Alcohol

Alcohol is a drug found in all alcoholic drinks like beer, wine and spirits such as vodka and whiskey. Alcohol slows down various sections of the brain and the central nervous system.

This affects your ability to control your behavior and your bodily functions, like thinking, talking, walking and even breathing. Alcohol is also described as a psychoactive drug. This means a drug that affects the mind or mental processes.

While some drinks have more alcohol than others, the type of alcohol in all alcoholic drinks is the same – it’s a type of alcohol called Ethanol. Alcohol is a colourless, odourless and inflammable fluid.

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The brain is still developing throughout your teenage years & alcohol is linked to toxic damage in the brain.

Alcohol is a neurotoxin & a neurotoxin is a substance that is poisonous or damaging to the brain or nervous system. Alcohol during adolescent years may result in permanent brain changes or damage, which can affect a young person’s ability to learn & make mature decisions.

Because of all the changes that are happening in your brain during adolescence, the use of alcohol among young people is linked with increased risk for harmful or dependent alcohol use in later life.

Alcohol & The Teenage Brain

Alcohol can disrupt important development in the brain

Teenage drinking can result in significant changes in certain parts of the brain & the regions most affected are responsible for learning, memory & decision making.

The earlier a young person starts drinking, the greater their risk of becoming dependent on alcohol.

A person is 4x more likely to become dependent on alcohol if they start drinking before the age of 15 as opposed to those who wait until the legal drinking age.

How It Can Affect You

Alcohol use can harm young persons mental health. Rates of depression and anxiety in young people are significantly higher when they are drinking to harmful or dependent levels. Drinking alcohol can cause young people to make poor decisions or lead them into harmful situations including:

  • Getting in trouble with the law
  • Using other drugs
  • STI’s or unplanned pregnancies
  • Accidents or injuries
  • Victim of Assaults or other crimes
  • Unwanted sexual activity

Side Effects of
Alcohol

There is no safe level of drug use. Use of any drug always carries risk.

The effects of using Alcohol with other drugs including over-the-counter or prescribed medications can be unpredictable and dangerous.

Alcohol affects everyone differently, based on:

  • The amount taken
  • A person’s size, weight and health
  • Whether the person is used to taking it
  • Whether other drugs are taken around the same time

Some side effects of drinking alcohol include:

  • Slurred speech
  • Vision impairment
  • Lack of coordination
  • Extreme shifts in mood
  • Memory lapses
  • Slowed breathing
  • Nausea/Vomiting
  • Alcohol Poisoning

The long-term side effects associated with heavy drinking are:

  • Cardiovascular diseases
  • Liver disease
  • Respiratory infections
  • Cancer
  • Nerve Damage
  • Ulcers

ALCOHOL + COCAINE

There is a widespread myth that cocaine and alcohol cancel each other out, but that is far from the truth. Alcohol and cocaine combine in the body to form a third substance, Cocaethylene. Cocaethylene causes the highest level of cardiovascular activity of any drug, which puts extreme pressure and stress on the heart and often leads to cardiac arrest and death.

ALCOHOL + ANTIHISTAMINES

Alcohol can reduce the effectiveness of antihistamines if the body chooses to metabolize the alcohol before the antihistamine. Alcohol may cause more severe side effects when mixed with certain antihistamines.

ALCOHOL + ANTIBIOTICS

There are many different types of antibiotics, each of which will interact with alcohol differently. It is very important to consult with a physician and carefully read all labels. The biggest risk to mixing alcohol and antibiotics is liver damage, as both are metabolized in the liver. Other common reactions including nausea, dizziness, vomiting, tiredness, increased heart rate, and shortness of breath. Additionally, many antibiotics will not work effectively in the body if you consume alcohol while taking them.

ALCOHOL + ENERGY DRINKS/CAFFEINE

These drinks trick your body into thinking it is less tired and intoxicated than it truly is, leading to greater, and potentially dangerous, levels of alcohol consumption. These drinks also dehydrate the body, increasing the risk of alcohol poisoning and the severity of hangovers. Those who drink alcohol with caffeine are more than twice as likely to be injured, require medical attention, or accept a ride from an intoxicated driver than those who drank alcohol without caffeine.

ALCOHOL + ADDERALL

It is highly dangerous and risky to consume Alcohol while taking Adderall.

People mix alcohol with Adderall to lessen the depressive symptoms of alcohol due to a common myth that people can combine stimulants with depressants because they “cancel each other out”. This misconception is based on a misunderstanding of how Alcohol and Adderall affect the mental and physical systems of the body when used simultaneously. In fact, the combined actions of these two drugs can increase the negative effects that both drugs have on the body causing severe health risks. It is true that the sensation of the sedative effects of alcohol can be significantly diminished by taking Adderall while drinking, however this can cause an individual to consume larger amounts of alcohol than the body can manage resulting in an overdose or other complications.

Alcohol and Adderall have negative effects when combined on the heart, including:
  • Accelerated heart rate
  • Arrhythmia
  • Increased blood pressure
  • Risk of heart attack, stroke, or other heart disease

Mixing Alcohol with other substances

Mixing your drinkings will not make you more drunk
but it will increase the likelihood of vomiting.