1. SPiCE Substance Misuse Prevention in Community Education
Alcohol Awareness

2. Alcohol and young people
The majority of young people do not drink alcohol
There is good reason why we shouldn’t drink alcohol under the age of 18 years:
Children are smaller and lighter
Their bodies are not yet fully developed
Alcohol can lead to risk-taking behaviour
Teachers Notes:
Some young people (and adults!) are under the impression that most young people drink alcohol. SALSUS tells us that this is NOT true. Many young people try alcohol out of curiosity and never drink it again until they are older, others don’t like the taste, some people don’t drink due to their religion. This is an important point to make when discussing alcohol with young people.
Children are smaller and lighter as they haven’t fully grown. This means their bodies are more susceptible to damage than adults and its harder for their bodies to get rid of alcohol too! With regards to the brain, dead brain cells are not regenerated. Blackouts could lead to permanent memory and attention problems.
Risk-taking: due to hormones and learning to be a grown up, teenagers already take more risks than adults without alcohol. Coupled with alcohol could potentially end in disaster!
SALSUS : Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey.

3. What is alcohol? Alcohol is a depressant Weight gain & appearance
Slows down the body’s responses, reduces heart rate, blood pressure and breathing
Can make you feel sociable
Lowers inhibitions
Drink too much results in a hangover
Weight gain & appearance
Alcohol contains as many calories as
pure fat!
Alcohol dehydrates the body
Alcohol disturbs sleep patterns which results in a restless night and feeling and looking tired.
Teacher’s Notes:
Some people think that alcohol is a stimulant because they feel it lifts their mood or contributes to feelings of excitedness/happiness, these effects are often in fact caused by the lowering of inhibitions. Alcohol is in fact a depressant drug because it slows down the central nervous system.

4. What areas of the body area affected by alcohol?
Alcohol & The Body
What areas of the body area affected by alcohol?
Teachers Notes:
Split pupils into groups and distribute flipchart paper and pens.
Ask pupils to draw a body outline on their piece of paper.
Next, highlight the areas of the body which are affected by alcohol.
Get pupils to stick all their bodies around the room and get each group to feed back and use teachers notes to discuss each body part.

5. Alcohol & The Body
When we take a drink of alcohol, it is firstly absorbed through our:
Nose
Mouth
Stomach
Small intestine
Bloodstream
Teachers Notes:-
Nose – Explain that when drinking alcohol and the glass/ bottle is raised to the mouth, alcohol vapours go up the nose where it is absorbed through the capillaries into the bloodstream. Highlight that sniffing vodka will not get someone drunk, but be aware that before even taking a sip, alcohol is in the system.
Mouth – once alcohol is in the mouth, alcohol is absorbed through the lining in the mouth into the bloodstream.
Stomach – Alcohol is then passed to the stomach. Here a small amount is absorbed through the mucous membranes.
Intestines – the vast amount of alcohol enters the bloodstream through the walls of the small intestine. Alcohol is water soluble and the bloodstream rapidly transports the ethanol through the body where it is absorbed into the body tissue in proportion to their water content.

6. How do our bodies get rid of alcohol?
The liver will break down about 90%
The remaining 10% is through our:
Urine
Sweat
Breath
Teachers Notes:-
Alcohol is a poison – our bodies are not designed to ingest it and quickly tries to remove it
Liver – the liver is the main organ in the body which breaks down alcohol. The liver is our largest internal organ and it has over 500 jobs in our body. It works the hardest to remove alcohol and will often prioritise this removal over its other jobs.
Urine- Alcohol is a diuretic which means that it expels more water than it has taken in. This is what leads to dehydration and hangovers and this is why there are more trips to the toilet than normal when alcohol is consumed.
Sweat- A small amount of alcohol is released through our pores
Breath - a small amount of alcohol is excreted through the breath – this is why police will use breathalyser tests.

7. Does alcohol affect everyone the same?
No, many things will affect how drunk someone gets, such as:
If you are male or female
What you have had to eat
How quickly you are drinking
What you are drinking and how much
What age you are
Teachers Notes:-
Gender – a male has a larger liver than a female and an extra enzyme that breaks down alcohol. A female does not have this enzyme. The male body has a higher water to fat ratio than a female so alcohol is more diluted in a male’s system. This can affect the rate in which alcohol is broken down. This is also the reason why recommended levels of drinking are different for men and women.
Amount & Type – Drinking champagne will affect someone quicker. This is due to the bubbles within champagne. The fizziness enables it to move into the small intestine quicker than other types of alcohol. The small intestine is where most absorption takes place so it is absorbed quicker. Drinking fizzy alcohol such as spirits with a carbonated mixer and sparkling wines will lead to a higher absorption rate.
Speed – How quickly someone drinks alcohol also leads to how quickly it gets into their system. It is true that drinking through a straw leads to someone getting alcohol into their system quicker. There are many different theories as to why this is : The straw creates a vacuum and when the alcohol travels up the straw, the boiling point changes and some of it becomes vapour which means it is absorbed into the bloodstream quicker through the lungs than when it is in liquid form. When people drink through a straw, they tend to drink faster. Also the alcohol doesn’t stay for as long in the mouth so it is more likely to travel to the stomach faster.
Stomach contents – if someone has drank alcohol before eating then it takes longer for alcohol to be absorbed into the bloodstream and therefore the process of metabolism will take longer to start.

8. Alcohol units
Put these drinks in order of lowest unit content to the highest unit content (pub measures):
Vodka & Cranberry
Blue WKD
Pint of Strongbow
French Martini
Jack Daniels & Coke
Pint of Guinness
Large glass of Wine
Teachers Notes:-
Ask pupils if they know how many units are in the drinks detailed on the slide. In order to stay within the alcohol guidelines it is important that we know how much alcohol is in our drinks.
Ask pupils to put the drinks in order from lowest unit content to highest unit content.

9. Alcohol units – answers!
Vodka & Cranberry 1 unit
Jack Daniels & Coke 1 unit
Blue WKD units
French Martini units
Pint of Guinness units
Pint of Strongbow 3 units
Large glass of wine 3 units
Teachers Notes:-
Read through the answers on the slide to the class – are they surprised at all??
Spirits- a pub measure of spirits i.e vodka, jack daniels, gin is only 25ml.
Alcopops- people often assume there is very little alcohol in drinks like smirnoff ice or blue wkd, partly due to bright colours and the way they are marketed, in actual fact there is more than in a pub measure of spirits, this could add up over the course of an evening.
French Martini- contains one measure of raspberry liquer and one or two measures of vodka
Pints- For all lager and ciders contain a much lower alcohol percentage than spirits, the quantity in a serving increases the alcohol units
Wine- Some would say we live in a wine drinking culture, partly due to changes in women’s alcohol consumption over the last few decades. If two friend ordered 3 rounds of drinks with one having vodka and lemonade and the other having a large class of wine, over the course of the evening one friend would have consumed 3 units compared to the others 9 units.

10. Units Alcohol guidelines
The Chief Medical Officers’ guideline for both men and
women is that:
You are safest not to drink regularly more than 14 units per week, to keep health risks from drinking alcohol to a low level.
If you do drink as much as 14 units per week, it is best to spread this evenly over 3 days or more.
Teacher’s Notes:
The Government’s alcohol guidelines are changing to reflect new evidence about the link between alcohol and health harms, particularly cancer. New guidance includes changes to amount men and women can regularly drink , one off drinking sessions and advice for drinking in pregnancy.
This is the first change to the alcohol guidelines since This has seen a move away from previous “daily guidelines” which were seen as difficult to relate to for the majority who don’t drink every day. This has also seen a change in language from words like “safe” or “recommended” guidelines. The Chief Medical Officer now recognises that any departure from zero alcohol intake increases risk.

11. FAQ’s
Q. Men and women vary how they metabolise or react to alcohol, so why are the guidelines the same for both men and women?
The weekly guideline on regular drinking provides advice which most of the population can use to keep their long term health risks low. The guidance also includes advice on how to keep the short terms risks at a low level.
The latest research suggests that the overall health risks are broadly similar for men and women.
Why weekly guidelines rather than daily?
The format of a weekly guideline rather than a daily guideline should be an easier benchmark for people who do not drink alcohol every day.
Teacher Notes:
The Government’s alcohol guidelines are changing to reflect new evidence about the link between alcohol and health harms, particularly cancer. New guidance includes changes to amount men and women can regularly drink , one off drinking sessions and advice for drinking in pregnancy.

12. FAQ’s I thought a small amount of alcohol was good for you?
The benefits for heart health of drinking alcohol are less and apply to a smaller group of the population than previously thought. The only group with potential to have a overall significant reduction in risk is women over the age of 55 who are drinking around 5 units or less.
What are the short and long term risks?
Short terms risks are the immediate risks of injury and accident (sometimes fatal) linked to drinking, usual heavy drinking, on one occasion. These include head injuries, fractures, facial injuries, scarring and alcohol poisoning.
Long term risks arise from regularly drinking alcohol over time and include cancers, strokes, heart disease, liver disease and damage to the brain and nervous system.
Teacher Notes:
The Government’s alcohol guidelines are changing to reflect new evidence about the link between alcohol and health harms, particularly cancer. New guidance includes changes to amount men and women can regularly drink , one off drinking sessions and advice for drinking in pregnancy.
The advise from the CMO about reducing the short terms risks include:-
Limiting the total amount you drink on any occasion;
Drinking more slowly, drinking with food, and alternating with water;
Avoiding risky places and activities, making sure you have people you know around, and ensuring you can get home safely.
Some groups of people are likely to be affected more by alcohol and should be more careful of their level of drinking on any one occasion:-
Young adults
Older people
Those with low body weight
Those with other health problems
Those on medicines or other drugs

13. Alcohol & Calories! Teacher Notes:
Do you know how many calories there are in your drinks??

14. Alcohol & Calories QUIZ TIME!!
The calories in alcohol are empty and extra-fattening
Increased appetite too!
Crisps & dip? Kebab? Chips & Cheese?
QUIZ TIME!!
Teachers Notes:-
Wine, beer, cider, spirits are all made by fermenting and distilling natural starch and sugar. Because of this alcohol contains seven calories per gram – almost as many as pure fat!
Calories in alcohol are also ‘empty calories’ as they have no nutritional value.
Drinking alcohol also reduces the amount of fat your body burns for energy. Removing alcohol from our system takes priority so all the other processes that should be taking place (e.g. absorbing nutrients & burning fat) are interrupted.
A survey of 2,000 adults by Dept of Health in 2009 found that the ‘average’ wine drinker consumes 2,000 extra calories per month. That’s equal to 184 bags of crisps or 38 roast beef dinners over the course of a year!
order bar snacks to accompany a drink
regularly opt for takeaway food.
have a less healthy breakfast if hungover.
likely to eat more and ditch healthy diet when drinking over the recommended daily limits.
CALORIE QUIZ!! (provide each pupil a calorie quiz sheet to complete – discuss answers to class as a whole once complete)

15. Alcohol Effects & Risks
Reduced inhibitions
Exaggerate moods
Anxiety/depression
Hangover
Weight gain
Slurred speech
Slows reactions
Loss of body heat
Sickness
Risks
Accidents/injuries
Vulnerability
Unprotected sex
Aggression & violence
Loss of balance
Risk taking behaviour
Liver damage
Alcohol poisoning
Teacher Notes:
Read through the effects and risks associated

16. Tips for staying safe And…… always look out for your friends!
Know your own limits & pace yourself
Line your stomach
Keep hydrated (it’ll help with the hangover)
Always know where your drink is
Walk away from fights or arguments – its not worth it!
Don’t give in to peer pressure…have your excuses at the ready
Make sure you have a plan to get home
Have enough money
Keep an eye on your phone battery
And…… always look out for your friends!
Teacher Notes:
Read through tips for staying safe.

17. Any questions?
** Images courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net