Transcript Short Term & Long Term Effects of Alcohol

BRAIN
• Alcohol reaches the brain
as soon as it is consumed.
• Slows down the CNS
• Thought processes are
disorganized.
• Memory and concentration
are dulled.
• Decision Making skills are
badly affected.
LIVER
• Oxidizes alcohol at
one-third to one-half
ounces of alcohol per
hour.
• When a person drinks
alcohol faster than the
liver can break it
down, the becomes
intoxicated.
BLOOD
• Blood carries the
alcohol to all parts of
the body.
• Blood vessels dilate
(widen) and allow heat
to escape the body.
This is what may lead
to hypothermia.
HEART
• Increase in heart rate
and blood pressure.
• Causes scar tissue to
build up in muscle
fibers of the heart.
• Increase risk of heart
attack and strokes.
KIDNEYS
• Increase in production
of urine due to
alcohols effect on the
pituitary gland.
• This is the cause of
dehydration, leading
to problems the day
after heavy drinking.
STOMACH
• Increases flow of
gastric juices.
• Alcohol in high
quantities will cause a
larger flow of these
gastric juices irritating
DRIVING
• Reduces the ability to
judge distances,
speeds, and turns; as
well as, one’s own
capabilities and
limitations
• Increase in risk taking
• Slows reflexes
• Aids in forgetfulness
• Reduces ability to
concentrate
BAC LEVELS
.02-.03 % BAC: You are slightly light headed; inhibitions are loosened ( Missouri defines
.02% as legally drunk for those under 21 years of age).
.05%-.06 BAC: You’re warm and relaxed; you’re behavior may become exaggerated.
.08-.09% BAC: You are legally drunk; you may start to slur your speech, your sense of
balance is probably off, and your motor skills are becoming impaired.
.10%-.12% BAC: At this level, you feel euphoric, but you lack coordination and balance; your
motor skills are markedly impaired, as are your judgment and memory.
.14%-.17% BAC: Euphoric feelings may give way to unpleasant feelings; you have difficulty
talking, walking, or even standing; your judgment and perception are severely impaired.
.20% BAC: You feel confused, dazed, or otherwise disoriented ; at this point you may
experience nausea and/or start vomiting; blackouts are likely.
.25% BAC: All mental, physical, and sensory functions are severely impaired; you're at
increased risk of asphyxiation from choking on vomit and of seriously injuring yourself by
falling or other accidents.
.30% BAC: You have little comprehension of where you are; you may suddenly pass out -with an alarming BAC like .30%, your body will decide to pass out for you.
.35% BAC: This blood alcohol level is the level of surgical anesthesia; you may stop
breathing.
.40% BAC: You are probably in a coma. The nerve centers controlling your heartbeat and
respiration are slowing down.
BRAIN
• Long term, excessive
use leads to major
brain damage.
• Moderate drinking
kills off brain cells,
leading to loss of
intellectual abilities,
such as memory loss
and problem solving.
LIVER
• Alcohol interferes with the
livers ability to break down
fats.
• Fatty liver is a condition which
fat build up and hampers the
livers ability to work properly.
• Cirrhosis is a condition where
the liver tissue is destroyed and
then replaced with scar tissue.
• Hepatitis is an infection of the
liver that causes weakness,
jaundice, fever and sometimes
death. It occurs because of the
toxic effects of the drug.
TOLERANCE
• Because alcohol is a
drug, people who use it
regularly may develop a
tolerance, making it
necessary to drink more
and more in order to
produce the same effects.
• When tolerance occurs,
people may drink an
increasing amount of
alcohol without
appearing intoxicated.
WITHDRAWAL
• An individual may
experience symptoms if the
drug is stopped.
• Symptoms may range from
jumpiness, sleeplessness,
sweating and poor appetite to
severe tremors, convulsions,
and hallucinations.
MIXING DRUGS
• Synergistic Effect
occurs when two or
more medicines are
taken simultaneously.
• Multiplier Effect is
when alcohol is taken
with some other form
of drug or medicine.
FAS
• Condition in which the fetus
has been adversely affected
mentally and physically by
its mother’s alcohol use
during pregnancy.
• 5,000 FAS babies are born
yearly.
• FAS is the leading cause of
mental retardation in the US.
FAS PROBLEMS
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Low birth weight
Impaired speech
Cleft palate
General weakness
Slow body growth
Facial abnormalities
Poor coordination
Heart defects
Poor attention span
Hyperactivity