City of Wolverhampton College

Multifaith Chaplaincy and

Student WellbeingPersonal Safety and Wellbeing

Session 3Alcohol Awareness

Alcohol-related deaths in the United Kingdom, 2010In 2010 there were 8,790 alcohol-related deaths in the UK, 126 more than in 2009 (8,664) In 1991 there were 4,144 alcohol related deaths in the UKThere are more alcohol-related deaths in males than in females, with 67 per cent of all alcohol-related deaths in the UK in 2010 being maleAlcohol-related death rates were highest for those aged 55-74 and lowest for those aged under 35 over the last ten yearsUK males aged 55-74 years showed a sharp and statistically signficant increase in alcohol-related death rate from 41.8 per 100,000 in 2009 to 45.2 per 100,000 in 2010Alcohol-related death rates varied between the regions of England and tended to be highest in the North and lowest in the East of England over the last ten yearsWithin England and Wales, alcohol-related death rates are higher in Wales. In 2010 this difference was statistically significant

Stay Safe Stay Healthy AlcoholKnow your limit 3-4 alcohol units a day for a

male and 2-3 units a day for a female .Good at maths? Pint of Stella =5.2x

568/1000=2.95

1.3 pints

3x25ml

1.3 x 175ml

Daily recommended Intake For Woman

1.7 x 175 ml

1.7 pints

4 x 25 ml

Daily recommended intake for men

1.5 units

How many Units ?

1.1 units

28 units10.5 units 9

units

14 units

1.5 units

2.2 units

2.units

ALCOHOL & YOUWhen you drink alcohol it is absorbed intothe body through your stomach and smallintestine. It then travels, via the bloodstream,around the body including all the majororgans. This process takes only a fewminutes. Food will help slow down thisabsorption, so drinking on an emptystomach will affect you sooner.Your body cannot store this alcohol so yourliver has to turn it into the toxic substanceacetaldehyde. This in turn becomes a lessharmful substance, which can leave thebody in your urine, breath and sweat. Ittakes about one hour for your body to breakdown a unit of alcohol, although age, weightand gender all vary this process.

BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION (B.A.C.)

Blood Alcohol Concentration (B.A.C.) is theamount of alcohol present in blood.

The concentration will vary on a number ofdifferent factors, for example, the quantity ofalcohol you have drunk and the time inwhich you drank it.

Height and weight will varythe B.A.C. For example a small person willhave a blood volume less than that of a tallperson.

Identical volumes of alcohol willprobably affect the small person more.

Gender will also have an effect on the B.A.C.Women are generally smaller and haveproportionately less body water and morebody fat. Alcohol (which does not dissolveeasily in fat) will be present in a higherconcentration for women then men.

Being dehydrated means alcohol has agreater effect on you. Drinking alcohol afterexercising or while in a high temperature willresult in you feeling drunk sooner.

If you drink alcohol after eating it will takelonger to absorb through your stomach. Theprocess of alcohol reaching your brain andbody is slowed down.

ALCOHOL & ITS EFFECTSAlcohol is a drug. It affects the body’snervous system, which is responsible forsending messages around the body. Alcoholworks by slowing these messages down, italso has an affect on the part of the brainthat is responsible for self-control.As a result you will notice your reactionsslow down, you will suffer froma lack of co-ordination, slurred speech anddouble vision. Some people can evenexperience stronger emotions – aggressionor sadness for example. Alcohol also impairsyour judgement – you may act out ofcharacter and even become uncontrollable.Such behaviour can obviously be extremelydangerous.

ALCOHOL & ITS AFTER EFFECTSNegative symptoms experienced afterdrinking excessive units of alcohol areknown as a ‘hangover’ and are usuallyexperience the morning after.They include headache, thirst, depressionand nausea. Heightened sensitivity to bothlight and sound are also common. Thesecan be brought on by alcohol dehydratingthe body but can also be related to toxinspresent in some drinks. Clear drinks, forexample vodka, generally contain fewertoxins than opaque drinks such as red wine.If you ever experience a hangover thefollowing can, in most cases, help.Drink plenty of water to rehydrated the bodyPainkillers will help lessen the headacheALCOHOL & ITS AFTER EFFECTSAntacid can calm you stomachCaffeine will help perk you upEating will help replace lost sugarsNever try to do “hair of the dog” this,contrary to what some people believe, willonly prolong the suffering. Try to avoiddrinking again for 48 hours.

ALCOHOL & YOUR LOOKSDrinking alcohol regularly will physicallychange the way you look.It can result in weight gain, as alcohol is highin calories. One pint of beer or two glassesof wine is equivalent to a bar of chocolate!Dry skin, due to alcohol dehydrating thebody.The veins in the body can break, as bloodvessels just under the surface of the skindilate. Often around the nose and cheeks,resulting in ugly red blotches.Red eyes from inflamed and enlarged bloodvessels.A bad smell due to alcohol being excreted inyour urine, breath and sweat.Even accidental bruises, cuts and brokenbones leading to scars from loss ofcoordination.

ALCOHOL & ITS LONG-TERM EFFECTSAlcohol, when drunk heavily on a regularbasis, will cause health problems.

Such as:

Alcohol dependence, known as alcoholism

Cirrhosis of the liver

Cancer, especially liver cancer and breast

cancer among women

Heart Disease and strokes

Pancreatitis

Impotence

Stomach ulcers

Brain damage and dementia

Depression

Fatal alcohol poisoning

Even small amounts of alcohol can damageyour health. Drinking while on medication,driving, or doing any other activity, whichrequires judgement and coordination, caneasily result in accidental injury or death toeither you or others.

SAFETYPlanning ahead is crucial for having a safenight out. You should decide how you andyour friends will get home before settingout.If you are taking a car decide who will bethe designated driver. This person mustnot drink alcohol for that evening. But canenjoy many delicious non-alcoholic drinkssuch as our ‘Mocktails.’Reliable, licensed taxi firms are anotheralternative so make sure you have sparemoney set aside. If you are relying onpublic transport make sure you know allthe details before you start drinking.Finally if you have to walk home try toavoid doing so alone and keep to a well-lit,safe route.

FIRST AID

if somebody loses consciousness due to drinking too much alcohol:

Firstly do not panic.

Next make sure they are still breathing and that their airways are clear.

You can hear a person breathing by listening closely to theirnose and mouth, and see them breathingby movement of their chest. Lay theindividual on their side in the recoveryposition and call for an ambulance.

Try to keep them warm, either with a coat or blanket and stay with the individual until help arrives. However if they stopbreathing someone (ideally trained in firstaid) will have to perform mouth-to-mouthResuscitation.

When somebody vomits due to drinkingtoo much alcohol it is advised to keepthem sitting up, however if they do laydown keep them in the recovery positionand if they start choking you must get helpimmediately.

Symptoms of alcohol poisoning includeirregular, slow breathing and perhapsperiods of no breathing.

They are unconscious and cannot be woken up.Also if their skin becomes cold andclammy to the touch, while pale and bluishin colour. You must immediately call for anambulance as alcohol poisoning can leadto a coma and can even result in death.

ALCOHOL & ITS POSITIVE EFFECTSDrinking alcohol is considered by many to berelaxing. It is often associated withsocialising and partying. For responsibleadults’ in good health, drinking a sensibleamount is unlikely to cause you any harm.There is evidence to support that smallamounts of alcohol (1 or 2 units per day) canhelp to lower cholesterol and lower thechance of coronary heart disease in menover 40 and post-menopausal women.

‘YOUR ROUND!’OBJECTIVETo illustrate the effects alcohol has on;ConcentrationMemoryCo-ordinationBalanceSpatial awarenessVisionMental arithmetic

REQUIREMENTSVIS GogglesSmall TrayBottles (plastic, water-filled)Plastic drinking cups.Chairs and tablesSome lose change.4-6 Volunteers.

‘YOUR ROUND!’SETTING UPArrange the chairs and tablesinto a scattered bar-like scene with a tableat the front to act as the bar.

Have water-filled bottles and cups, tray andmoney on front table. Participants are notallowed to negotiate around the ‘set’, theymust choose a path through.Select 4-6 volunteers from the group (theremainder can act as ‘extras’). Give the VISGoggles to one member of the group (allthree pairs if available). Ask them not to putthem on yet.

Give the lose change to adifferent group member. Sit the team at thetable furthest from the Bar. For the purposeof this exercise the trainer or anothervolunteer can play the part of the Barman.cont...

INSTRUCTIONSThe first member of the group (one without VISGoggles) takes a drinks order from the rest ofthe group and makes their way to the bar,orders the round (including one for him/herself.)With the lose change he/she pays the barmanthe set amount in exact change (no changegiven). He/she is then handed the tray of drinksand makes his/her way back to his/her friends.The ‘drunk’ member then puts on the V.I.S.goggles and leaves them on for the remainderof the activity, giving time for him/her to becomeaccustomed to wearing them.This is then repeated by the other two ‘sober’members until it is the ’drunk’ member’s turn toget a round of drinks in. Watch as the ‘drunk’member bumps into chairs and tables on theirway, forgets the drink order, struggles tocalculate the exact payment and slops thedrinks on their way back to the table.

HINTS & TIPSEncourage everyone to order complicateddrinks like cocktails or a particular brand ofspirit etc, ensure they are particular aboutdiet mixers and ice & lemon etc.Do not allow the person ordering drinks toshout back to their friends to remind them.For the purpose of this activity you shouldassume that it is a busy, noisy bar and thegroup are out of earshot from the personplacing the order.Do not allow the impaired person to haveanother go unimpaired. The other teammembers have already acted as the controlin this experiment. It also reinforces thepoint that you can’t turn off being drunk.

HEALTH & SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Please take care when wearing the goggles and if you feel unwell at any time or feel that you are about to fall over please remove the goggles