Alcohol
What is alcohol?
- We don't think of alcohol as a drug but it is.
- Alcohol is often thought of as a stimulant, because it initially makes people feel good and seem to have more energy. However alcohol actually acts as a depressant on your central nervous system, slowing down brain functioning. As it relaxes you it lowers your inhibitions, which may mean that you take chances you would not otherwise take. Short term loss of memory [blackouts] can also occur after a bout of drinking.
- A standard drink: a 12-ounce bottle of bear, a 5-ounce glass of vine or a standard shot of spirits such as vodka all have the same amount of alcohol.
When is your drinking a problem?
- Heavy drinking, or binge drinking, is just an example of problem drinking. Consider how your use of alcohol is affecting your life. If you are experiencing difficulties in one or more of the following areas, you may want to evaluate the role alcohol plays in your life:
- Physical/Emotional health
- Relationships
- Job-School performance
- Legal/Financial situations
Think before you drink:
Are you drinking to help you have h a good time or do you need to drink to be able to have a good time. If answer to second question is "Yes", then perhaps you should consider trying to cut back on your drinking or stop altogether for a while.
Never leave your drink unattended!
Fiction:
Water, coffee, a shower, all good ways to sober up.
Fact:
The only way to sober up is time. You might feel more alert but an awake drunk is still a drank.
Fiction:
Drinking makes a person friendlier.
Fact:
Although some people may become less shy by drinking alcohol many others become angry.
Fiction:
The only person you hurt is yourself.
Fact:
In actuality you are potentially hurting everyone you love, and someone you might not know. Especially in a fatal accident where you are killed or you have killed an innocent person.
