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A programme of EU-DAP, European Drug Addiction Prevention
(Teachers’ handbook, pp.44-45)

INFORMATION ON ALCOHOL

What we know from science

• The chemical name of alcohol is ethyl alcohol or ethanol.

• Alcohol dampens the central nervous system. This means that all reactions are slowed down under alcohol without having influence on this.

• Furthermore, alcohol affects the psyche and mind (so-called psychoactive substance), i.e. our emotions, thoughts and perceptions are changed by alcohol.

• Alcohol reaches all organs of the body via the blood. About 90% of the used alcohol reaches the brain.

• 30-60 minutes after consumption, the alcohol level in the blood reaches the highest concentration. The exact level of blood alcohol depends on the amount of consumed alcohol, speed of absorption in bowel and stomach, body weight, gender and individually different speed in degradation of alcohol. The level of blood alcohol is measured in „per mill“. One per mill means that one litre of blood contains one millilitre of pure alcohol.

• Alcohol has an effect in „two stages“: first, a pleasant reaction is directly beginning, quite pronounced and lasting for a short time (this is experienced as relaxation, calming down, disinhibition or comparable). Secondly, a slowly beginning, not very pronounced but long lasting unpleasant reaction is experienced such as nervousness, bad temper, listlessness or hangover. This unpleasant effect can be stopped or substituted by the pleasant effect of new alcohol consumption. That implies the risk of drinking more or more frequently .

• A glass of beer (250ml, 5%,), a breezer (25O ml, 5,6%), a cocktail (70ml, 18%), a „hard“ drink like whiskey (25ml, 45%) and a glass of wine (100ml,12%) contain the same amount of pure alcohol, namely 8-10g.

• The degradation of alcohol takes quite a long time. For the degradation of 0.1 per mill of alcohol, our liver needs about one hour (females need even longer). After an evening with a lot of alcohol one is still alcoholised on the next day.

• Perennial, regular and intense alcohol use can result in severe physical and psychic addiction.

• Moderate alcohol use (i.e. little amounts in any case) is not harmful for the health in the long run.

• Be aware of the legislation in each country: even if drinking two glasses of wine could not be dangerous for your health, it could affect your ability to drive and result in severe penalties.

Possible effects

• Usually, one feels relaxed, cheerful and fine after one or two glasses of alcohol. The heart is beating faster and the breath is fastened, too. In many cases, one experiences himself as more sociable and courageous in the contact to others.

• Drinking more may result in losing control over the situation, misinterpreting risks and taking on too much. It might happen that one is reacting impulsively and is doing things which are regretted afterwards.

• After having drunk even more (alcohol blood level 1.3-3 per mill), one is hardly able to coordinate movements, is staggering and is able to concentrate in limits. Often one perceives everything as double and talks unclearly. Furthermore, many people feel sick.

• From 3 per mill on, undercooling, overheating or deep sleep are resulting, from 4 per mill on, coma and death can occur.

• After having drunk too much (the exact amount is different from person to person), one feels bad and sick on the following day. Usually one suffers from headache and stomach-ache and is not very powerful.

Risks that should be known:

• Most accidents are caused by alcohol: car accidents, accidents in the household, destructive behaviour and also suicides are very often caused by too intense alcohol use.

• Alcohol also disinhibits risky behaviour like e.g. aggressive behaviour or risky sexual behaviour. A special note should be taken on the fact that rapes are often happening under the influence of alcohol.

• Regular alcohol use impairs power, concentration and cognitive capacity. In people with intense alcohol use, destroying of cells in the brain is observed. This damage is the stronger the more alcohol is used per day.

• Regular drinkers develop a „tolerance“ against alcohol. That means that the body needs higher amounts of alcohol to reach the same relaxing effect but, in the meantime, the body is strongly affected by these big amount of alcohol (even if you do not have symptoms).

• Being drunk one might do or say things which are not remembered the following day. It could be somewhat embarrassing to be the only one who does not know what was happening the evening before, couldn’t it?

• Alcohol can cause weight gain: one glass of beer contains 100 kilocalories. Alcopops contain 146 kcal.

• Alcohol damages the heart and liver and influences the blood pressure. People with specific illnesses should therefore renounce the use of alcohol.

• A mixed consumption of alcohol with other substances is very dangerous. Combining alcohol with other downers like sleeping or relaxation drugs increases the risk to lose consciousness, to collapse or the risk of respiratory arrest with possibly lethal outcome.