Drinking: Facts for Teens

Why should I say no to alcohol?
Alcohol is a drug and you can become addicted to it. Alcohol changes the way
your mind and your body work. Even 1 beer can slow your reactions and
confuse your thinking. This means anything that requires concentration and
coordination – like driving – is dangerous when you've had a drink.

Alcohol also changes the way you act. It can make you let go of the feelings that
keep you from doing things you know are risky or dangerous. This can lead you
to make bad decisions - like having unsafe sex or driving when you know you
shouldn't. You might think that it won't happen to you, but everyone knows
someone who has said that and then ended up hurt.

What problems can alcohol cause?
Alcohol can ruin your health. The more you drink, the more damage is done.
You can get alcohol poisoning if you drink too much. As the level of alcohol in
your blood rises, the chemicals in your body can cause vomiting or seizures, or
you may pass out.

Cirrhosis of the liver is one of the most well-known effects of alcohol abuse.
Cirrhosis stops the liver from being able to clean the toxins (poisons) out of
your body. Alcohol can also cause stomach ulcers that lead to internal bleeding.

Other things alcohol can do to your body:

Make you gain weight
Make you feel sick or dizzy
Give you bad breath
Make you clumsy
Slur your speech
Make your skin break out
Make you feel out of control

Would anybody care about my drinking if I were older?
Yes. Even adults are warned about the risks of alcohol.

Everyone I know drinks. What should I do?
Television and radio make it seem easy to avoid alcohol, but this may not be
the case for you. You may be facing pressure from your friends who drink, you
may be stressed out or you may think that drinking makes people like you.
Whatever your reasons, remember that alcohol can harm your body. If you feel
uncomfortable in a situation and need help saying no, get the support you need.
Talk to your family doctor or another adult you trust.

How do I know I have a problem?
Drinking is a problem if it causes trouble in your relationships, school and
social activities, or how you think and feel. A drinking problem usually starts by
just drinking every now and then. Eventually you may drink more and more until
you have a new problem – needing a drink.

Ask yourself the following questions to find out if you have a problem with
alcohol. If you answer “yes” to any one of them, you may have a drinking
problem.

Do you sometimes drink more than you mean to?
Have you tried to cut back on your drinking and failed?
Do you black-out (have trouble remembering things that happened)
while drinking?
Have your problems at school, work or with your relationships increased
since you started drinking?
Do you keep drinking even though you know it's causing you problems?
Do you drink when you feel stressed?
Do you drink alone?
Can you drink much more now than you used to be able to?
Do you ever feel uncomfortable when you haven't had a drink?
Do you drink even when it's important to stay sober?

How can I stop drinking?
The first step is to admit that you have a problem and you want to stop. Talk to
your doctor, or a parent, school counselor, or spiritual leader. You can also
contact Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), an organization that helps people with
drinking problems get better. Visit their Web site at www.aa.org, or check your
local phone book for an AA meeting near you.

How much alcohol is really in a drink?
Beer usually contains 3% to 5% alcohol. Wine has 9% to 16%. Hard liquor
usually contains the highest levels (up to 50%). Most states consider an adult to
be intoxicated, or drunk, at 0.08% blood level of alcohol. For a man who weighs
170 pounds, this might mean only 4 beers (12-ounce cans) on an empty
stomach in an hour. For a woman who weighs 137 pounds, this might mean
less than 3 beers in an hour. For people under 21, many states now practice
zero-tolerance laws, which means you are breaking the law if you have any
alcohol in your system.

Is there anything I can do to sober up?
No. It takes time for your body to get all the alcohol out of your system. Many
people think coffee can help, but it can't make you sober or speed your reaction
times if you've been drinking. It can make you think you're alert when you're
really not.

Copyright © 2000-2005 American Academy of Family Physicians







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