Alcohol is a drug that slows down the brain and nervous system. It is the most widely
            used drug in Australia.

            Drinking a small amount is not harmful for most people, but regular drinking of a lot of
            alcohol can cause health, personal and social problems.

EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL

The effects of alcohol differ from person to person, depending on:

     how much you drink

     how quickly you drink it

     your size and weight

     whether you are male or female

     how good your general health is

     how healthy your liver is

     where you drink

     whether you drink alone

     whether you use alcohol with other drugs

IMMEDIATE EFFECTS

Alcohol slows down the messages sent between the brain and the rest of the body. This can make you:

     relax

     feel good

     do or say things you normally wouldn't

     feel dizzy

     have bad balance

     have trouble controlling how you move (bad coordination)

     react slowly

     have blurred vision (not see clearly)

     slur your words (not speak clearly)

     get angry

     vomit

DRINKING A LOT IN A SMALL AMOUNT OF TIME CAN CAUSE:

     a hangover

     headaches

     nausea

     shakiness

     vomiting

     passing out

     stopping breathing (rare)

Because alcohol affects sight and co-ordination, drinking often causes accidents - especially car crashes
and drowning.

Long-term effects

Drinking a lot of alcohol regularly over time is likely to cause physical, emotional or social problems.

These can include:

     poor diet

     stomach problems

     frequent infections

     skin problems

     liver and brain damage

     damage to reproductive organs

     memory loss/confusion

     heart and blood disorders

     depression

     relationship problems

     work problems

     money or legal troubles

Damage to some body organs can be permanent.

WOMEN AND ALCOHOL

Doctors suggest that women should drink less than men. This is because women's body tissue absorbs
higher concentration of alcohol than men's.

WOMEN OFTEN:

     get drunk more quickly than men;

     recover from drinking more slowly than men;

     go over the legal driving limit more quickly than men.

TOLERANCE AND DEPENDENCE

Anyone can develop a 'tolerance' to alcohol. Tolerance means that you must drink more to feel the same
effects you used to have with lower amounts.

'Dependence' on alcohol means that it takes up much of your thoughts, emotions and activities. Not all
people who drink are dependent.

Dependent people find it very difficult to stop or reduce drinking. This is because of withdrawal.
Withdrawal symptoms include:

     anxiety

     sweating

     shaking

     vomiting

     fits

     hallucinations (seeing or hearing things)

MIXING ALCOHOL WITH OTHER DRUGS

Using alcohol at the same time as any other drug can be dangerous. This includes drinking alcohol while
using medicines from the chemist or doctor. One drug can make the negative effects of the other even
worse. Alcohol can also stop medicines from working properly.

Mixing alcohol with other drugs that slow down the body (e.g. sleeping pills, heroin, marijuana) can:

     make it harder think clearly

     make it harder to properly control how you move

     stop your breathing and cause death.

ALCOHOL AND PREGNANCY

Regular drinking of any alcohol during pregnancy can cause problems for both the mother and the baby.
Drinking a lot can lead to losing the baby before it is born or the baby being born with fetal alcohol
syndrome (slow growth before and after birth, and mental disabilities). Doctors do not think that
pregnant women or women trying to get pregnant should drink alcohol at all.