Alcohol
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What are the street names/slang terms for it?
Booze, Sauce
What is it?
A depressant made from fermented grains or fruit. Alcohol is the most commonly used and widely abused psychoactive drug in the country.
What does it look like?
Alcohol is used in liquid form.
How is it used?
Alcohol is drunk. Types include beer, wine, and liquor.
The hype:
"Helps you loosen up" and "Everybody drinks".
The reality:
"I can't remember what happened – I puked all night. I think I did and said a bunch of things that made me look stupid."
What can happen while you're drinking?
When a person drinks alcohol, the alcohol is absorbed by the stomach, enters the bloodstream, and goes to all the tissues. The effects of alcohol are dependent on a variety of factors, including a person's size, weight, age, and sex, as well as the amount of food and alcohol consumed. The disinhibiting effect of alcohol is one of the main reasons it is used in so many social situations. Other effects of moderate alcohol intake include dizziness and talkativeness; the immediate effects of a larger amount of alcohol include slurred speech, disturbed sleep, nausea, and vomiting. Alcohol, even at low doses, significantly impairs the judgment and coordination required to drive a car safely. Low to moderate doses of alcohol can also increase the incidence of a variety of aggressive acts, including domestic violence and child abuse. Hangovers are another possible effect after large amounts of alcohol are consumed; a hangover consists of headache, nausea, thirst, dizziness, and fatigue.
What can happen long term?
Prolonged, heavy use of alcohol can lead to addiction (alcoholism). Sudden cessation of long term, extensive alcohol intake is likely to produce withdrawal symptoms, including severe anxiety, tremors, hallucinations and convulsions. Long-term effects of consuming large quantities of alcohol, especially when combined with poor nutrition, can lead to permanent damage to vital organs such as the brain and liver. In addition, mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol syndrome. These infants may suffer from mental retardation and other irreversible physical abnormalities. In addition, research indicates that children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk than other children of becoming alcoholics.
Source:
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
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