1. ALCOHOL USE AND ABUSE

2. ALCOHOL: WHAT IS IT?? Alcohol is a drug  One of the most widely used and abused drugs in the U.S. Alcohol is:  A drug created by a chemical reaction in some foods, especially fruits and grains  Its addictive  Can harm your health……ex. Liver damage  Wine, beer, liquor.

3. The Dangers of Alcohol Use Alcohol  Effects decision making  Harms your physical health  Loss of motor skills  Ex. walking Alcohol is a depressant  Slows down the activity of the brain and nervous system

4. HOW ALCOHOL AFFECTS INDIVIDUALS Not everyone is effected the same way. BAC= Blood alcohol Concetration  How much alcohol is in your blood  How much you weigh, how much food is in your stomach, and how much you drank determines your BAC..08 is the legal limit. Over time alcohol effects your brain, heart, liver, and kidneys….also causes weight gain.

5. ALCOHOL USE AND THE BRAIN- SHORT TERM EFFECTS Alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream and reaches the brain as it is consumed. Alcohol blocks messages from getting to the brain…even after only 1 drink. After more drinks  Hard to concentrate and remember  Speak clearly  Feel dizzy, blurred vision, and lose balance

6. ALCOHOL AND THE HEART Effects the way heart pumps blood Makes blood vessels wider  Brings blood closer to the skin Gives the person a false sense of warmth Slows down your heart rate

7. ALCOHOL- LIVER AND KIDNEYS Liver is a filter that takes the alcohol from the bloodstream and removes it from body. It can only get rid of a half an ounce per hour Extra alcohol stays in the body Alcohol causes the kidneys to make more urine  This can dehydrate a person.

8. LONG TERM EFFECTS Cirrhosis- the scarring and destruction of liver tissue  Symptoms  Nausea, weight loss, yellowing of eyes and skin, bleeding in digestive system, itching, and swelling of legs and feet. Ulcers- open sore in stomach  Damages the intestines and stomach tissue.

9. ADDICTIVE Can be psychological or physical need.  Using alcohol becomes the most important thing in a persons life.  A person addicted to alcohol is an alcoholic. People drink due to  Insecurity, worried, or to deal with their problems.

10. ALCOHOLISM A disease with physical or psychological need for alcohol  Treated by counseling or even need to be hospitalized