Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. Proverbs, 20:1
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Effects of alcohol
Clock here to read about Blood Alcohol Content
What does alcohol do to your body and brain? Alcohol is a substance that effects the whole body and can effect it in a short time. When alcohol is taken into the body, it travels to every part of the body effecting it in some way.
Bloodstream
What does alcohol do when alcohol enters the blood stream? When alcohol enters the blood, it causes the blood vessels to widen. More blood flows to the skin's surface. However, the drinker's body temperature drops as the increased blood flow to the surface allows body heat to escape. People who drink alcohol in cold weather to get warm actually accomplish the opposite.
Brain
How does alcohol effect the brain? When alcohol reaches the brain, it immediately has a depressant effect. People who drink alcohol may describe the change as relaxing. What they actually experience are physical changes such as loss of sensation and a decrease in sharpness of vision, hearing, and other senses. Alcohol also affects the parts of the brain that control muscle coordination, which is why drinkers may loose their balance or stumble.
If drinking continues, alcohol depresses the part of the brain that controls breathing and heart beat. Breathing rates, pulse rates, and blood pressure, which initially increased, now decrease. A drinker may loose consciousness, slip into a coma, or die from alcohol poisoning
Heavy drinkers and many first-time drinkers may suffer blackouts. Other people recall seeing the drinker walking, talking, and in control. The following day however, the drinker has no memory of some events the day before.
Liver
When alcohol enters the liver, the liver breaks down alcohol into energy and the waste products carbon dioxide and water. The carbon dioxide is released from the body in the lungs. The water passes out of the body as breath vapor, perspiration, or urine. When people drink alcohol faster than the liver can break it down, they become intoxicated.
Kidneys
Alcohol prevents the release of body chemicals that regulates how much urine the kidneys make. The kidneys produce more urine than usual, and the drinker looses more water than usual. The drinker becomes very thirsty. In extreme cases, a drinker may loose water needed for the body to function properly.
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Blood Alcohol Content
The amount of ethanol in a person's blood is expressed by a percentage called the blood alcohol concentration (BAC). BAC measures the number of milligrams of ethanol per 100 milliliters of blood. A BAC of 0.1 percent means that 1/10 of 1 percent of the fluid in the blood is ethanol. A BAC of 0.1 percent reduces a person's muscle coordination, perception, and judgment.
A variety of factors can effect a person's BAC:
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1. Gender
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2. Age, weight, and height
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3. Amount of food in the stomach
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4.Concentration of alcohol in beverages consumed
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5. Volume of alcohol in beverages consumed
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6. Volume of alcohol consumed
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7. Rate of consumption and absorption
Behavioral Effects
In addition to the physical effects of alcohol, certain behavioral, or learned, effects are connected to drinking. A person's mood and reason for drinking can alter the effects of alcohol.
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State-By-State Traffic Fatalities - 2006
| STATE |
2006 Total
Traffic
Deaths
|
2006 Alcohol
Related
Deaths
|
Percent
Alcohol-
Related
|
2006 Fatalities
Involving a
.08+ BAC driver
|
Percent of
2006 Fatalities
Involving a
.08+ BAC driver
|
| Alabama |
1,208
|
475
|
37%
|
384
|
32%
|
| Alaska |
74
|
23
|
31%
|
20
|
27%
|
| Arizona |
1,288
|
585
|
45%
|
409
|
32%
|
| Arkansas |
665
|
254
|
38%
|
197
|
30%
|
| California |
4,236
|
1,779
|
42%
|
1,250
|
30%
|
| Colorado |
535
|
226
|
42%
|
177
|
33%
|
| Connecticut |
301
|
129
|
43%
|
109
|
36%
|
| Delaware |
148
|
57
|
39%
|
43
|
29%
|
| Dist of Columbia |
37
|
18
|
48%
|
12
|
32%
|
| Florida |
3,374
|
1,376
|
41%
|
959
|
28%
|
| Georgia |
1,693
|
604
|
36%
|
464
|
27%
|
| Hawaii |
161
|
84
|
52%
|
63
|
39%
|
| Idaho |
267
|
106
|
40%
|
84
|
31%
|
| Illinois |
1,254
|
594
|
47%
|
444
|
35%
|
| Indiana |
899
|
319
|
36%
|
247
|
27%
|
| Iowa |
439
|
148
|
34%
|
122
|
28%
|
| Kansas |
468
|
170
|
36%
|
135
|
29%
|
| Kentucky |
913
|
272
|
30%
|
222
|
24%
|
| Louisiana |
982
|
475
|
48%
|
364
|
37%
|
| Maine |
188
|
74
|
39%
|
51
|
27%
|
| Maryland |
651
|
268
|
41%
|
193
|
30%
|
| Massachusetts |
430
|
174
|
40%
|
137
|
32%
|
| Michigan |
1,085
|
440
|
41%
|
332
|
31%
|
| Minnesota |
494
|
183
|
37%
|
151
|
31%
|
| Mississippi |
911
|
375
|
41%
|
320
|
35%
|
| Missouri |
1,096
|
500
|
46%
|
380
|
35%
|
| Montana |
263
|
126
|
48%
|
103
|
39%
|
| Nebraska |
269
|
89
|
33%
|
70
|
26%
|
| Nevada |
432
|
186
|
43%
|
142
|
33%
|
| New Hampshire |
127
|
52
|
41%
|
47
|
37%
|
| New Jersey |
772
|
341
|
44%
|
224
|
29%
|
| New Mexico |
484
|
186
|
38%
|
136
|
28%
|
| New York |
1,456
|
558
|
38%
|
397
|
27%
|
| North Carolina |
1,559
|
554
|
36%
|
420
|
27%
|
| North Dakota |
111
|
50
|
45%
|
41
|
37%
|
| Ohio |
1,238
|
488
|
39%
|
377
|
30%
|
| Oklahoma |
765
|
263
|
34%
|
231
|
26%
|
| Oregon |
477
|
196
|
41%
|
148
|
31%
|
| Pennsylvania |
1,525
|
600
|
39%
|
487
|
32%
|
| Rhode Island |
81
|
42
|
51%
|
29
|
37%
|
| South Carolina |
1,037
|
523
|
50%
|
420
|
33%
|
| South Dakota |
191
|
80
|
42%
|
69
|
36%
|
| Tennessee |
1,287
|
509
|
40%
|
408
|
32%
|
| Texas |
3,475
|
1,677
|
48%
|
1,354
|
39%
|
| Utah |
287
|
69
|
24%
|
54
|
19%
|
| Vermont |
87
|
29
|
33%
|
26
|
30%
|
| Virginia |
963
|
379
|
39%
|
300
|
31%
|
| Washington |
630
|
294
|
47%
|
225
|
36%
|
| West Virginia |
410
|
161
|
39%
|
129
|
31%
|
| Wisconsin |
724
|
364
|
50%
|
305
|
42%
|
| Wyoming |
195
|
80
|
41%
|
67
|
34%
|
| National |
42,642
|
17,602
|
41%
|
13,470
|
32%
|
| Puerto Rico |
507
|
215
|
42%
|
144
|
28%
|
*Source - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2007.
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Alcohol Advertising
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About twelve percent of the television advertisements placed by the alcohol industry violated their own standards by exposing the ads to an audience comprised of more than 30% underage people. (CAMY, 2005)
-
African-American youth heard 12 percent more beer advertising and 56 percent more ads for distilled spirits than non-African-American youth on the radio and saw 77 percent more alcohol ads in magazines. (CAMY, 2003)
-
Research shows that not only does increased exposure to alcohol advertising relate to how young a person will begin drinking, but also that underage drinking prevention programming can help counteract this effect. (Ellickson, 2005)
- Studies show that alcohol advertising may predispose young people to drinking. As a result, efforts to prevent drinking among young people should give attention to countering the potential effects of alcohol advertising. (Casswell and Zhang 1998; Grube and Wallack 1994; Wyllie et al. 1998)
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Recent advertising expenditures in the United States for beer, wine, and liquor combined ($1.9 billion) totaled over 10 times the amount spent on milk ads ($137.7 million). (TNS Media Intelligence/CMR, 2004 and Agricultural Marketing Service, 2002)
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Underage youth ages 12 to 20 were 128 times more likely to see an alcohol product ad on television than an alcohol company-sponsored responsibility ad in 2002. They were 400 times more likely to see a product ad than an ad discouraging underage drinking and 188 times more likely to see an alcohol product ad than one against drinking and driving. (CAMY, 2004)
- The availability of alcohol within a community can influence drinking rates and related problems (Toomey and Wagenaar, 2000)
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49 percent of children live in homes with no set rules about TV watching. (Roberts, et al, 1999)
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In 2000, the alcohol industry spent $1.42 billion on advertising through television, radio, print, and outdoor advertisements. (Garfield, Chung, and Rathouz, 2003)
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Young people view approximately 20,000 commercials each year, of which nearly 2,000 are for beer and wine. (Strasburger & Donnerstein, 1999)
- Each year, college students spend approximately $5.5 billion on alcohol- more than they spend on soft drinks, milk, juice, tea, coffee and books combined. (Drug Strategies, 1999)
- More than 40 percent of individuals who start drinking before the age of 13 will develop alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence at some point in their lives. (Grant, B.F et al, 1997)
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Nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards shall inherit the
kingdom of God 1Cor.6:10
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