You can see double, your speech can slur, and you can lose your
sense of distance.
Alcohol can loosen your inhibitions, allowing you to make bad
judgments that can result in car crashes, unwanted pregnancy,
sexually transmitted disease, or rape.
Alcohol is involved in a significant number of violent crimes and
vandalism among and by teens.
Alcohol use can cost you your freedom. Your parents can ground
you, you can loose your driver’s license, or you can end up in
jail.
Why does alcohol affect me, and is it the same for each
person?
Alcohol, like any drug, effects your body chemistry. As it makes
changes to your body chemistry, those changes can show up in many
different ways. We all respond a little differently. A lot of that
is based upon your particular make up and what you may have
inherited from your parents.
Okay, okay, but how will I know if I have a
problem?
Chances are if you are asking the question, you have a problem.
Some of te factors you should think about are:
Inability to control your drinking - no matter what you decide
beforehand, you often or usually wind up drinking too much.
You use alcohol to escape your problems.
You change from the quiet, shy, reserved you into the "life
of the party."
You have a change of personality, the "Dr. Jekyl, Mr.
Hyde" thing.
You can hold your alcohol - you can drink just about anybody
under the table.
Blackouts - sometimes you don’t remember what happened last
night, or when you were drinking.
You have problems at work, at school, at home, or with friends as
a result of your drinking. Your family and friends show concern
about your drinking.
Alcohol effects your central nervous
system.
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. Your central nervous system includes your brain, your
spinal cord and all of the nerves throughout your
body. This system runs your body.
As a depressant, alcohol slows down the signals that run to and from your brain. Like the signal that tells your foot to push on the brake when your eyes see a red light or a person stepping off the curb. Just like the signal that tells your brain to no to unprotected sex. Alcohol affects your
coordination, slows your reaction time, dulls your senses and blocks memory functions. Mess
with these signals, and you are just asking for trouble. And, yes, it does happen!
Some of my friends didn’t live to graduate high school, others were remembered at my ten year high
school reunion. My son has twin friends in his class at school.
Their older sister is now in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
She can’t remember things like she used to, which is making college almost impossible. She made only one mistake, one time! She
got into a friend’s car after she had only two beers. Those two beers cost her friend’s life
and has forever changed hers! That mistake effected her, she has no
feeling below her waist. It effected her parents who have already
had three years of incredible emotional and financial burdens. It effected he
brothers, who at 10 years of age had to watch their older sister
lay in a coma for over a week and had to think about the
rest of their lives without her. It effected her friend’s family who will
never see their daughter go to college, grow up,
be successful, get married, have children.
Am I
trying to get your attention? Am I trying to scare you? Am I trying
to make you think? YOU BET YOUR LIFE!
It’s not just a story, its real life. It really happens.
Bad things can and do happen! Don’t help them happen!
THINK!
If
you have a problem - GET HELP! Tell your parents, your teacher, your
doctor, someone you trust, or follow a link from here. However you
do it, GET HELP!
Alcoholism is a disease, like diabetes or high blood pressure.
Having a disease is nothing to be
ashamed of. What you need to do is treat
it like a disease and get help!
Some teens are more "at risk" then others to develop alcohol and other drug related problems. Highest on the list are those with a family history of substance abuse problems.
Those who begin to smoke or drink during their early teens are at particularly high risk. These substances
are the typical "gateway drugs" which lead first to marijuana, and then to other illegal drugs.
Having a designated driver is no excuse to drink. Drinking at
home or only sticking to beer does not make drinking safer.
If someone
you know has a drinking problem, be part of the solution!
Urge
your friend to get help!
Signs
a friend may have a problem:
Smell of alcohol
on their breath, or sudden, frequent use of breath mints.
Abrupt changes in mood or attitude.
Sudden decline in attendance or performance at school.
Losing interest in school, sports or other
activities that used to be important.
Sudden resistance to authority at school.
Uncharacteristic withdrawal from family, friends, or interests.
Heightened secrecy about actions or possessions.
Associating with a new group of friends that they won’t talk about.
- Adapted from National
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
http://www.ncadd.org/parent2.html
How
do I know if I or a friend have a chemical dependency?
Chemical dependency is simply the inability to control the use of
some physical substance - not being able to limit how much is
used.
Myths:
Myth: A chemically dependent person is someone who can’t
live without thir drink or drugs. Someone who is irresponsible,
immoral, weak-willed or even evil.
Fact: You can be chemically dependent without showing such
obvious signs and dependency can cause serious problems in your
life.
Fact: We are beginning to realize that a person’s genetic
makeup may affect his or her chances of becoming dependent, and that
dependency is often a physical condition that cannot be cured by
willpower alone.
Myth: Drinking coffee, taking a cold shower, or breathing fresh
air will sober you up.
Fact: The only thing that sobers you up is time. Time allows your
body to process out the alcohol and to recover from the effects.
Myth: Drinking beer is not as bad as wine or liquor.
Fact: Alcohol is alcohol! The amount is the key, the type of
drink, beer, wine or liquor doesn’t matter.
Myth: Alcoholics are bums.
Fact: Only 3-5% of alcoholics would fit that description. Most
alcoholics are just like the people you know. Anyone can become an
alcoholic - young, old, rich, poor, married, single, employed or out
of work.
Myth: The age at which I try or use drugs, including alcohol,
doesn’t matter.
Fact: The eariler young people start drinking and using drugs,
the more likely they are to become addicted. During your youth, your
body is undergoing the most dramatic changes of your life - if you
are going to use alcohol, you are going to effect that natural
growth process. The effects are not the same for each of us, but
whatever the effects, they are not doing anything positive for
you!
If you think you can do something better while or after drinking,
GET REAL! Spend the time learning how to do it without drugs. You
will be able to use those skills your whole life!
Myth: Some alcohol won’t really hurt me.
Fact: Alcohol can age and damage your brain. Excessive use can
also effect or destroy your liver, one of the organs you cannot live
without!
-adapted from - Misconceptions About Alcohol
http://www.webtravels.com/necasa/misconceptions.htm
Dependency Symptoms:
-
Trying to cut down or quit using some
substance, and failing at it.
-
"Blackouts," or lapses of memory, after use.
-
Using the substance while alone or hiding the evidence of
use.
-
Doing things "while under the influence" that cause
regrets afterwards.
-
Not being able to enjoy an event without the substance.
-
Using much more than people in a social gathering.
-
Neglecting responsibilites in order to use the
substance.
-
Family, friends, or employers expressing concern about substance
use.
-
Being willing to do almost anything to get the substance.
-
Financial or legal problems from using
the substance.
What Can I
do?
