ALCOHOL MYTHS (adapted from MADD)

Myth:
Alcohol gives you energy.

Nope. It's a depressant. It slows down your ability to think, speak, and move and all that other stuff you like to do.

Myth:
Switching between beer, wine and liquor will make you more drunk than sticking to one type of alcohol.

Whatever! Your blood alcohol content (BAC - the percent of alcohol in your blood) is what determines how drunk you are. Not the flavors you selected. Alcohol is alcohol.

Myth:
You'll get drunk a lot quicker with hard liquor than with a beer or wine cooler.

Did we mention that alcohol is alcohol?

Myth:
Everybody reacts the same to alcohol.

Not hardly. There are dozens of factors that affect reactions to alcohol - body weight, time of day, how you feel mentally, body chemistry, your expectations, and the list goes on and on.

Myth:
A cold shower or a cup of coffee will sober someone up.

Not on your life. Nothing sobers you up but time. With coffee, you're simply a wide-awake drunk!

Myth:
It's just beer. It can't permanently damage you.

Large amounts of alcohol can do major damage to your digestive system. You can hurt your heart, liver, stomach, and several other critical organs as well as losing years from your life.

Myth:
It's none of my business if a friend is drinking too much.

If you are a real friend, it is your business. You can't make someone change but you can be honest. Maybe they'll listen. You might even talk them into getting help.

Myth:
The worst thing that can happen is a raging hangover.

Sorry. If you drink enough alcohol, fast enough, you can get an amount in your body that can kill you in only a few hours.

What is a hangover?
Hangovers are the body's reaction to poisoning and withdrawal from alcohol. Hangovers begin 8 to 12 hours after the last drink and symptoms include fatigue, depression, headache, thirst, nausea, and vomiting. The severity of symptoms varies according to the individual and the amount of alcohol consumed.

Myth:
Drugs are a bigger problem than alcohol.

Alcohol kills 6 ½ times the number of people killed by cocaine, heroin, and every other illegal drug combined. Ten million Americans are addicted to alcohol. Alcohol is the No. 1 drug problem of today's youth.

Myth:
Alcohol makes you more sexy.

The more you drink, the less you think. Alcohol may loosen you up and make someone more interested in sex, but it interferes with the body's ability to perform. And then there's pregnancy, AIDS, sexual assault, car crashes and worse, to worry about. Not sexy at all.

Myth:
People who drink too much only hurt themselves.

Every person who drinks has a mother, grandfather, sister, aunt, best friend, boyfriend or girlfriend who worries about them. Each of the 12 million problem drinkers in this country affects four other people.