Alcohol Affects Body

Systems

6th Grade

Short – Term Effects of Using Alcohol

• When used in small amounts, alcohol can have positive effects on the circulatory system. However, drinking too much alcohol can be dangerous or even deadly. Even small amounts of alcohol can harm a young person.

• Things you should know about alcohol.1. Alcohol is a drug.2. It is found in beer, wine, and liquor.

3. Alcohol changes the way a person, feels, acts, and thinks.

4. It changes the way the body works.

• How much a person is affected by alcohol depends on the person’s

blood alcohol level.

• Blood alcohol level (BAL) is a measure of the amount of alcohol in a person’s body. The more alcohol a person drinks, the higher the person’s BAL. The higher the BAL, the more the person is affected by alcohol.

Short – Term Effects of Using Alcohol

• Alcohol affects the parts of the brain that control the following functions:• Speech• Balance• Coordination

• Alcohol also affects the parts of the brain that conrol judgment, attention, and memory. Drinking a lot of alcohol causes people to make bad decisions. They may do thngs they would otherwise never do. They may also forget what they have done.

Short – Term Effects of Using Alcohol

• As alcohol builds up in a person’s body, the person becomes drunk or intoxicated. Being intoxicated means being strongly affected by a drug. • Some people become: loud, angry, or violent when intoxicated. • Some become: sleepy, sad, or silly.• Others may vomit.

Sequence:What are some of the short-

term effects a person experiences as his or her BAL

increases?

Long-Term Effects of Using Alcohol

• People who start drinking alcohol at a young age become addicted more quickly than people who begin as adults. That is why it’s against the law for people under the age of twenty-one to buy alcohol.

• Drinking a lot of alcohol over a long time can cause many health problems. Alcohol can damage:

1.-Nerve cells in the brain and other parts of the nervous system.-This can make it hard for people to remember things or to think clearly.

2.-Damage to the liver, an organ that cleans the blood of certain wastes.

-Liver damage due to alcohol or other drugs is called cirrhosis.

Other Problems Caused by Alcohol

• Health effects are not the only risks connected to alcohol use. Remember that alcohol affects the brain in many ways.

• Intoxicated people may say hurtful things, take foolish risks, and damage property. They may also injure or kill themselves and others.

• Thousands are killed in car crashes each year because of people who think they can drive safely after drinking.

Alcohol Affects Others Too1.-How is a person’s blood alcohol level (BAL)

affected by the number of drinks he or she has had?

2.- Write in your notebook, times and places in which people might be offered alcohol. For each situation, list a reason not to drink.

3.-Define the following words: alcoholism, cirrhosis, BAL, intoxicated