Senior Health - Bauberger

*Alcohol Abuse

*Why learn about it?

*Drinking is a common behavior among many ages and groups

in the country and world.*Why be so concerned about

students drinking?*What is the big picture?

*The basics

• Alcohol is absorbed rapidly into the blood stream from the stomach lining, as quickly as 5-10 minutes and it’s effects last for several hours depending on:– the amount ingested– how quickly it was consumed

• Females absorb alcohol faster than males because their bodies contain less water.  The water dilutes the alcohol, so the same amount of alcohol will produce a higher concentration in the blood. 

• After consuming only 2 to 3 normal strength beers, or 4 or 5 standard glasses of wine, most people will feel:– Less inhibited and more relaxed– Increased emotional reactions– Loss of balance or vision– Nausea/vomiting 

*Alcohol Abuse• According to a U. S. government publication, “Subtle

alcohol-induced adolescent learning impairments could affect academic and occupational achievement.”

– Short-term evaluating memory skills in alcohol-dependent and nondependent teens ages 15 and 16 were looked at. The alcohol-dependent youth had greater difficulty remembering words and simple geometric designs after a 10-minute interval. 

• Early alcohol use has long lasting consequences:– People who begin drinking before age 15 are 4x

more likely to develop alcohol dependence later in their lives compared with those who have their 1st drink after age 20.

*Risky Behaviors• Drinking and Driving– Car crashes are the #1 cause of death among youth ages 15 -

20.  The rate of fatal crashes among drunk drivers 16 - 20 years old is more than 2x the rate for drunk drivers 21 and older.

• Suicide– Alcohol interacts with depression & stress to contribute to

suicide, the 3rd leading cause of death among ages 14 - 25. 37 % of 8th grade females who drank heavily reported attempting suicide, compared with 11% who did not drink.

• Sexual Assault  – Occurs most commonly among women in late adolescence and

early adulthood, usually during a date.  Research shows that alcohol use by the offender and/or the victim increases the chance of assault significantly.

• High-Risk Sex– Research has associated youth alcohol use with high-risk sex

(multiple partners or unprotected sex.)  along with its consequences (unwanted pregnancy and STI’s). The probability of sexual intercourse is increased by drinking amounts of alcohol sufficient to impair judgment.  

*Binge Drinking• Binge drinking is defined as consuming five or

more drinks in a row for boys & four or more in a row for girls

• Binge drinking tends to increase during adolescence, peak in young adulthood (ages 18 to 22), then gradually decrease. Why?

• In a national study, 91 percent of women and 78 percent of the men who were frequent binge drinkers considered themselves to be moderate or light drinkers

*Binge Drinking• Frequent binge drinkers were 8x more likely

than non-binge drinkers to miss a class, fall behind in school, or fail out.

• More than 60% of college men & 50% of college women who are frequent drinkers report that they drink and drive.

• Binge drinking during college may be associated with mental health disorders such as compulsiveness, depression or anxiety, or early deviant behavior.

“Teenager suffers three heart attacks after drinking ten Jägerbombs in two hours”

“A teen’s heart stopped 3 times and she had to be put in a coma after a 2 hour Jägerbomb binge. Jayde Dinsdale drank 10 cocktails of Jägermeister & Red

Bull on a 2-for-1 night. But 8 hours later, the 18-year-old collapsed in the bathroom at home and her life was saved by her father performing CPR. Jayde now has a defibrillator fitted to restart her heart if it fails again. Her mother said: ‘Her pulse was

very faint and she started to go purple. She was dead on the bathroom floor. It’s a miracle that Jayde is still with us.’ Jayde had 2 more cardiac arrests after being taken the hospital, where she spent 3

weeks recovering.”

*Risks of Binge Drinking• Alcohol poisoning (a severe and potentially fatal

physical reaction to an alcohol overdose) is the most serious consequence of binge drinking. – When excessive amounts of alcohol are

consumed, the brain is deprived of oxygen. Trying to deal with an overdose of alcohol & lack of oxygen will eventually cause the brain to shut down voluntary functions that regulate breathing & heart rate.

• Symptoms of alcohol poisoning include:– Vomiting, unconsciousness, cold/pale skin, slow or

irregular breathing (less than 8 breaths a minute /10 or more seconds between breaths).

*Alcohol Abuse on Campuses• Death: 1,700 students die/year from alcohol-related injuries.

• Injury: 599,000 are injured under the influence

• Assault: >696,000 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking. >97,000 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or rape

• Unsafe Sex: 400,000 had unprotected sex and >100,000 report being too drunk to know if they consented***

• Academic Problems: About 25% of students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall

• Health Problems/Suicide: >150,000 develop an alcohol-related health problem, ~2% indicate that they tried to commit suicide while drinking

• Drunk Driving: 2.1 million drove under the influence last year

• Alcohol Abuse and Dependence: 31% met criteria of alcohol abuse

*Binge drinking on college campuses

*http://www.cbsnews.com/news/binge-drinking-turning-deadly/

*Effects of alcohol & caffeine on the brainAlcohol:

Alcohol negatively affects the areas of the brain responsible

for muscle movement and decision making. Alcohol also induces sleepiness and slows

breathing, lessens consciousness, and lowers body temperatures.

Caffeine:Caffeine stimulates the

brain and nervous system and blocks the brains ability to detect

sleepiness. As it continues to stimulate the nervous system, a person is unable to realize the

altered state they may be in and may continue to drink excessively.

Result: THE TWO DO NOT BALANCE EACH OTHER OUT! While caffeine works to keep you awake, your brain may tell you you’re not as drunk

as you actually are. Meanwhile, as you drink more you could be rapidly approaching alcohol poisoning without realizing it. In addition, the

mixture of a stimulant and depressant in your system is putting extreme strain on your heart and cardiovascular system. This

combination can be DEADLY.

*I’m okay, you okay?

*Everyone find a partner*Boundaries: inside of desks (no weaving between desks)*One partner trying to tag other partner, any time tag occurs, tagger says “I’m okay, you okay?” and tagged responds “I’m okay” before counting to five and becoming the tagger*Avoid collisions!

*Strategies

*Checking in with a friend*…*What’s your “reason”?