Introduction to Alcohol

What is alcohol? Made by the fermentation of grains, fruits, and vegetables – What is fermentation?????? A process that changes the sugar in food into alcohol by using bacteria or yeast.

4 types of alcohol… Can you guess??? 1)Ethyl alcohol = drinking alcohol 2)Methyl = cleaning/industrial 3)Isopropyl = cleaning wounds/rubbing alcohol 4)Denatured = perfumes and colognes When people drink alcohol, they are drinking…?

Which is which??? Ethyl Methyl Isopropyl Denatured

Three kinds of ethyl alcohol: 1)Beer 2)Wine 3)Spirit

Proof Proof is found in alcoholic beverages – Tells you how much alcohol is in a drink – When you see “x% alcohol/volume”- it tells you how much proof there is For example: – 100 proof = 50% alcohol – 30 proof = 15% – 200 proof = 100%

How much proof does this beer have? This beer has 5% alcohol/volume – So how much proof? 10 proof So, x% alc/vol x 2 = # proof REMEMBER: – High proof = more alcohol

Good reasons to drink… 1)Alcohol Warmth 1)Feels warm when drink alcohol 2)Alcohol Trust 1)Drink alcohol because a person trusts alcohol will do something good for them 2)Example 3)Alcohol makes people feel good

Unfortunately, there are more bad reasons for drinking… Alcohol Maintenance – Some people enjoy drinking so much… Feel AWFUL in the morning, they have headaches, lighting bothers them, feel sick Those signs are known as WITHDRAWAL or HANGOVER Alcohol Jealousy – Usually happens in men – Cannot perform sexually, so experience confabulation

More reasons… Confabulation – The man would say that the problem is not drinking but his wife is cheating on him, when she really is not… Functional Alcoholic – Person needs to have alcohol to have a life S/he drinks alcohol during breakfast, before lunch, during lunch, a few times during afternoon, during dinner, a few more times after dinner, and before bedtime.

Reasons Alcohol Dependent – Person drinks, becomes drunk, experience withdrawal, so drinks again to stop the bad feelings, become drunk again, experience withdrawal again, so drinks more and become drunk, and experience withdrawal again. The cycle repeats until the person feels normal with the use of alcohol.

Reasons Parents use alcohol, so children look at them and see that it is fine. Siblings use alcohol, so children look at them and see that there is nothing wrong with drinking alcohol Friends use alcohol and nothing happens yet, so children also use alcohol.

Reasons Constant stress can cause the use of alcohol Drink to deal with changes- an example of stress – For example: school changes, parents are divorced, become depressed, etc. Drink because come from an unstable or broken home – Parents always fight… You are mad with them so you drink alcohol to escape the problems

Reasons Use alcohol to avoid problems – Your close relative just died, so you feel very sad/depressed, so drink alcohol to feel better Alcohol is available – At your friend’s party, there is alcohol so you drink The more alcohol you can use, the more events you will look for to use alcohol – You went to a party and drank alcohol for the first time, you like it. So you look for more parties so you can drink more

Reasons Drink to do something… – If you don’t like to dance, so you drink alcohol to dance. Hang out with other people who drink alcohol – Your friends drink alcohol so you drink too. I do not care about myself/Have low self- esteem

Reasons Self-esteem – How you value yourself and look at yourself as a very important person. – Having a low self-esteem, looking at yourself as unimportant so you drink alcohol because you don’t care about yourself. Famous people – Some people look up to famous people and see that they drink, so it is ok.

Reasons Dealing with anxiety – Anxious because very afraid of failure, so you drink alcohol to forget about the anxiety Genes – A gene is what makes a person look like and create their personality – Drinking problems are in genes

One last reason… Finally! Vitamin Deficiency – Not having enough vitamins in your body – Only has been tested on rats However, the research shows that when rats did not have enough of a vitamin, they were likely to drink alcohol. – Not having enough vitamins in your body, more likely to drink alcohol

Terms to know… Abuse – Using a drug, illegal or legal, in a wrong way Addiction – Develops from abuse – When a person has no control over when using alcohol or drugs

One more term to know… Drug – Can be legal or illegal – Chemicals or substances that change the way our body works

Legal drugs Medications, Alcohol, Caffeine, Inhalants, Marijuana, Nicotine

Illegal Drugs Marijuana, Cocaine/Crack, Ecstasy, GHB, Heroin, LSD, Methamphetamine, Rohypnol

Why do you think it is important for you to know about alcohol? Discussion How would your parents feel if they caught you drinking alcohol now, what do you think? Legally, we can drink after 21. National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse says that about 80% high school students already tried alcohol.

Some stuff to think about… It is important to know about alcohol because when you drink alcohol, it goes into your bloodstream, affecting central nervous system (CNS). – CNS controls your bodily functions. So when alcohol touches your CNS, your body will function differently. – Brains of teenagers are still developing, so it would not very good idea to drink at a younger age.