Alcohol 101

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No talk just the facts:

Alcohol is a drug, it is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world.

Alcohol affects your brain, it leads to a loss of coordination, poor judgment, slowed reflexes, distorted vision, memory lapses, blackouts and violent behavior in many.

Alcohol also affects your entire body because it is absorbed in your bloodstream, it goes everywhere and can damage every organ in your body.

Moderate drinking is no more than one drink per day for a woman and no more than 2 drinks per day for a man according to Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Binge drinking is consuming alcohol with the intention of becoming intoxicated. For a typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming 5 or more drinks (male), or 4 or more drinks (female), in about 1-3 hours.

One drink is either a bottle of beer (12 fl oz), a glass of wine (5 fl oz) or one mixed drink containing 1.5 fl oz of 80-proof hard liquor such as gin, whiskey or rum. Each has the equivalent amount of alcohol.

Mixing alcohol with other drugs or medication can be extremely dangerous. Even mixing alcohol with simple over the counter pain and fever reducers can damage your liver. Mixing alcohol with other drugs can also lead to coma and death.

Alcohol also affect your ability to make decisions, it depresses your central nervous system, lowers your inhibitions and impairs your judgment. Drinking can lead to risky behaviors such as driving when you shouldn’t, getting into a car with someone who has been drinking when you shouldn’t or having unprotected sex which can lead to an unwanted pregnancy or getting a sexually transmitted disease like herpes, HIV/AIDS or chlamydia.

The problem with getting drunk is that whenever you are not clear-minded you can't be independent. You end up having to rely on other people to take care of you. You end up relying on them to not let you drive, to not throw up on yourself or to not take advantage of you. If you want to independent and make your own decisions you have to accept the responsibility that comes with it.

You don’t need to get drunk to have a good time. You can still go out and have a good time without drinking.
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