alcohol
SAFE DRINKING
Alcohol is a depressant drug that slows down the brain and the nervous system and changes the way you think and feel.
It achieves this by being absorbed from the stomach into the bloodstream and circulated throughout the body (including the brain) prior to being metabolised by the liver.
Alcoholic drinks vary in colour and flavour depending upon the ingredients used to make them (pure alcohol has no colour or taste) eg malt and hops for beer, malt for whisky, grapes for wine and champagne, apples for cider and exotic tree barks and essences for mixes.
Here are some Western Australian examples of common drinks with their standard drink equivalences.
Is Alcohol Safe?
Alcohol is often seen as a safe drug because it is legal, socially accepted and widely-used.
However, excessive alcohol consumption causes many problems in the community such as assaults, and family problems.
What is a safe drinking levels for everybody?
Women
for a healthy average sized adult - maximum 2 standard drinks a day. (Women should avoid alcohol during pregnancy)
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It is difficult to establish a low-risk drinking level for young bodies, some have suggested that NO alcohol is probably the only safe level.
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Men
for a healthy average sized adult - maximum 4 standard drinks a day
Age, weight and sex are just some of the many factors that affect your body's reaction to alcohol.
MIXING ALCOHOL WITH DRUGS
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Mixing alcohol with other drugs is dangerous.
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Depending on body size, state of mind, environment, drugs taken and amount taken, a lethal concoction can result.
Predicting exactly what will happen with this lethal concoction is impossible, and alcohol can increase the amounts of other drugs in the blood stream by competing with them for metabolism by the liver.
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Avoid unpredictable interactions between drugs and alcohol - don't mix them!!
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Think of your liver as a exit/door from the bloodstream.
Only a certain amount of drug can pass through the door at one time ie can be broken down (metabolised) by your liver.
If one of the drugs pushes their way through first (a preferential metabolite)
or another drug passes through slowly,
the metabolism of all other drugs is slowed and the effects compounded because they have to wait to exit the bloodstream.
While they are waiting around they quite often build up to an unsafe level and that can make you really sick, or even kill you.
Reducing the risks
You can reduce the risks by slowing down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream
have a meal prior to (food slows the absorption of alcohol). Have snacks whilst drinking.
reducing the amount of alcohol consumed drink a fruit juice, soft drink or water between alcohol drinks enjoy the taste of your drinks by sipping not skulling say NO when you have had enough to drink
not flooding your body with alcohol keep track of how much you drink plan your drinking - sip slowly
don't drink and drive plan for the night - appoint a skipper, share a taxi or sleep over.
ALCOHOL AND THE LAW
Alcohol service in licensed premises: It is an offence in Western Australia to sell alcohol to a drunken person.
A person who purchases alcohol on behalf of a drunken person also commits an offence.
Drinking age: It is an offence in Western Australia for any person under the age of 18 to purchase alcohol in licensed premises.
Driving: It is an offence in Western Australia to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in excess of 0.05%.
This is about two standard drinks in an hour.
If you are a 'P' plate driver, you must not drive with a BAC in excess of 0.02%.
(In practice, this means it is safest for you to not drink at all if driving.)
Drinking in public: It is an offence in Western Australia for any person to drink in a public place: street, park, beach, etc.
PROBLEM DRINKING
Is your alcohol habit problematic? Are you an alcoholic?
One way of evaluating whether you may have an alcohol problem is by comparing your usual drinking practices with those listed below.
Review the following statements, or print them out and circle the response which most applies to you.
- I have more than 12 drinks per week (men) or 9 drinks per week (women). Yes/No
- I have more than 4 drinks (men) or 3 drinks (women) on any day. Yes/No
- I sometimes drink and drive. Yes/No
- I have more than one drink per hour. Yes/No
- I drink every day. Yes/No
- I drink to get drunk (become intoxicated). Yes/No
- I drink before or during work or school. Yes/No
- I drink when I am taking medication. Yes/No
- I drink before or during physical or sports activities. Yes/No
- I drink to help deal with depression, loneliness or stress. Yes/No
- Most of my leisure time involves drinking. Yes/No
- I have drunk alcohol to the point of 'blackout'. Yes/No
- I often need to drink more than others to achieve an effect from alcohol. Yes/No
- I sometimes need a drink first thing in the morning to calm my nerves or get rid of a hangover. Yes/No
What do these answers mean?
If you answered true to even one statement, you should consider cutting back on your alcohol consumption.
The more questions you answered true to, the higher your risk of developing serious problems.
It is pretty safe to say that you are unlikely to develop alcohol problems if you answered false to all the statements.
Remember, as they say- prevention is better than cure! If you have a problem or think you may be developing a problem with drinking, help is available.
Talking to your GP is a great place to start.
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