Teen Health Course 3

Chapter 12: Alcohol

Student Web Activities - Teacher Content

1. Alcohol depresses your central nervous system, lowers your inhibitions, and impairs your judgment.



2. Research shows that 70 percent of people ages 12-20 have not had a drink in the past month.



3. Some signs that a friend might have a drinking problem include:

a. Getting drunk on a regular basis.
b. Lying about how much alcohol he or she is using.
c. Believing that alcohol is necessary to have fun.
d. Having frequent hangovers.
e. Feeling run-down, depressed, or even suicidal.
f. Having "blackouts" or forgetting what he or she did while drinking.
g. Having problems at school or getting into trouble with the law.


4. Teens cannot safely drink even though their parents can because their bodies are still developing and alcohol has a greater impact on their physical and mental well-being.

Below are some additional resources on alcohol prevention and community efforts.

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
   http://www.health.org/govpubs/phd688/
2. Teens Health:
   http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/alcohol/alcohol.html
3. Family Doctor:
   http://familydoctor.org/273.xml
4. Marin County Teen Efforts:
   http://www.marininstitute.org/about_us/coverage_060504.htm

1. Negative reasons for drinking alcoholic beverages are to:

a. Escape from tension or worries.
b. Block out painful feelings such as fear, loneliness, and self-doubt.
c. Attempt to relate better to people.
d. Substitute it for meaningful relationships with people.
e. Find courage or strength to face certain situations.


2. A social drinker has control over when, where, and how much he/she drinks. An alcoholic has lost this ability, and after beginning to drink, usually drinks to intoxication.



3. Denial occurs when a person refuses to believe that alcohol-related symptoms are caused by excessive drinking



4. You can help an alcoholic who does not want help by:

a. Learning as much about alcohol, alcohol abuse, and alcoholism as you can.
b. Talking to the person about how their behavior changes when he/she drinks.
c. Offering hope.
d. Being patient and encouraging.
e. Not ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away.

Below are some additional resources on alcoholism. It would be especially helpful to talk with students about how to cope with parents, relatives, or close friends who have a drinking problem.

1. Alcohol and the Teen Brain: http://www.duke.edu/~amwhite/Adolescence/
2. Ala-non and Ala-Teen: http://www.al-anon.org/
3. Children of Alcoholics Foundation: http://www.coaf.org/family/familymain.htm
4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: http://www.health.org/govpubs/phd688/