Unit 2 & TOBACCO Alcohol

Legal but controlled Alcohol A Dangerous Drug

What is Alcohol ? Most misunderstood drug It is a DEPRESSANT Slows down body functions (CNS) Must be 21 years of age to use this drug Does change the way your body functions

Blood Alcohol Concentration Which is known as BAC Amount of alcohol (ethanol) in a person’s blood, expressed as a percentage Factors that Influence Alcohol’s Effects: Body size Gender Food Rate & amount of intake (binge) Medicine

How to measure 1 standard drink 12 ounce bottle of beer 5-6 ounce glass of wine 1.25-1.5 ounce glass of whiskey Key point: all of these drinks have about the same amount of alcohol content

Can one drink interfere with a person’s judgement & reflexes? YES When are you legally intoxicated? Measure your BAC Minors legally drunk .02 Georgia’s law for being legally drunk is .08 Define intoxication : state in which the body is poisoned by alcohol or any other substance, a person’s physical/mental control is significantly reduced. (mild or major)

Alcohol Use Psychological dependence: a condition in which a person believes that a drug is needed in order to feel good or to function normally. Physiological dependence: a condition in which the user has a chemical need for a drug. Factors that Influence Alcohol Use: Some choose not to drink at all Peer Pressure Family Media Message

Short & Long Term Effects on Alcohol Short-Term : After a few drinks, what can happen? Changes to the Brain (memory/judgment) Cardiovascular Changes (increase HR) Liver/Kidney Problems Digestive system Problems Pancreas Problems What is Binge Drinking? Drinking 5 or more alcoholic drinks at one sitting It can lead to alcohol poisoning

Long-Term : After many years, how can alcohol seriously damage the body? Damage to brain cells and a reduction in brain size Increase in blood pressure, which may lead to a heart attack/stroke Building of fat cells in the liver, which can lead to cell death Damage to the digestive lining of the stomach causing ulcers/cancer, and the destruction of the pancreas Cirrhosis: condition in which liver cells are replaced by useless scar tissue

Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism Define Alcoholism: - a disease in which a person has a physical or psychological dependence on drinks that contain alcohol 3 Stages of Alcoholism Abuse: intentionally drinks to get drunk in large moderation Dependence: need the drug to function properly Addiction: alcohol has dominated the body and life Key Point: most risk factors for alcoholism can be CONTROLLED

Mothers who drink while pregnant, what happens? Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: a group of alcohol related birth defects that include physical & mental problems. Types of birth defects include: Low birth weight Heart, liver, and kidney defects Mental retardation, difficult learning Small head, deformities of facial, hands or feet Vision or hearing problems Hyperactivity, anxiety, and social withdrawal behavioral problems

Hope for Recovery How does someone quit drinking? You must first admit that you have a problem (you are an alcoholic) The process of recovery can be an on going process (could take years) You have to over come the withdrawal symptoms Define Recovery The process of learning to live an alcohol-free life. Recovering alcoholics must make a lifelong commitment to Sobriety!

Seek professional help if you cannot do it on your own! MADD/SADD programs- educate Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) – self-help program, involves 12 step Al-Anon: helps talk about the problem of living with an alcoholic Alateen: help teenagers cope with alcoholic parents Plus many more!

HAZARDOUS AND ADDICTIVE TOBACCO HAZARDOUS AND ADDICTIVE

Chemicals of Tobacco Tobacco contains more than 4,000 chemical (cyanide, insecticide, fingernail polish remover, rat poisoning & formaldehyde) What are carcinogens? - cancer causing substances

3 most poisonous chemicals in tobacco smoke: Tar: a thick, sticky, dark fluid produced when tobacco burns. Causes destruction of the cilia and respiratory disease What is Cilia? The bronchial tubes are lined with tiny hairs Cilia sweeps away agents that causes disease Nicotine: the addictive chemical found in tobacco leaves Psychoactive chemical, chemical everyone gets hooked on, without nicotine, the body would go through physical withdrawals. Nicotine is a STIMULANT! Carbon Monoxide: a colorless, odorless, and poisonous gas – found in cigarette smoke. It interferes with the bloods ability to carry oxygen, causes shortness of breath

Short-term Effects Brain chemistry changes Respiration and heart rate increases Taste buds are dulled & appetite is reduced Users have bad breath, yellowed teeth, & smelly hair, skin & clothes

Long-term Effects Lung Cancer: a disease caused by cells that have lost normal growth controls, they invade and destroy healthy tissue. Cancer can happen everywhere in the body include: larynx, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas Coronary heart disease & stokes A weakened immune system

Respiratory Diseases Chronic Bronchitis: inflammation of the bronchial tubes in the lungs and the production of excessive mucus - you wake up coughing and spitting up mucus - can lead to emphysema Emphysema: the tiny air sacs of the lungs lose their elasticity - these air sacs absorb oxygen coming into the body and help push carbon dioxide out of the body - shortness of breath, and you can’t breath without the help of a special oxygen tank

Mothers that Smoke There is a greater risk of miscarriage The baby might be born to early Low birth weight or other serious health problems Great chance of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) Fathers who smoke can still affect the fetus/newborn Baby receives nicotine from the mother’s breast milk

Risks of “Tobacco” Smoke ETS: environment tobacco smoke or secondhand smoke, is air that has been contaminated by tobacco smoke: Mainstream smoke: smoke exhaled from the lungs of smoker Sidestream smoke: smoke from the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar 75% of the smoke that comes from a burning cigarette is sidestream smoke (enters the environment) Sidestream smoke contains twice as much tar and nicotine, and three times as much carbon monoxide as mainstream smoke Many new laws have been passed to protect the public from the danger of passive smoking

Other ways to get your fix of nicotine: (smokeless tobacco) Tobacco that is sniffed through the nose, held in the mouth, or chewed. Chewing tobacco: - releases juices of nicotine & other chemicals - juices mix with saliva/mucus membrane that is absorbed into the bloodstream - example: red man Snuff: - nicotine & other chemicals are absorbed into the blood stream through the mucus membrane - example: Copenhagen What is Leukoplakia? thickened, white, leathery-looking spots on the inside of the mouth that can develop into oral cancer (dentist detect this while cleaning your teeth)

Get help if you cannot quit! Consequences???? Cost to society $167 billion a year Cost to individuals $3,561 a year Legal consequences Must be 18 yrs old Choosing to live tobacco-free (values) Get help if you cannot quit! Tobacco cessation program: a course that provides information and help to people who want to stop using tobacco or join a support group (ACS)