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5,000 teenagers are admitted to hospital every year for alcohol-related reasons.
Alcohol is a leading cause of death among young people, particularly teenagers.
Generally speaking, drinking alcohol under the age of 18 is illegal and you can be prosecuted for it. Anyone who buys alcohol for you can also be prosecuted.
As well as being against the law, drinking alcohol can damage your health for a lifetime.
It can also affect your mood and judgement, putting you in dangerous situations where you can become vulnerable.
Dangerous Drinking
Once you’re over 18, drinking alcohol in small amounts is not necessarily a bad thing, but many young people and adults drink far too much in one go. This is what’s known as binge drinking and can have devastating consequences for your health, relationships and social lives.
If you have too much to drink you can easily get into situations you wouldn't normally get into because your judgement is affected.
Large amounts of alcohol can:
• Make your movements clumsy
• Slow your reflexes
• Make you slur your words
• Make you excitable, reckless or sleepy
• Make you become violent or depressed
• Affect your judgement
• Make you ill
• Give you hangovers
• Affect your long term health
Kill you!
......drinking too much can give you alcohol poisoningWhat did you drink last night?
Find out how many units and calories you had using the Drink Calculator.
Getting drunk seems like fun at the time but the next day you might regret it – with a hangover!
Symptoms of hangovers include:
• Moodiness
• Headaches
• Trouble concentrating
• Tiredness
• Having a dry mouth
• Feeling very thirsty
• Feeling sick
• Diarrhoea
• Loss of appetite
Fact: Alcohol is responsible for more deaths every year than every other drug put together!
Be sure to remember:
You can have a glass of beer, wine or cider with a meal at the age of 16 or 17 in a restaurant if you are with someone who is over 18.
You must be 18 before you can buy alcohol legally in shops and pubs.
First aid when dealing with someone under the influence of alcohol
Helping someone who is drunk can be difficult because they could be aggressive or eager to argue or fight, but their condition could be serious or even life threatening.
Signs and symptoms of alcohol intoxication:
• Smell of alcohol• Unsteadiness
• Staggering
• Confusion
• Slurred speech
• Nausea and vomiting
• Flushed face
Treatment
• Monitor their airway breathing
• Assess if they have any other injuries
• Beware of the person you are helping becoming violent
• Snoring sounds could mean their airway is obstructed
• If the person you are helping is unconscious, open their airway, check their breathing, put them in the recovery position and call 999 for an ambulance.
