What Does Alcohol Do to You?

By Paula J. Wart

You're not alcoholic. You only drink alcohol moderately - so you have nothing to worry about, right? Even moderate drinking is not risk-free, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

Brain
Alcohol slows down your brain. You don't need to drink much before your concentration and coordination are impaired. Even one beer (12-ounce can) can slow down your reaction time and confuse your thinking. With a blood alcohol level as low as .02, you lose your ability to perform certain driving skills - such as steering your car while at the same time responding to changes in traffic. For a woman weighing 120 pounds, that can happen by drinking less than one beer in an hour. For a 160-pound man, that might mean drinking as few as one to two beers in an hour.

Behavior
If you're like most people, just one drink of alcohol leaves you feeling relaxed and pleasant. You lose your inhibitions - those things that keep you from engaging in certain behaviors. A beer or two might make it easier to talk to someone you're attracted to, to try a new dance, or be the "life of the party." But it also removes the checkpoint that keeps you from doing dangerous things:

Risky behavior:
Lying down in the center of the road
Having unsafe sex, or having it before you're ready



Illegal behavior:
Taking illegal drugs
Vandalism



Violent behavior:
Getting into a fight with an acquaintance
Abusing a loved one
For some people, alcohol is a stimulant. It's use is linked to abuse - either self-abuse or violent behavior directed at someone else. The more heavily you drink, the more likely you are to experience problems at home, work, with friends and loved ones - and even with strangers.

Body
Alcohol goes into your blood stream and affects many organs. You could end up with liver damage, heart disease, pancreatic problems, or cancer because of long-term alcohol use. Some other problems that can occur with even short-term moderate alcohol use include:

Weight gain


Acne


Sleep apnea


Bad breath


Tooth problems


Stomach ulcers


High blood pressure


Fetal alcohol syndrome (If you drink while pregnant, your baby could be born mentally retarded or with other birth defects.)

Alcohol interacts negatively with more than 150 medications, including antihistamines and acetaminophen. Mixing alcohol with over-the-counter or prescription medications can also be dangerous - even fatal.

Sources:

1. Alcohol: What You Don't Know Can Harm You, National Institutes of Health, Publication No. 99-4323, 1999. Available online at: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/ publications/ harm-al.htm. Accessed March 26, 2005.


2. Drinking: Information for Teens. American Academy of Family Physicians, 2001. Available online at: http://www.kidshealth.org/ PageManager.jsp?dn=familydoctor Accessed March 26, 2005.


3. Teenage Drinking leads to Bad Teeth, BBC News, March 17, 2001. Available online at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/ hi/english/health/newsid. Accessed March 26, 2002.

Probably. But you're going to have to drink, and drink a lot, if you want to fit in and be cool. You don't want to be an uncool loser do you? I didn't think so.

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Robots, machines, mechanical beings
Automatic and synthetic, we have the means
To take control of this planet and the human race
With our electronic rhythms and the Armageddon Bass

I would agree that, for the most part, alcohol is fucking evil.

You know if you have consensual sex with a girl on a night out, she can call rape the next day claiming that "she was drunk when she consented"? Then you get locked away.

This creates a big grey area; what is drunk and what is just tipsy? Alcohol has fucked with this law and many others, and people pay the price for it.

As for health, yeah it's not good for you at all, and it's far less good for you than something like cannabis. But I think most of those health effects aren't experienced unless you really go overboard. Some people just drink far more than they need to, and when most people do that they don't even have a good night.

But it definitely makes nights better if you know how to use alcohol properly. For shy people, it makes them more confident and allows them to have fun and be like social people for once. I bet a lot of people met their partners at some party when they may have been under the influence.

Other than that, it's down to the person. Some people are violent drunks, some people are funny drunks, some people are loving drunks.

Just know your limit and know yourself, and you'll be fine.


I love alchol and it's provided some great moments for me.
But if it was banned I could get by without it.

___________________
Strachan :: DJ & Producer :: Official Website

Remember, the NIAAA couldn't exist and continue getting tax-payer dollars if it didn't villify the substances it needs to save you from.

quote:

Originally posted by hardbeats100 What Does Alcohol Do to You? By Paula J. Wart You're not alcoholic. You only drink alcohol moderately - so you have nothing to worry about, right? Even moderate drinking is not risk-free, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

You`re not a risky driver. You stick to the rules - yet sometime you`re speeding a little, but only when the road is free - so you have nothing to worry about, right? Even moderate driving is not risk-free according to me (m).

...


Chill & relax a litte. This article reminds me, that some people only see the world as a place of possible danger...

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i dunno, i do like the odd beer here and there

but it has come to the point of, which is better weed or beer?

and before i knew it, it hit him straight between the eyes. im good for both

___________________


Found Atlantis - Mixography [mix archive/mokumentary/my soul]?
i writed a song.

quote:

Originally posted by hardbeats100 What Does Alcohol Do to You? By Paula J. Wart

Sounds like the same stuff from her husband, Dick Wart.

i hate drinking, but just as long as u do it responsibly, there should be no problem.

let me make myself clear, i hate drinking myself, i dont hate when other people drink, just not my thing. (unless its winecooler which i know is considered "weak" by some)

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i dont mind drink'n i just get a lill crazy when i do and hurt myself too much hah

___________________
Phunktronix Mixes

quote:

Originally posted by hardbeats100 What Does Alcohol Do to You? By Paula J. Wart You're not alcoholic. You only drink alcohol moderately - so you have nothing to worry about, right? Even moderate drinking is not risk-free, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Brain Alcohol slows down your brain. You don't need to drink much before your concentration and coordination are impaired. Even one beer (12-ounce can) can slow down your reaction time and confuse your thinking. With a blood alcohol level as low as .02, you lose your ability to perform certain driving skills - such as steering your car while at the same time responding to changes in traffic. For a woman weighing 120 pounds, that can happen by drinking less than one beer in an hour. For a 160-pound man, that might mean drinking as few as one to two beers in an hour. Behavior If you're like most people, just one drink of alcohol leaves you feeling relaxed and pleasant. You lose your inhibitions - those things that keep you from engaging in certain behaviors. A beer or two might make it easier to talk to someone you're attracted to, to try a new dance, or be the "life of the party." But it also removes the checkpoint that keeps you from doing dangerous things: Risky behavior: Lying down in the center of the road Having unsafe sex, or having it before you're ready Illegal behavior: Taking illegal drugs Vandalism Violent behavior: Getting into a fight with an acquaintance Abusing a loved one For some people, alcohol is a stimulant. It's use is linked to abuse - either self-abuse or violent behavior directed at someone else. The more heavily you drink, the more likely you are to experience problems at home, work, with friends and loved ones - and even with strangers. Body Alcohol goes into your blood stream and affects many organs. You could end up with liver damage, heart disease, pancreatic problems, or cancer because of long-term alcohol use. Some other problems that can occur with even short-term moderate alcohol use include: Weight gain Acne Sleep apnea Bad breath Tooth problems Stomach ulcers High blood pressure Fetal alcohol syndrome (If you drink while pregnant, your baby could be born mentally retarded or with other birth defects.) Alcohol interacts negatively with more than 150 medications, including antihistamines and acetaminophen. Mixing alcohol with over-the-counter or prescription medications can also be dangerous - even fatal.

this is all common knowledge; and i'm still going to $2.75 pints at the Richmond Hotel tonight.

___________________
Wave is to particle as zero is to one as bagpipes are to modem noises.

having sex with a monkey can harm you, but that doesn't mean i'll stop doing it.

quote:

Originally posted by Aristronica having sex with a monkey can harm you, but that doesn't mean i'll stop doing it.

thats how AIDS started n00b.

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