Talk to Your Kids About Alcohol

The alcohol commonly consumed for drinking is ethanol. Teenagers often drink at parties or social scenes. This has been a growing problem among the adolescent youth in America. Many do not understand the precautions one should take before consuming alcohol. In this explanation I hope to be able to explain the effects of alcohol and basic safety when at clubs and parties.

Alcohol has psychoactive effects, meaning it effects the brain. It does so in that it is a depressant. It will make you feel more relaxed and outgoing. When you ingest a lot you may feel your inhibitions slowly melting away. You may feel pretty good about yourself when you are drinking and you will be more outgoing so you may make friends easier. But you should be careful. Alcohol slows down your brain activity so you may start making decisions on the whim – often unwise ones, like taking another shot! Alcohol also is absorbed into your bloodstream.

The more alcohol you start drinking the louder and more aggressive you will most likely become. You may start to lose control over your body. You may experience confusion, light headedness, dizziness, and physical dysorientation. If you take a lot you will wake up with a hangover the next morning. At this stage your speech will most likely start to slur and your will feel very woozy. Alcohol is also a diuretic, meaning it will make you want to urinate.

Underage teenagers should not drink because generally they lack maturity so they do not know what they are doing. There are many dangers of alcohol. Basic safety would be accepting drinks only from friends you know well so that you do not become a victim of date rape from a spiked drink. When other drugs are added to alcoholic drinks the drink becomes “spiked.” Spiked drinks are particularly dangerous because when drugs are mixed the drug interaction is hard to predict and you may end up on the floor or seriously ill.

Another thing is for legal drinkers you should get a sitter, and someone to drive you home. For teenagers, finding any trace of alcohol in your system while driving will constitute a DUI because you are underage. When you are drunk you will most likely find yourself getting into accidents and may not recall what happened to you the day before. You will also vommit and probably wobble and collapse. If you get drunk regularly you will end up with liver damage such as liver disease.

You should always remember to take basic safety precautions when out drinking. Stay with friends so you do not get taken advantage of. Be wary of accepting drinks from strangers. Always tell a friend where you are so you don’t get lost or abducted. And last but not least, don’t drink if you are underage! Wait till you are 21.