Alcohol

WHAT IS ALCOHOL?

Alcohol is a liquid produced by fermentation. The term alcohol originally referred to the primary substance ethanol which is the predominant alcohol in alcoholic beverages. It is classed as a depressant drug and is legal for people over 18 to drink.

OTHER NAMES:

Booze, grog, piss, goon, bevvies, froffy, sauce, hooch, moonshine, vino

EFFECTS:

• Relaxation, greater sociability, reduced concentration, confusion, poor muscle control, vomiting, loss of inhibition.
• Drink Spiking
• Drink spiking is when someone deliberately adds more alcohol or another drug to someone’s drink without their knowledge. To reduce the chances of drink spiking:
• Don’t leave your drink unattended and cover it
• Always pour your own drink or watch it being poured
• If it tastes weird, tip it out
• Talk to a trusted friend or bar staff/security if you don’t feel right
• DURATION
• Felt within five minutes; peaks between 30-90 minutes. The liver processes approximately one standard drink per hour.
• OVERDOSE
• Vomiting, seizures, irregular or shallow breathing, blue or pale skin, loss of consciousness.
• An ambulance should be called if any of these symptoms occur.

SOME COMMON HARM REDUCTION STRATEGIES

Encourage a young person to: –

• stick to one type of alcohol when they are drinking.
• not mix alcohol with other drugs, including prescription medication.
• space drinks out with non-alcoholic drinks.
• avoid drinking at all if they are under 15.
• monitor how much they drink – keep bottle tops or ring pulls so they can check how many they have had. Drinkaware have a free track and calculate app to keep drinking in check.
This is only a little bit of information this Harm Reduction Victoria fact sheet has heaps more.

Or there’s an article from ADF in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service providers that has some tips about how to get through the day after using grog or drugs.

Turning point also have this video that explains the effect of alcohol on the teenage brain.