Awareness Month
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You see commercials for it on TV. There are sites about it on the Internet. You may see glamorous people using it in movies as well as regular people using it in the world around you. I'm talking about alcohol. Each year, young people like you see thousands of beer and wine ads on television and run across Web sites that market alcohol to youth. You see liquor on store shelves. You may even know some older people who drink. Eventually, it may become difficult to remember that alcohol is a drug, and for those under 21, an illegal drug. Yet there are many kids who have their first alcoholic drink as young as 10 or 11. Movies often show glamorous, sexy people sipping drinks, but they rarely show the "dark side" of drinking alcohol. Basically, alcohol slows your brain down, which is bad news because your brain is responsible for coordination, balance, memory, reflexes, and vision, among others. All of these functions are impaired by drinking-meaning that you can forget things, trip and fall, or lose consciousness while drunk. Alcohol can cause you to act in ways you wouldn't normally-this could include putting yourself in danger, getting into fights, pulling pranks or committing crimes, or just doing embarrassing things. Drinking too much can make you throw up or pass out and give you a pounding headache and nausea the next day (a "hangover"). And if you drink too much, you can even go into a coma or die of an alcohol overdose. Alcohol is especially harmful to kids' bodies, which are still growing and developing. Alcohol can stunt your growth, making you smaller than other kids your age. It also messes up your immune system (which helps protect you from diseases). And alcohol affects your heart, brain, liver, and many other organs in your body; it has been linked to life-threatening problems like heart disease and cancer. Kids sometimes feel pressured to drink because they want to be popular with others, seem older, or act cool. But puking your guts out or passing out on the floor isn't cool, nor is becoming addicted to alcohol or dying from an overdose. If you're concerned someone you know may be an alcoholic (addicted to alcohol), look for these warning signs. The person may:
If you suspect a loved one may have a problem with alcohol, get help. Talk to a parent, teacher, counselor, or other trusted adult. If you feel your parent drinks too much, seek help from another adult you trust-don't try to handle the situation yourself. For more information: |
