{"id":434003,"date":"2011-06-01T11:06:30","date_gmt":"2011-06-01T11:06:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/06\/01\/beware-alcohol-is-damaging\/"},"modified":"2011-06-01T11:06:30","modified_gmt":"2011-06-01T11:06:30","slug":"beware-alcohol-is-damaging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/06\/01\/beware-alcohol-is-damaging\/","title":{"rendered":"Beware! Alcohol is Damaging!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"New<\/a><\/p>\n

Sade Alcock<\/p>\n

1 June 2011<\/p>\n

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analysis<\/p>\n

Windhoek \u2014 For most teenagers, drinking is a social activity done to ‘fit in’. Once you get to high school and are allowed more freedom by your parents and family to make choices on where to go and with whom, the access to alcohol and the occasion to use alcohol is much easier as well.<\/p>\n

Initially you only experiment. You feel that you have to try ‘it’ at least once to see if you like it. Later it becomes acceptable because everybody is doing it. New circumstances can be confusing and difficult for the youth to understand and deal with. Often their ability to make correct or safe decisions is also at a stage of immaturity. But when you are a young adult, there is just one thing that makes you feel uncomfortable, and that is inexperience. This drives us to seek this experience too quickly.<\/p>\n

There are many negative effects of alcohol on the human body. Long-term risks include liver damage, pancreatitis, certain cancers and shrinkage of the brain.<\/p>\n

Alcohol use is a leading cause of dementia (Dementia is a loss of brain function that occurs with certain diseases. It affects memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior.); and one simple ages quicker on alcohol.<\/p>\n

Adolescence is a transition time when the body is undergoing many significant changes, such as hormonal alterations and brain development. Exposing the brain to alcohol during this period may interrupt key processes of brain development, possibly leading to mild cognitive impairment as well as to a further escalation of drinking. Alcohol is absorbed very rapidly into the blood stream from the stomach lining, in as short a time as five to ten minutes and its effects last for several hours depending on the amount ingested and how quickly it was consumed.<\/p>\n

Females absorb alcohol faster than males because their bodies contains less water.<\/p>\n

The water dilutes the alcohol, and so the same amount of alcohol will produce a higher concentration in the blood. After consuming only two to three normal strength beers, or four or five standard glasses of wine, most people will feel less inhibited and more relaxed. Anything consumed after this, most people start to slur their speech and become less coordinated and clumsy. Some people have increased emotional reactions. More alcohol could result in staggering, double vision and loss of balance, nausea, vomiting and an impression of the room spinning.<\/p>\n

There is a need for early intervention to prevent and treat underage drinking. Early alcohol use may have long lasting consequences. People who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence at some time in their lives compared with those who have their first drink at age 20 or older. It is not proven that starting to drink at an early age actually causes alcoholism.<\/p>\n

Other environmental factors may also be involved, especially in alcoholic families, where children may start drinking earlier because access to alcohol in the home is easier, family acceptance of drinking and lack of parental monitoring. Aside from the fact that underage drinking is illegal, it poses a high risk to both the individual and society.<\/p>\n

There are other consequences to underage drinking that one see so often in the news. Some of these are listed below:<\/p>\n

Drinking and Driving – Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among youth ages 15 to 20. The rate of fatal crashes among alcohol-involved drivers between 16 and 20 years old is more than twice the rate for alcohol-involved drivers 21 and older.<\/p>\n

Suicide – Alcohol use triggers feelings like depression and stress that contribute to suicides. The third leading cause of death among people between the ages of 14 and 25. You are less likely to think logical or think of consequences of your action when under the influence of alcohol.<\/p>\n

Suicides, and specifically suicides by the youth have been more prevalent. Normally suicides are accompanied by drug overdose – over-the-counter medicine and alcohol. There are few reasons for these youths to take their own lives, but dementia can play a huge role, wiping out logical thinking.<\/p>\n

Sexual Assault – Sexual assault, including rape, occurs most commonly among women in late adolescence and early adulthood. Usually within the context of a date, i.e. date-rape. Research suggests that alcohol use by the offender, the victim or both, increase the likelihood of sexual assault by a male acquaintance. Being under the influence of alcohol, you are less likely to see the warning signs. Your reactions and ability to analyse situations and responses from the other person is hampered.<\/p>\n

High-Risk Sex – This includes having multiple partners or unprotected sex. The consequences of high-risk sex also are common with the youth and may result in particularly unwanted pregnancy and contracting sexually transmitted diseases, like HIV and AIDS. The probability of sexual intercourse is increased by drinking amounts of alcohol sufficient to impair judgment, but decreased by drinking heavier amounts that result in feelings of nausea, passing out or mental confusion.<\/p>\n

Binge Drinking – Though most college drinkers would deny it, young people do die solely from drinking. In the UK, in 1995, 318 people aged 15 to 24 years died from alcohol poisoning alone, many of them after a night binge at college. At the University of Virginia, a tradition that has seniors drinking a fifth of hard liquor at the final game of the football season (so-called “Fourth-year Fifth”) has killed 18 students since 1990.<\/p>\n

Binge drinking is normally not mentioned as cause of death in Namibia but one can drink yourself to death. Alcohol dehydrates your body. You need to drink a lot of water to replenish water levels in your body.<\/p>\n

In Australian they have a philosophy; everyone should have one to two alcohol-free days every week. Regular alcohol-free days may help people remain in control of their drinking and reduce the likelihood of it becoming a habit.<\/p>\n

Drinking is a social activity. It is better not to drink at all. When you do drink, not to drink in excess. Do not drink when you are in a bad mood or depressed, alcohol will only enhance your current state of mind. Listen to your body on when to stop. Say NO. It is your life and your body – you have the right to say no and not feel guilty. It is way more fun to watch other drinkers doing funny things while you are sober.<\/p>\n

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