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Alcohol
Depressant Alcohol is calssified as a depressant. It slows down/impairs brain function, causing your brain to think at a slower rate. It also causes slowed speech, impaired balance, judgment and a tendency to be less inhibited.
Fermentation--All alcohol is made through a process called fermentation. Fermentation occurs when sugars are converted to alcohol using yeast. Cereals(corn,wheat,barley,hops,and oats) are used for beer and grapes for wine.
Where It's Made--Beer is made in a brewery. In a distillery, hard alcohol(also known as spirits)is produced. Wine is made from wine grapes on a vineyard.
ARE YOU LEGAL?--The leal drinking age in the United States is 21. In other countries, the legal drinking age ranges from ONE DAY OLD to 21 years old. The MAJORITY of nations set the drinking age at 18 YEARS OLD.
One drink is equal to 1.5 oz. of 80 proof liquor, 12 oz. of regular beer, or 5 oz. of table wine.
Proof is a measurement of how much alcohol a beverage has. The proof is equivalent to twice the alcohol concentration of any given alcoholic beverage. So for example, if a whiskey is 80 proof, then it is 40 percent alcohol.
DUI and DWI--Alcohol impairs a person's motor skills when operationg automobiles. DUI is an acronym for driving under the influence. DWI is an acronym for driving while intoxicated. They mean the same thing and depend upon your blood alcohol content at the time of driving. Drinking and driving is not safe.
BAC--BAC is short for blood alcohol content. Blood alcohol content is the percentage of alcohol in a person's bloodstream. The BAC is contingent upon each person's bodyweight, age, gender, physical condition and whether or not that person is on any medication.
Binge Drinking--Binge Drinking means consuming multiple drinks in a short period of time. Binge drinking results in a high blood alcohol content level and heightens the effects of alcohol.
Hangover--A hangover is caused by dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic and dehydrates the drinker. This is why two common characteristics of hangovers are dry mouth and headaches.
*Alcoholism, or alcohol addiction, is a progressive disorder and afflicts approximately 8.2 million adults and youth in the U.S. (SAMHSA 2000)
*Alcohol and other drug abuse and addiction are major social problems.
*Alcohol, while legal when used by adults, can be misused, abused and lead to addiction.
*An estimated 8.2 million adults and 3 million youth in this country suffer from alcoholism (alcohol addiction), which is a chronic, relapsing disorder.
*Many more use alcohol dangerously.
*About 45 million people, including 6.8 million under age 21, had "binged" (taken 5 or more drinks) once during the 30 days before the study.
*More than 12 million individuals, including 2.1 million youth, were "heavy drinkers" who had taken 5 or more drinks for 5 or more days.
Alcoholism
*Craving: A strong need, or compulsion, to drink.
*Loss of control: The inability to limit one's drinking on any given occasion.
*Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, occur when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking.
*Tolerance: The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to "get high."
*People who are not alocholic sometimes do not understand why an alcoholic can't just "use a little willpower" to stop drinkng. Alcoholism, however, has little to do with willpower.
*Alcoholics are in the grip of a powerful "craving," or uncontrollable need, for alcohol that overrides their ability to stop drinking. This need can be as strong as the need for food or water.
*Although some people are able to recover from alcoholism without help, the majority of aloholics need assistance. With treatment and support, many individuals are able to stop drinking and rebuild their lives.
*Many people wonder why some individuals can use alcohol without problems but others cannot. One important reason has to do with genetics. Scientists have found that having an alcoholic family member makes it more likely that if you choose to drink you too may develop alcoholism.
*Genes, however, are not the whole story. In fact, scientists now believe that certain factors in a person's alcoholism can increase based on the person's enviroment, including where and how he/she lives; family, friends, and culture; peer pressure; and even how easy it is to get alcohol.
*Almost half of Americans aged 12 or older reported being current drinkers of alcohol in the 2001 survery(48.3%). This translates to an estimated 109 million people. Both the rate of alcohol use and the number of drinkers increased from 2000, when 104 million, or 46.6%, of people aged 12 or older reported drinking in the past 30 days.
*Appx. 1/5(20.5%) of person aged 12 or older participated in binge drinking at least once in the 30 days prior to the survey. Although the number of current drinkers increased between 2000 and 2001, the number of those reporting binge drinking did not change significantly.
*Heavy drinkers was reported by 5.7% of the population aged 12 or older, or 12.9 million people. These 2001 estimates are similar to the 2000 estimates.
*The prevalence of current alcohol use in 2001 increased with increasing age for youths, from 2.6% at age 12 to a peak of 67.5% for persons 21 years old. Unlike prevalence patterns observed for cigarettes and illicit drugs, current alcohol use remained steady among older age groups. For people aged 21 to 25 and those aged 26 to 34, the rates of current alcohol use in 2001 were 64.3 and 59.9%. The prevalence of alcohol use was slightly lower for persons in their 40s. Past month drinking was reported by 45.6% of respondents aged 60 to 64, and 33.0% of persons 65 or older.
*The highest prevalence of both binge and heavy drinking in 2001 was for young adults aged 18 to 25, with the peak reate occuring at age 21.
*The rate of binge drinking was 38.7% for young adults and 48.2% at age 21.
*Heavy alcohol use was reported by 13.6% of persons aged 18 to 25, and by 17.8% of persons aged 21.
*Binge and heavy alcohol use rates decreased faster with increasing age than did rates of past month alcohol use.
*Among youths aged 12 to 17, an estimated 17.3% used alcohol in the monthh prior to the survey interview. This rate was higher than the rate of youth alcohol use reported in 2000(16.4%). Of all youths, 10.6% were binge drinkers, and 2.5% were heavy drinkers. These are roughly the same percentages as those reported in 2000(10.4% and 2.5%, respectively).
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