3.1: ALCOHOL’S EFFECT ON ONE’S HEALTH AND ONE’S FUTURE
As a driver you will be responsible for your safety as well as that of your passengers and other roadway users.
Peer Pressure is the influence of friends who are in your age group who can influence the way you dress, your taste in music, the food you eat, the way you talk and even walk. Peer Pressure can even influence you to experiment with drugs and alcohol dashing your dreams, hopes, and ambitions.
What are the Effects of Alcohol?
Alcohol is a very powerful drug that changes the way people think, act, and feel. Alcohol is a very dangerous, powerful drug causing one to become psychologically and physically dependent on it. Alcohol addiction can take complete control of a person’s life changing their life forever causing endless addiction.
What Are a Person’s Responsibilities Regarding Drinking?
Surprising to many there are no such things as responsible drinking. A person has a responsibility to protect themselves from the hazards that drinking poses to their health and well- being and to the threat of those who drink and drive. If you are with someone who has been drinking, don’t let them drive by taking the car keys, driving yourself, or arranging a ride for them. There are support groups available in the community to help problem drinkers such as AA or Alcoholics Anonymous.
What Are the Symptoms of a Problem Drinker?
One must be able to recognize the signs of problem drinking. Look for changes in a person’s behavior such as loss of initiative, absences from school, loss of friends, and trouble with the law. A person with a drinking problem often drinks alone, becomes secretive, has trouble sleeping, drinks more than planned, and suffers from memory loss or blackouts. Alcohol abuse can result in liver failure, heart disease, inflammation of the pancreas, cancer, brain damage, convulsions, and malnutrition.
Alcoholism is a serious disease. Nothing good comes from drinking alcohol; its consequences are devastating and include loss of self-esteem, friends, family, and even the loss of one’s life. The best defense against Alcoholism is to just say “No” when you are offered the first drink.