ALL about alcohol and safe drinking

1. ALL about alcohol and safe drinking

2. What is Alcohol? Alcohol is a drug that you can drink. The drug makes your body and mind work in a different way. You may feel like a different person. Other names for drinks with alcohol are booze ( bo-oz ) or liquor ( lick-ere) (be-er) , (wi-ne) cock-tails ( cock-tail-s ).

3. What can alcohol do to my mind ? • Alcohol may first give you a good feeling, but if you drink too much you can • feel sick • may feel angry or in a bad mood. • You can feel dizzy • You have less control over what your are saying or doing. • You may not make a good choice

4. When is it ok to use alcohol ? • The law says you have to be 18 years old to buy or drink alcohol • Many people have a social drink at a party. • With a social drink you don’t get drunk • You need to know how much you can drink and be safe

5. When is it NOT ok to drink alcohol • When you have an illness ( ill-ness ) such as diabetes ( dia-bet-es) heart problems, or epilepsy( epil-lep-sy) Alcohol may make your illness worse. • Ask your Doctor if you can use alcohol • When you take prescribed medication or medicine that you take for a headache or a cold. • To use alcohol when you take meds can put you in danger Talk to your doctor ,to see if you can drink alcohol with your medication. • You can’t drink more than two standard drinks in an hour and then drive a car.

6. What happens when a person gets drunk! • Too much alcohol will make you drunk • When you have too much to drink • It can be hard to walk, talk or think in a normal way. • You may feel sick • Why do people drink too much? • To drink alcohol can become a part of your life (its called habit [hab- it ] .) • Some people meet with friends at a bar and then drink too much. • Other people may feel sad and drink alcohol to feel better.

7. When does alcohol become a problem? • Some people have problems with drinking alcohol . • They get drunk and don’t keep safe. They become an alcoholic [ al- col – hol-ik]. • An alcoholic is a person who has a problem and can’t help but drink to much. • Some alcoholic’s drink everyday. • Others drink once in a while but drink too much.

8. What can happen if a person has a problem with alcohol? • Alcohol can hurt parts of your body like your liver or heart • Your family and friends may become concerned about you. • If you think alcohol is becoming a problem for you or someone you know, you can seek help from carers, family , friends or professionals such as your doctor.

9. Making a good decision about drinking alcohol! • Ask your Doctor about what's a safe amount of alcohol for you to drink. • Your support staff can help you to following Doctors instructions on drinking alcohol so you are safe.

10. Do you use alcohol for the wrong reasons? • What can you do ? • Find out why you think you are drinking alcohol. • Do you drink to be cool ? Its ok to say no thanks I don’t need a drink! • Do you drink when you meet your friends? You can meet at the movies or café instead! • Do you drink because you feel sad or alone? • You could always call or meet a friends to chat!