HELP IS EVERYWHERE!

ALCOHOL GUIDE
DUNCAN MA 10 HEALTH 2

CONTACT LIST
To get help or enquiries about alcohol problems, there are services available which provide useful information and advice. Seek support from your family or friends Talk to your PDHPE teachers at school who are knowledgeable with alcohol Obtain professional help by contacting your local doctor or GP The Alcohol and Drug Information Services; a 24/7 hotline available to teens which gives useful information on (02) 9361 8000. Organise sessions with your school counselor for more specific, personal and one-on-one advice The internet is also available for young teens to obtain information by yourself, such as: www.alcohol.gov.au

Drinking Alcohol Safely

This guide is written to inform YOU, young teens, on how to drink alcohol safely, like in the picture above.

REMEMBER:

YOU BOOZE, YOU LOZE

So, what is alcohol?

Alcohol Definitions/Terminology Alcohol: a clear beverage which slows down the activity of the central
nervous system, possibly causing you to feel drunk. Alcohol includes drinks such as: beer, wine, cider and spirits. Standard Drink: any drink that contains 10 grams of alcohol, regardless of size, shape or alcohol type. B.A.C. : Blood alcohol concentration is the amount of alcohol inside your bloodstream at a particular time.
BAC is measured in grams of alcohol per 100mL of blood as a percentage. Many factors can influence your BAC such as: gender, how much alcohol you drank, how long ago you drank it, weight and even your height!

ARTICLE RESPONSE
The article states that the B-double truck driver consumed over 5 times the legal limit, of a BAC of 0.245. The actions that followed include the driver becoming intoxicated from excessive amounts of alcohol. This caused him to become majorly drunk and lose control and coordination while driving, steering him off the Pacific Highway and ramming the huge truck into a nearby house. This behaviour has resulted in the tip of all consequences: DEATH. These consequences make his peers and family feel grief over his death, which affects them in a negative stressful manner due to the loss of a friend. The community is severely affected because the accidental crash also killed a member of the community who was innocent. However, the consequences increase the awareness the community has on the dangers of drink driving. If I were the individual, I wouldve taken safety precautions and measures prior to the incident, to ensure that I wouldnt end up the same way. I couldve consumed a standard drink of alcohol, to prevent myself from becoming drunk and intoxicated. This could be achieved either by drinking significantly less or even none at all! The individual shouldve also ate food with the alcohol to decrease its effects on the body. However, if I were to become intoxicated like the driver in the article, I would have waited until I was feeling sober before I started driving, or I couldve got someone to drive the truck in place of me. If these measures were taken into consideration, this fatal incident wouldve been prevented; saving multiple lives.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
The house where the sleeping boy was killed when a B-double veered off the Pacific highway.

EFFECTS ON THE BODY

Police Blame Drunk Ute Driver for Death Crash

THE B-double crash that killed a sleeping 11year-old boy on the NSW mid-north coast was most likely caused by another vehicle's drunk driver, who had a blood alcohol content almost five times the legal limit. Max McGregor, from Penrith, was killed when a truck crashed into the bedroom of his family's holiday house on the Pacific Highway at Urunga. But police believe the freight truck was swerving to avoid a Holden Commodore ute being driven on the wrong side of the road. The ute's driver, 38-year-old David Levett, was killed in the crash and police have revealed he had a high-range blood alcohol concentration of 0.245 - almost five times the legal limit. Speed is not believed to have played a part in the accident.

The mid-north coast crash investigations unit is continuing inquiries into the circumstances of the smash. Max's parents, brother and two neighbours received minor injuries and were taken to Coffs Harbour Hospital. The truck driver and his male passenger suffered chest injuries and were also taken to the hospital. Last year, 62 fatal crashes on NSW roads involved alcohol, according to the RTA. That figure was down about 15 per cent on the previous three years' averages, when about 73 fatal crashes involved alcohol. The vast majority of fatal accidents on NSW roads do not involve alcohol, with about 40 per cent of fatalities caused by excessive speed. A further 19 per cent of all deaths on the state's roads are caused at least in part by fatigue.

Binge Drinking
What is it? Binge drinking: drinking heavily over a short period of time with the
intention of becoming intoxicated.

ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
Outcomes of Excessive Alcohol
Short-Term Outcomes 1. Reduced concentration 2. Slurred speech 3. Blurred vision 4. Aggressive behaviour 5. Distorted coordination or judgement Long-term Outcomes 1. Damage to the liver, heart and blood 2. Depression and stress 3. Social problems with family and friends 4. Addiction which leads to financial issues 5. Death

Effects of Binge Drinking

Binge impacts an individual, a community and the government. It affects the individual because it is very harmful to ones health and wellbeing. Excessive amounts of alcohol can cause you to become drunk and cause problems or bad relationships within a community. Alcohol also impacts the government through breaking the law through criminal behaviour when drunk.
88% of people under 18 years old had never drunk alcohol, however, 20% of those who have drunk were drinking at least weekly. HAVE YOU EVER HAD ALCOHOL?

The short-term outcomes are a result from being drunk, which all increase the likelihood of an accident occurring. The long term outcomes all lead to death.

How do you consume alcohol safely?

An individual can still consume alcohol at a celebration and still remain in control of their actions through a number of strategic methods. To be safe when you drink, one can also make sure other drugs are not mixed with alcohol and eating food while drinking. Alcohol is fairly low risk if the consumption isnt exceeding the government-set guidelines for your gender, and knowing your bodys limits. An individual can also make sure they dont drive when drunk and take a taxi home instead, to avoid accidents. But most importantly, one has to have self-control and not engage in any harmful, dangerous or reckless activities.