Alcohol is classified as a depressant because it slows down the central nervous system, causing a decrease in motor coordination, reaction time and intellectual performance. At high doses, the respiratory system (Breathing) slows down drastically and can cause a coma or death.

How Does Alcohol Affect the Body?  When taken in large amounts for a long period of time, alcohol can harm virtually every organ in your body; many of these effects are reversible with abstinence, while others are not.

• Esophagus:  Alcohol is associated with nearly half of the cancers of the esophagus, mouth, and larynx.  People who vomit too intensely after getting drunk can cause tears in their esophagus.  

• Brain:  Alcohol depresses the central nervous system and contracts brain tissue.  And yes, it destroys brain cells -- which unlike many other types of cells in the body, do not regenerate.  Taken in large amounts over a long period of time, alcohol can cause serious problems with cognition and memory.  

• Heart:  Heavy drinking can cause heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and heart failure.  Even social drinkers who binge on special occasions can sometimes get bouts of irregular heartbeats, a condition known as "holiday heart."  

• Lungs:  Heavy drinkers have more pulmonary infections and can be more susceptible to pneumonia and lung collapse.  An intoxicated person loses his reflexes and can't clear his airway when he vomits.  Stomach contents may get sucked into the lungs, which can lead to choking or pneumonia.  

• Liver:  Liver damage often begins with a fatty liver, and may progress to alcoholic hepatitis.  That may be followed by the buildup of scar tissue known as cirrhosis.  Cirrhosis can change the structure of the liver and choke off blood flow.  This can cause varicose veins, which can rupture, triggering catastrophic bleeding.  

• Stomach:  Alcohol irritates the stomach, and can cause gastritis, ulcers and acid reflux.  Gastritis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane that lines the stomach.  Erosion in that lining can cause constant oozing of blood into the stomach or, if a vessel ruptures, major bleeding.  

• Kidneys:  Alcohol is a diuretic that increases urine output.  Prolonged heavy drinking can cause kidney failure. 

Statistics

• Current Drinking-Current drinkers are those who consume alcohol-containing beverages.

• Youth who drink before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21.  (NIAAA, 1997)

• Approximately one fifth (22.9 percent) of persons aged 12 or older participated in binge drinking at least once in the 30 days prior to an alcohol use survey. (SAMHSA, 2004)

• About 10.7 million people age 12 to 20 years reported current use of alcohol in 2001 - 28.8 percent of this age group for whom alcohol is an illicit substance. Of these, nearly 7.2 million or 19.3 percent were binge drinkers and 2.3 million or 6.2 percent were heavy drinkers. (SAMHSA, 2004)

• Drinking reduces the number of hours spent studying per day among college students.  Each additional drink per occasion is associated with fifteen minutes less studying per day

These sobering statistics show how alcohol affects the world of a child:

• Alcohol is the #1 drug of choice among our Nation's youth.

• Research indicates that adolescents who abuse alcohol may remember 10% less of what they have learned than those who don’t drink.

• More than 40% of individuals who begin drinking before age 15 will develop alcohol abuse or alcohol dependency at some point in their lives.

• Almost 20% of 8th-graders and 42% of 10th-graders have been drunk at least once.

• Approximately 19% of 8th-graders and 35% of 10th-graders, report having consumed alcohol during the past month.

• More than 11% of 8th-graders and 22% of 10th-graders report binge drinking (five drinks in a row in the last two weeks).

Binge Drinking

The epidemiological research literature shows a broad range of definitions of binge drinking.

• 4+ drinks per occasion for women / 5+ drinks per occasion for men

• 5+ drinks per occasion on at least one in last 30 days

• Blood alcohol concentration raised to 0.08g/ml or above (US/ NIAAA)
   

• Binge drinking is generally defined as having 5 or more drinks on one occasion, meaning in a row or within a short period of time (CDC, 2003).
   

• In 2001, there were approximately 1.5 billion episodes of binge drinking in the U.S. Binge drinking rates were highest among those aged 18 to 25 years; however, 70% of binge drinking episodes occurred among those aged 26 years and older (CDC, 2003).
   

• Binge drinkers were 14 times more likely to report alcohol-impaired driving than non-binge drinkers (CDC, 2003).
   

• Binge drinking is associated with a number of adverse health effects, including unintentional injuries (e.g., motor vehicle crashes, falls, burns, drownings, and hypothermia); violence (homicide, suicide, child abuse, domestic violence); sudden infant death syndrome; alcohol poisoning; hypertension; myocardial infarction; gastritis; pancreatitis; sexually transmitted diseases; meningitis; and poor control of diabetes (CDC, 2003).

Heavy Drinking

• Heavy drinking is consuming alcohol in excess of 1 drink per day on average for women and greater than 2 drinks per day on average for men (NIAAA, 2004).
   

• In 2002, 5.9% of U.S. adults reported heavy drinking in the past 30 days; the prevalence of heavy drinking was greater for men (7.1%) than for women (4.5%) (CDC, BRFSS, 2002).
   

• Heavy drinking is associated with a number of chronic health conditions, including chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, gastrointestinal cancers, heart disease, stroke, pancreatitis, depression, and a variety of social problems (Naimi, 2003).
   

Alcohol Dependence

A person is defined as being dependent on alcohol if he or she reports three or more of the following symptoms in the past year (DSM-IV, 1994).

• Tolerance (e.g., needing more alcohol to become intoxicated).

• Withdrawal

• Alcohol use for longer periods than intended.

• Desire and/or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control alcohol use.

• Considerable time spent obtaining or using alcohol, or recovering from its effects.

• Important social, work, or recreational activities given up because of use.

• Continued use of alcohol despite knowledge of problems caused by or aggravated by use.
   

In 2002, 3.7% of past-year drinkers were alcohol-dependent (SAMSHA, NSDUH, 2002).

Underage Drinking

• As of 1988, all states prohibit the purchase of alcohol by youth under the age of 21 years. Consequently, underage drinking is defined as consuming alcohol prior to the minimum legal drinking age of 21 years.
   

• In 2003, 44.9% of 9th through 12th graders reported drinking alcohol on one or more of the past 30 days; prevalence of current drinking was higher for females (45.8%) than among males (43.8%) (CDC, YRBS, 2003).
   

• In 2003, 28.3% of 9th through 12th graders reported binge drinking (having five or more drinks of alcohol in a row or within a couple of hours) at least once during the past 30 days. The prevalence of binge drinking was higher for males (29%) than among females (27.5%) (CDC, YRBS, 2003).
   

• Alcohol use is a leading risk factor in the three leading causes of death among youth: unintentional injuries (including motor vehicle crashes and drownings); suicides; and homicides. Other adverse consequences of underage drinking include risky sexual behavior and poor school performance (CDC, YRBS, 2001).
   

• Zero tolerance laws, which make it illegal for youth under age 21 years to drive with any measurable amount of alcohol in their system (i.e., with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) ≥0.02 g/dL), have reduced traffic fatalities among 18 to 20 year olds by 13% and saved an estimated 21,887 lives from 1975 through 2002 (NHTSA, 1997).
   

Alcohol-Impaired Driving

• In 2002, 2.2% of U.S. adults reported alcohol-impaired driving in the past 30 days (CDC, BRFSS, 2003).
   

• In 1993, there were approximately 123 million episodes of alcohol-impaired driving in the United States. (Liu, 1997).
   

• In 2001, there were approximately 1.4 million arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 of every 137 licensed drivers in the United States. (NHTSA, 2003).