Errors in Judgment About Movement, Distance, and Time

ALCOHOL FACTS

Alcohol is the world’s most commonly used drug. Shortly after drinking alcohol, the following behavior changes can be seen:

·  Impaired coordination

·  Errors in judgment about movement, distance, and time

·  Impaired learning and memory

·  Sedation

·  Euphoria

·  Anxiety reduction

* All the above behavior changes are a result of alcohol’s effect on the brain.

* In the United States, most adults drink moderately or abstain from alcohol use.

Moderately – moderate drinking levels for adults are no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men.

* Heavy drinking can cause many negative consequences:

·  Abuse

·  Dependence

·  Liver disease

·  Cancer

·  Inflammation of the pancreas

·  Damage to the heart and brain

·  Fetal damage

·  Injuries

·  Violence

·  Poor worker productivity and absenteeism

·  Family problems

·  Poor school performance

·  Anxiety

·  Depression

·  Other mental disorders

Alcoholism – progressive disease that starts with experimentation and progresses to addiction, usually over the course of several years.

·  Approximately 7.4% of the population has an alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence problem

·  More than half of American adults have a close family member who is an alcoholic

·  25% of Americans under 18 years of age are exposed to alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence in their families

* Estimated economic cost of alcohol abuse = $184.6 billion, roughly $683 for every man, woman, and child living in the United States

Of that $184.6 billion:

§  72.8% - Productivity losses – due to illness or lost future earnings due to premature deaths and alcohol related crimes)

§  14.2% - Health Care Expenditures

§  13% - Other Impacts – traffic crashes and legal, property, and administrative costs for crimes

Physical Impact of Alcohol

Girls and women are typically more affected by alcohol than boys and men, even when they are the same size and weight.

One drink = 1 ounce of 100-proof liquor

One 5 ounce glass of wine

One 12 ounce bottle of beer

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) – the relationship between the amount of blood and alcohol in a person’s system

·  Determined by many factors – how much alcohol is consumed over time and how the body absorbs, distributes, and breaks down the alcohol.

·  Quickness of absorbing and breaking down (metabolizing) alcohol depends on: age, gender, whether food was consumed while drinking, and much body composition is fatty tissue

·  BAC below 0.02 can impair a person’s ability to attend to two or more tasks. I.e.: Safe driving

·  BAC = 0.08 is the national standard for impaired driving by adults

2 Drinks: BAC = 0.05

·  Less inhibition

·  Some changes in judgment

·  Loosened restraint

·  Slight impact on reaction time and fine motor skills

·  Dulled senses

4 Drinks: BAC = 0.10

·  Negative impact on ability to concentrate, problem-solve, and reason

·  Exaggerated feelings of anger, fear, and anxiety

·  Impaired ability to retrieve and record finer points of memory

·  Increase in clumsy actions and slurred speech

·  Noticeably slowed reaction time

8 Drinks: BAC = 0.20

·  Significant impact on motor functions

·  Significant impairment of judgment, perception, and ability to retrieve and record memories

·  Blacking out

·  Nausea

12 Drinks: BAC = 0.30

·  Impairment of brain’s ability to manage even basic bodily functions

·  Confusion

·  Stuporous behavior (suspended or loss of senses)

·  Possible alcohol overdose

·  Blacking out

·  Passing out

* All facts and statistics taken from Project Northland Class Action case book 2002