THE DANGERS OF ALCOHOL ABUSE:THE FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ALCOHOL

By: Amit Patel and David Moy

BACKGROUND

Alcohol has always been apart of any culture, from the Romans to the current time. The origins are not truly know, but it has been around for thousands of years. It was usually drunk at meals or at parties and always in a social setting. Alcohol problems have also always accompanied the use of alcohol.

Drunkenness is a huge problem in any culture, and because of this, many cultures and religious have outlawed it. Only recently has there been a movement along with research to present the dangers and effects of alcohol to the general public. Still, alcohol will remain apart of the culture today and in the future.

SHATTERED LIVES

“Early on Sunday morning, September 19, 1999, Jacqueline Saburido 20, and four friends were on their way home from abirthday party. Reggie Stephey, an 18-year-old star football player,was on his way home from drinking beer with some buddies. On adark road on the outskirts of Austin, Texas, Reggie’s SUV veeredinto the Oldsmobile carrying Jacqui and the others.

“Two passengers in the car were killed at the scene and two wererescued. Within minutes, the car caught fire. Jacqui was pinned inthe front seat on the passenger side. She was burned over 60% ofher body; no one thought she could survive. But Jacqui lived. Herhands were so badly burned that she no longer can use them.

BEFORE

“She lost her hair, her ears, her nose, her left eyelid and much ofHer vision.  She has had more than 40 operations since the crash andhas many more to go.  In June 2001 Reggie Stephey was convicted oftwo counts of intoxication manslaughter for the deaths of Jacqui’stwo friends. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined$20,000.”

SHATTERED LIVES

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS

Slower reaction times/reflexes

Heavy sweating

Blurry vision

Nausea and vomiting

Lowered reasoning ability

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS (CONT.)

Poor motor coordination

Slower heart rate/breathing rate

Increased blood pressure

Anxiety/restlessness

Lower inhibition

Mental confusion

Memory loss

Coma

Death from respiratory arrest

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS (CONT.)

LONG-TERM EFFECTSNervous system

Muscles

Lungs

Liver

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ALCOHOL

Wine- are made from a variety of fruits, such as grapes.

Beer-  is also made by the process of fermentation.

Vodka-  is one of the world's most popular distilled beverages.

LONG-TERM EFFECTS (CONT.)

Sexual organs

Brain

Heart

Esophagus/stomach

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ALCOHOLWhiskey-  is made by distilling the fermented juice of cerealgrains such as corn, rye or barley

Rum- is a distilled beverage made from fermentedmolasses or sugarcane juice and is aged for at least threeyears.

Brandy- is distilled from fermented fruit juices. Brandy isusually aged in oak casks.

Gin- is a distilled beverage. It is a combination of alcohol,water and various flavors.

Liqueurs- are made by adding sugar and flavoring such as fruits, herbs or flowers to brandy or to a combination of alcohol and water.