« Myths and Facts about Alcohol

 

 

Myth: Drinking coffee will help sober me up.

Truth: Only time will sober you up. Once alcohol is in your blood, there isn't anything you can do about it but wait. Coffee might wake you up, but it sure won't do anything about your blood alcohol levels.

 

Myth: Eating breath mints will fool a police 'breath test'.

Truth: The breath test is not fooled by breath mints. Blood alcohol measurement devices measure the alcohol content of the air in your lungs - breath mints will not change the alcohol content.

 

Myth: Mixing alcohol, wine and beer will make you more drunk.

Truth: Mixing alcohol can result in side effects, such as upset stomach. As for the saying "Beer before liquor, never sicker; alcohol before beer, never fear" - the reason for this is that beer usually gets you drunker slower than liquor because it takes longer to drink. A beer is usually consumed in 10-20 minutes, whereas a shot is consumed in seconds. If a person is already drunk on beer and has three shots quickly, they don't have time to realize how drunk he/she is. If a person has several shots and then has three beers, he/she has 30-60 minutes to realize that he/she is over his/her limit.

 

Myth: Beer has less alcohol than shots of liquor and glasses of wine.

Truth: Common alcohol serving sizes were chosen so that each serving of alcohol would have approximately the same amount of alcohol. Thus, a 341mL/12 oz. can/bottle of beer has about the same amount of alcohol as a 4 oz glass of wine, one 1.5 oz shot of liquor and one standard mixed drink.

 

Myth: Eating certain foods before an evening of heavy drinking will help keep me sober.

Truth: Certain foods may slow down the rate of absorption of alcohol into your blood. However, the alcohol that goes into your body will come out in some form or another. If you're eating a meal to limit your drunkeness, think again - that's a bad idea.

 

Myth: Taking a cold shower or splashing water in my face sober me up?

Truth: No, it won't. While it might make you feel fresher or more awake, it has no effect on your blood alcohol content. Don't use this as a means to sober you up, because it doesn't work!

Myth: Physical activity will sober me up.

Truth: Exercise, because it speeds up your heart rate, may have a marginal affect to sober you up. However, this affect is so marginal that it's almost negligible in the grand scheme of things. If you had enough time to get drunk, wait longer and stay safe. It doesn't pay to drink and drive.

 

Myth: If you can't taste the alcohol in a drink, it's not there.

Truth: Some mixers, such as fruit juices, can mask the taste of alcohol. Also, certain types of alcohol (i.e. alcool) do not taste very strong, but the alcohol is still there. The best policy is - if you're drinking, don't drive!

Signs of Alcoholism



If a loved one is believed to be an alcoholic there are several signs that you can look for. It is best to not just confront them because they can get defensive and often alcoholics can have drastic mood changes. Alcoholism can occur in young adults just as easily as it can occur in adults, there is no age limit to it.

In young adults the signs of alcoholism can be the same as those for adults, but may be easier for parents to notice. The teen may drink alone or in secret, which could be hard to discover. They may also forget conversations or plans that have been made. They may also lose interest in their hobbies or other activities that they once enjoyed as it may interfere with their drinking schedule. It becomes easier for them to hide their habit if they are not around others, too. Irritability is also common if they are unable to get a drink when the need to drink arises.

In adults the signs of alcoholism can be more out in the open and can be easier to pinpoint. The person may not be able to limit the number of drinks that they consume. They may often make a point to have a drink before, during and after a meal and get upset when questioned or told to refrain from drinking so much. They may also take to hiding their alcohol in random places so that no one will tell them to limit or stop their drinking. After a prolonged period of drinking, the size and number of drinks it takes them to feel the effects of alcohol will increase. The person may also have trouble with their finances and relationship problems due to their alcoholic state.

Signs of alcoholism can vary from person to person, making it very difficult to pick up on. If the person is having trouble in school or with their finances, it is easy to think that they are just stressed. But by knowing what to look for, it can become easier to pick up on the signs of alcoholism in both young adults and adults. It can be harder to pinpoint in young adults because they realize that as a minor it is wrong to drink and will go to great lengths to hide their habit. In adults it can be easier to pinpoint, but can be just as difficult to help them.




 

Alcohol in Men Versus Women


Alcoholism is very different in men in women. Alcohol has different effects on each gender, and tends to be more of a focused effect on women as compared to men because of their body structure. Women are likely to start abusing alcohol later in life than men, but usually get help sooner than men. The way men are viewed when they drink is also very different when they drink excessively. For example, in this day and age it is not uncommon for men to drink excessively and be considered suave, whereas when women drink too much other people tend to look down on them. Because of this fact, women tend to enter and receive help a lot sooner than their male counterparts. When it comes to the onset of alcohol abuse, women start at an older age as compared to men.

Women are also at a high risk to becoming alcohol dependent if they live with a man who is dependent upon alcohol. Men differ in this category because if they live with or are married to a woman who is dependent upon alcohol they tend to divorce her. Women stay with their husbands if he has a drinking problem and divorce only becomes a way out if he becomes abusive.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome



Fetal alcohol syndrome is a very dire consequence of what can happen if a woman drinks during her pregnancy. There is no safe level of alcohol consumption when it comes to preventing this; the only real way to prevent it is to completely abstain from alcohol during the course of the pregnancy. If a woman was a heavy drinker prior to conception and is unable to quit, she needs to get help in order to protect the welfare of her unborn child. There are many symptoms and effects of what can happen to a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome.

The symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome start after a woman has been drinking during her pregnancy. During the pregnancy, the fetus of a mother who drinks alcohol will not grow as quickly as compared to a fetus whose mother has not drank alcohol. There is also an increased risk of a miscarriage, having a premature baby or having a stillborn baby if the pregnancy comes to term. A newborn with fetal alcohol syndrome will be unable to thrive in its surroundings and have a developmental delay and signs of mental retardation. The newborn will be fussier and cry more than other newborns as he/she goes through a sort of alcohol withdrawal, since it won�t be getting the alcohol from the mother after birth. There will also be irregularities of the face, strawberry birthmarks, poor muscle tone and be uncoordinated.

The effects of fetal alcohol syndrome vary from infant to infant. It depends on the amount of alcohol the mother consumed during the pregnancy. However, almost all infants with this do not have normal brain development. Severe cases may even have heart problems which can require surgery and other problems may exist with other organs. It can also lead to infant death depending on the severity of the effects of the alcohol.

With all the horrible side effects of drinking alcohol while pregnant, women who are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant need to be extremely strict in their role of not drinking. You can still go out with your friends while you are pregnant, just tell them you�ll be the designated driver. Because there is no safe limit of alcohol consumption, pregnant women need to avoid it all costs. The effects of fetal alcohol syndrome range from mental retardation to having problems with internal organs and can also lead to infant death, miscarriage or a premature delivery.

Stupid Reasons to Drink


Let's face it - when you're growing up, you're given lecture after lecture by your elders about the dangers of drinking. You're probably given some statistics, but those really don't hit home (you'd think parents would have remembered their own lectures from their elders!). However, the reality hits home if somebody you know has had health issues because of their drinking, or worse yet, you know somebody that was killed or injurd in an alcohol-related traffic accident. Unfortunately, these types of things happen all the time around the world where people drink. Below we have tried to list the harsh realities of drinking.

The reality is that in most US states, Canadian provinces and most places around the world, you'll pay large fines and likely lose your license for driving under the influence of alcohol, even if you haven't gotten into an accident. Hundreds of studies, and of course real-world experience, have shown that driving under the influence of alcohol (an other drugs, for that matter) drastically increase your chance of getting into an accident. However, no amount of pressure from your elders will convince you - you need to know the facts and decide for yourself.

So, without further ado, here is our list of stupid reasons to drink:

Drinking alcohol makes you feel like a grown-up - If anything, you should try to avoid this type of behavior, because often adults drink to drown their miseries and forget their responsibilities. If you think about it, it's kids that don't have responsibilities, so in essense, adults that drink to avoid their responsibilies are trying to feel like children again! Thus, drinking to feel grown-up is actually quite silly, because you're imitating childish adults, and THAT should not make you feel like an adult!

Drinking removes inhibitions - This might sound good in theory, but how funny is it when you do or say things that you regret (it happens to everybody, but really, why should it happen to you!). But unfortunately, when your inhibitions result in sexual conduct (which is often a goal), you're much more likely to end up with an STD or unwanted pregnancy. Studies show you'll enjoy the experience less too!

Drinking to Forget Problems and Responsibilities - No matter how much you drink, any problems you had before drinking will likely be there when you get sober...and you'll likely have even more issues to deal with (see above).

Drinking to be cool - You might think you're being cool when you're drinking, but the reality is you're really acting like a jackass. As a little experiment, try hanging around your drunk friend when you're sober. You'll likely see that alcohol is making asses out of your friends.

Drinking because of peer pressure - See above - and besides, a friend who pushes you into drinking and other drugs probably isn't a great friend in the first place.

Drinking out of curiosity - Drinking, like other drugs, loses its thrill. It's this fact that that causes people to develop drinking problems - when it starts to lose the "thrill", they drink more and more to find that elusive "enjoyment"...and this often stops people from finding pleasure from other things.

Besides the above, here are other side-effects of alcohol:

Drinking causes hangovers - At least when drunk in excessive quantities, is it really fun spending the day in bed with your head pounding, throwing up over the side of your bed (hopefully into a garbage can!)?

Drinking makes you feel confident - ...even when you have no control. Have you ever noticed you're more likely to take a tumble and have accidents when you're drunk? Is that something to feel confident about?

Drinking affects your memory - Do you really want your friends telling you about the stupid things you did the night before? Besides that, it affects your brain in other ways too.

Drinking is terrible for your body - Besides leading to weight gain, alcohol affects a number of different body parts - check out the effects of alcohol on your body here.


 

How Alcohol Affects the Brain



General Effects of Alcohol on the Brain

Alcohol can affect several parts of the brain, but in general, alcohol contracts brain tissue and depresses the central nervous system. Also, alcohol destroys brain cells and unlike many other types of cells in the body, brain cells do not regenerate. Excessive drinking over a prolonged period of time can cause serious problems with cognition and memory.

When alcohol reaches the brain, it interferes with communication between nerve cells, by interacting with the receptors on some cells. The alcohol suppresses excitatory nerve pathway activity and increases inhibitory nerve pathway activity. Among other actions, alcohol enhances the effects of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Enhancing an inhibitor has the effect of making a person sluggish. Also, alcohol weakens the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamine, which enhances the sluggishness even farther.

Chemical Effects of Alcohol on the Brain

To understand how alcohol interferes with brain function, it is necessary to know a little bit about normal brain function. The brain is the control center of the body - it controls all the systems in your body including your muscular system, your respiratory system and your digestive system. But how does the brain control these functions? It does so by using a series of chemical, electrical and physical signals from cell to cell. Within the cell, electrical signals are used for transmission, but between cells, chemical signals are used - these chemical signals are called neurotransmitters.

The gap between cells where neurotransmitters are active is called the synapse. The expelled neurotransmitter travels across the synapse and binds to a protein on the receiving cell membrane called a receptor, which is specific for that neurotransmitter. This action causes some change in the receiving cell, either chemical, electrical or physical, which can excite the receiving cell to perform an action or inhibit the receiving cell from performing an action.

When alcohol is introduced to the synapse, the normal neurotransmission may be affected.

Effects of Alcohol on Brain Parts

Alcohol affects different parts of the brain in different ways.

The Cerebral Cortex and Alcohol | The Limbic System and Alcohol | The Cerebellum and Alcohol | The Hypothalamus, Pituitary Gland and Alcohol | The Medulla and Alcohol

 

Alcohol's Effects on the Brain and Body

Alcohol can have many effects on the brain and body, including the acute effects of intoxication, short-term effects (with 72 hours), and long-term effects (one or more years of heavy use). This page reviews these various effects.

Acute Effects

(while under the influence) Short Term Effects

(up to 72 hours following heavy use) Long Term Effects

(one or more years of heavy use)

 

Circulatory System

Acute effects on the circulatory system include decreased blood pressure, pulse and respiration. With long-term use alcohol can cause chronic high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy (deterioration of the heart muscle) and other heart diseases.

As alcohol moves through the blood stream it damages and kills hemoglobin cells which carry oxygen, and with extended use may cause anemia.


Skeletal-Muscular System Can reduce muscle mass in heavy users.