0.09 BAC: Slight impairment of balance, speech, vision, reaction time, and hearing, euphoria, judgement and self-control are reduced, and caution, reason and memory are impaired, illegal to operate a motor vehicle at this level of intoxication.

* 0.10-0.125 BAC: Significant impairment of motor coordination and loss of good judgement, speech may be slurred; balance, vision, reaction time and hearing will be impaired, euphoria.

* 0.13-0.15 BAC: Gross motor impairment and lack of physical control, blurred vision and major loss of balance, euphoria is reduced and dysphoria is beginning to appear.

* 0.16-0.20 BAC: Dysphoria (anxiety, restlessness) predominates, nausea may appear, drinker has the appearance of a "sloppy drunk."

* 0.25 BAC: Needs assistance in walking, total mental confusion, dysphoria with nausea and some vomiting.

* 0.30 BAC: Loss of consciousness.

* 0.40 BAC and up: Onset of coma, possible death due to respiratory arrest.

Driving while impaired - whether by alcohol, by other drugs, or by alcohol and one or more other drugs combined - is a major health and safety problem. It is also by far the largest single criminal cause of death and injury. At highest risk are young people. Motor vehicle accidents are the #1 killer of those under 25. Those between the ages of 16 and 19 are in the most danger. One study found that older drivers (20 years and above) with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC)* of 0.15% or higher were about 100 times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than those with no alcohol in their blood. But compared to these older drivers, 16- to 19-year-olds with the same BAC were 400 times more likely to die than same-aged drivers who had not been drinking. In other words, the risk of fatal injury from driving while impaired is four times greater for younger drivers ages 16 to 19 than for drivers over 20.

Alcohol is the most widely used drug and the one most often linked to motor vehicle accidents. Other drugs, however, also interfere with a person's ability to drive, especially when they are combined with alcohol. While there is a large body of research on the contribution of alcohol to traffic injuries and deaths, researchers have less information about the effects of prescription, over-the-counter, or illicit drug use on driving related accidents, especially when these drugs are combined with alcohol. There is no doubt, though, that since driving involves such basic skills as attention, judgment, perception, decision-making, physical reaction - and the ability to coordinate these skills - driving under the influence of any substance clearly presents a safety hazard.

Alcohol is a drug that produces a dual effect on the body: a primary depressant effect that lasts a relatively short time, and a weaker agitation of the central nervous system that persists about six times as long as the depressant effect. Awareness of these two effects may depend upon the degree of excitability of the central nervous system at the time of drug administration. This, in turn, depends on the environmental setting of drug use and on the personality of the user. In a quiet, nonsocial environment, the excitatory influence may be impaired, and the sedation and drowsiness produced by the drug is then readily perceived as depression of the central nervous system. However, in a social setting, where there is a great deal of sensory input, the effects of low doses of alcohol may be perceived as stimulation. These effects are the result of the release from inhibition of specific areas of the brain's cortex. The drinker may demonstrate excitement --such as talkativeness, heightened vivacity, increased self-confidence, and general loss of self restraint. As the dose is increased, and during chronic intoxication, the alcohol produces more of the same effects. The drinker may experience slurred speech, staggering, loss of emotional control, stupor from which arousal is difficult, severe respiratory depression, coma, and eventually death.

With prolonged or chronic drinking, the presence of the dual effects depends on the time that elapses between drinking episodes. Since the depressant effects are greater, they will be significant for the first two hours after the last drink. As the time since the last drink increases, the longer-lasting agitation effect becomes dominant. This effect eventually leads to morning drinking to calm the drinker. The "morning after" hangover and shakiness is due to the residual central nervous system agitation. This agitation can be temporarily counter-balanced by more drinking because of its dominant depressant effect. Thus, a vicious circle starts in motion. Withdrawal symptoms eventually include restlessness, shakiness, confusion, hyperventilation, hallucination, and convulsions. The chronic loss of calcium and magnesium, general malnutrition, and dehydration contribute to these symptoms. These symptoms are usually far more dangerous than those that follow withdrawal from the opiates or other drugs to which physical dependence develops. Severity of the symptoms depends on the length of alcohol abuse and the degree of intoxication. In the typical course of withdrawal, symptoms begin within the first 24 hours after the last drink, reach their peak intensity within two or three days, and disappear within one or two weeks. During the first day of withdrawal, there may be headaches, anxiety, involuntary twitching of muscles, tremor of hands, weakness, insomnia, and nausea. During the next 48 hours, the symptoms become progressively more intense. They include: a fall in blood pressure; fever; delirium characterized by disorientation, delusions, and visual hallucinations; and convulsions similar to those exhibited in grand mal epileptic seizures. The fever, delirium, and convulsions are the most serious symptoms and have proved fatal in a number of instances.

Aside from withdrawal itself, alcohol has a pervasive effect on the body's gastrointestinal tract, liver, bloodstream, brain and nervous system, heart, muscles, and endocrine system. Alcohol, unlike other drugs, can be utilized by the body as a source of energy. This supply of calories often suppresses appetite, leading to dietary deficiencies that may be responsible in part for the pathologic conditions seen in chronic alcoholism. Early alcoholic drinking may produce the following specific medical conditions: loss of control of eye muscles; hypoglycemia; gastritis; increased susceptibility to infections; cardiac arrhythmia; anemia; constant flushing of facial edema; peripheral; neuritis; pancreatitis; increase in blood alcohol level; withdrawal signs; fatty liver; increase in blood pressure. Chronic alcohol drinking produces even more severe conditions, some of which may be irreversible, such as: liver damage; Korsokoff Syndrome (vitamin B deficiency); brain damage; cardiomyopathy; cancer of the tongue, mouth or pharynx, hypopharynx, esophagus, and liver. These specific medical conditions show how extensive and pervasive the effects of heavy drinking are to health. The extent of damage is shown by the finding that the brains of some alcoholics after death are so soft, pulpy, and deteriorated that they are not suitable for dissection by medical students who need to study brain structure.

Here are some warning signs of problem drinking. See if you or someone you know fits the picture:

* You get in trouble with family, roommates, significant others, friends, or the law as a result of drinking.

* You drink to escape worries or troubles.

* You become unreasonably angry or aggressive when you drink--fighting, vandalizing, forcing sex, etc.

* You have to drink more and more to get the "desired effect", or you often drink more than you planned to.

* You find that you can't remember what happened the night before, or would like to forget what happened.

* You try to cut down on your drinking, and you find this hard to do.

* You miss class or work due to drinking.

* You frequently drink until you're drunk, or drink solely to get drunk.

* You experience unexplained anxiety, have trouble sleeping, feel lethargic, depressed, or isolated.

* You rapidly drink the first two or three drinks in an effort to get drunk quickly.

* You joke about your drinking, or avoid discussion of your usage.

* You drink at inappropriate times-- early morning, all day, before tests, etc.

* When drinking, you engage in activities you ordinarily would not do.

Another way to look at this information is to think about the profile of a "healthy drinker." A healthy drinker:

* Knows his/her family history of alcohol use. A family history may predispose individuals to alcohol dependency, or create problems in the ways they respond to friends, family, and intimates.

* Is aware that alcohol is a powerful, potent, and potentially harmful drug. Excessive alcohol consumption is a factor in heart disease, certain types of cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, and birth defects. It is also a major factor in homicides, assaults, rapes, suicides, family violence, and traffic accidents.

* Limits his/her intake to two drinks or less at one sitting (a drink being one 12 ounce beer, a 6 ounce glass of wine, or a normal cocktail), drinking slowly, about one drink per hour; alternating alcoholic with non-alcoholic beverages; sipping rather than chugging; and eating a substantial meal before drinking, all in an effort to help limit alcohol intake at one sitting.

* Knows that there are times when the body and spirit are more vulnerable to the negative effects of alcohol, and abstains during those times. The difficulties of coping with life crises are exacerbated by alcohol. It is also wise to abstain when ill, taking medication, or when pregnant.

Tobacco

Marijuana

To obtain information on another of the topics in this section, click on the highlighted words:

Trends in Youth Substance Abuse.

Warning Signs for Youth Substance Abuse.