Alcohol Effects on Mental & Physical Health PDF

How does alcohol affect a person’s mental and physical abilities? Here are the physical effects: brain: a loss of coordination, poor judgement, distorted vision, loss of memory, blackouts heart: blood pressure to rise, increased heart-rate, a-rhythmic heartbeat, increase the size of your heart stom...

How does alcohol affect a person’s mental and physical abilities? Here are the physical effects: brain: a loss of coordination, poor judgement, distorted vision, loss of memory, blackouts heart: blood pressure to rise, increased heart-rate, a-rhythmic heartbeat, increase the size of your heart stomach: weight gain, vomit, stomach ulcers and cancer liver: cirrhosis, hepatitis, liver cancer reproductive system: painful periods, heavy flow, risk of getting sexually assaulted Here are the mental effects: low BAC problems w getting, storing and using information higher BAC level: cerebral cortex, forebrain and cerebellum, changes in personality, depression, coma, death Why is alcohol bad for the liver? the liver breaks down most of the alcohol you drink so that it can be removed from the body, this process creates substances that are more harmful than alcohol. large amounts of these substances can damage liver cells and cause serious liver disease. What does the word intoxicated mean? Someone who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. What does BAC mean? Blood Alcohol Concentration, it is a measurement of blood alcohol intoxication. 0.01-0.1 relaxed feeling, less alert 0.11-0.3 aggression, mood swings 0.31-0.4 unconsciousness 0.41- coma, death 0.1 means that there is 0.1g of alcohol for every 100 ml of blood. Why do people start taking drugs? Pleasure, to become more popular, peer pressure, curiosity or someone may become addicted to them while being treated. Is the use of drugs always dangerous? No, many drugs are ‘’good drugs’’ and help people such as antibiotics, vaccines, medicines that treat infections... Here are the effects of drugs on the body Drugs are chemicals that change the way our bodies work by moving into our bloodstream and being transported to different areas of the body such as the brain. They may dull or sharpe your senses, alter your sense of alertness and decrease physical pain. They change brain chemistry to help produce more endorphins. What are the three categories of drugs? Uppers: They are stimulants, they speed up body processes, they give a quick, temporary increase of energy- alertness and endurance, they decrease appetite, they can produce severe psychological and physical dependence. Ex: nicotine, caffeine, cocaine Downers: They slow down the body processes, depress the CNS (Central Nervous System), make you look like a drunk person, memory loss, brain damage, nerve damage. Ex: alcohol (depresses centers in the brain) tranquilizers (sleep pills), painkillers/narcotics (morphine, heroin), inhalants (paints, glue, nail polish) All arounders: Hallucinogens: they act like both downers and uppers, no reality anymore, psychedelic, they affect perception, emotions and mental processes, ex: LSD and magic mushrooms Cannabis: depressant effect and stimulant, ex: marijuana, hash. The advantages and disadvantages of alcohol on a person on the view of humanity: Selling alcohol creates jobs for farmers, factory workers, advertisers, truck drivers etc. Brings a lot of taxes-income to the state Alcohol abuse costs a lot of money: because of illness, premature death, car crashes (drinking and driving), loss of productivity at work, higher insurance rates, criminal justice system. Drinking and driving is especially a danger to not only the driver but to people around.