1. Alcohol

2. What is alcohol?  Fermentation of fruit or grain mixtures  Chemical modification of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas or coal (industrial alcohol)  Chemical combination of hydrogen with carbon monoxide (methanol or wood alcohol)

3. Alcohol provides a lot of kilojoules  Each gram of pure alcohol provides 7 calories=29 kilojoules  1 serve contains at least 290 kJs  Add 100 ML cola =  220 kJs  One rum and coke at least 510 KJs

4. Definition Alcohol is:  A depressant drug  It is also a “food”, provides kilojoules and is only metabolised by the liver  This makes alcohol a little different to other drugs  Slows down the activity in the central nervous system including the brain.  Affects concentration and coordination  Slows the response time to unexpected situations.

5. Blood alcohol level  The liver can only metabolise 10 grams of alcohol per hour  Less for “small” people eg girls  1 drink per hour  Nothing speeds this rate up

7. Myths about alcohol  Myth: Alcohol gives you energy  Myth: Mixing drinks will make you more drunk than sticking to one type of drink  Myth: You'll get drunk a lot quicker with spirits than with a beer or wine cooler  Myth: Everybody reacts the same to alcohol  Myth: A cold shower or a cup of coffee will sober someone up  Myth: It's just beer. It can't permanently damage you

8. Myths about alcohol  Myth: It's none of my business if a friend is drinking too much  Myth: The worst thing that can happen is a raging hangover  Myth: Drugs are a bigger problem than alcohol  Myth: Alcohol makes you more sexy  Myth: People who drink too much only hurt themselves.  USE THESE TO MAKE CLASS DISCUSSION CARDS

9. What are some Myths about sobering up ??  Cold shower  Walk around  Dance  Vomit  Sleep  Coffee  Various products

10. Serious problems with alcohol  Date rape  Risk to self  Accidents  Violence  Drink spiking

13. Some Facts about use of alcohol in Australia  In 2004 10% of Australians adults were non drinkers (never had a full drink)  Used to be 25% in women  In 2004 84% of those older than 14 years had drunk alcohol in previous 12 months  Alcohol patterns have stayed fairly stable, yet tobacco has declined  35% Australians are risky drinkers eg binge drinking  This has increased, especially in teenage girls  Mean age of initiation into drinking alcohol (drinking a full glass) among young people aged 14-24 years was 14.6 years for males and 14.8 years for females

14. Health Guidelines  National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australian alcohol guidelines suggest that: Men should drink an average of no more than 4 standard drinks a day and no more than 6 standard drinks on any one day. Women should drink an average of no more than 2 standard drinks a day and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day. Pregnant women - none

15. Health guidelines  Both men and women should spread their drinks over several hours, and have one or two alcohol – free days per week  Young people aged 18-25 years should not drink at all for at least several hours before undertaking potentially risky activities (e.g. driving, swimming and boating) and not mix alcohol with mood-altering drugs  Young people aged up to 18 years, if they choose to drink, should be under adult supervision, keep drinking to a minimum, and not drink to become intoxicated.

16. Foetal alcohol Syndrome

19. How did alcohol and tobacco become so popular???  Marketing  TV ads  Sponsorships  Social “norms”

20. What message is given to kids ??  Alcohol is fun  Alcohol is sexy  Alcohol is cool  Alcohol makes you more attractive  Alcohol helps you escape  Etc etc etc

29. Drink Driving

30. Legal blood alcohol limits for drivers?  Zero applies to:  ALL learner drivers.  ALL P platers  0.02 applies to:  Drivers of vehicles of "gross vehicle mass"  Drivers of vehicles carrying dangerous goods/public vehicles such as taxi or bus drivers.  A BAC of 0.02 can be reached after the consumption of only one standard drink  0.05 applies to:  ALL other licences not subject to a 0.02 or zero limit.

31. How does alcohol effect driving?

32.  Depresses inhibitions (Increase risk-taking behavior)  Slower reactions  Impaired judgment of speed and distance  Impaired vision  Impaired hearing  Impaired reasoning

33. Good Advice About Drinking ??  Don’t be afraid to drink something non alcoholic  Drink slowly  Drink low alcoholic beverages  Long periods between drinks  Don’t top up drinks  Use a glass/can of known size  Count the number of drinks consumed  Set a limit before drinking and stick to it  Set a drinking rate  Consume food (preferably non-salty)  Designated driver  Budget for a taxi home

34. What are the consequences ?  Fine, disqualification, imprisonment (see table)  Injury to self/others  Death to self/others  Loss of job/income  Medical costs  Mental problems

35. Why do people drink and drive?

36.  Alcohol-induced risk-taking behaviour  Peer influence/pressure  Expense of taxis  Unaware of how to assess B.A.C.  Drinking on an empty stomach  No designated driver organised  Got away with it before

37. Alcohol and violence

38.  Alcohol is a factor in homicides, domestic violence and arrests  Alcohol is a major contributing cause of violence in Australia  Alcohol is a major contributing cause of death and hospitalisation for young Australians  Most common causes of alcohol - attributed death for young people are road injury, suicide and violence  Male alcohol – attributed death rates are about 4 times greater than females death rates

39. What are the effects of alcohol related violence? Males make up 74% of alcohol-caused hospitalisations for injuries due to assault 32% of young people aged between 15 -24 yrs are admitted to hospital for treatment from assault