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What is Alcohol? Alcohol
I drink... what happens?
A strange question indeed for many people. It's pretty obvious what alcohol does, right? It makes you get all funky, all life-and-soul of the party, down right groovy, baby.
Oh yes, and it makes you dribble. And say and do things you wish you hadn't the following morning, if only you could remember what they were. Hmmm. Alcohol is a depressant drug - it slows down the action of the central nervous system. For lots of people, that leads to experiences including a loss of inhibition, relaxation, talkativeness and sociability.
A bar-full of noisy, chatty, confident and ever-so-slightly (or just blatant and outrageously) flirty people. Hello sailor! Higher doses can lead to loss of control (slurred speech, blurred vision and wobbly legs) and even loss of consciousness. Generally a less appealing edge for most of us.
Alcohol's dis-inhibiting effect doesn't always unleash the party animal and cue an evening of fun and frivolity. Alcohol is a key to unlocking whatever emotional content you keep under wraps. If, underneath that cool, calm, relaxed and generally civilised exterior you are actually seriously pissed at the world, if only you could express it in some way, then alcohol will help you to find the way. It's unfortunate that being a fundamentally selfish hunter-gatherer with a pack instinct and vision that's just made for hunting you will be most likely to attempt to destroy the nearest moving thing, once you've passed that threshold. With a bit of luck they'll be sober enough to duck, or too drunk to notice, much like the potential love interests on the periphery of your hazy vision.
What are the Risks?
Alcohol is a depressant drug. Using alcohol reduces your ability to react, quickly. Everything slows down.
Now take a breath in. Breathe out, slowly, and read that last sentence again, really slowly.
That's right, and maybe just lower the tone of your voice a little, too. And get real relaxed. Taking it easy.
Some activities require your absolute attention, and focus, and ability to respond immediately. Alcohol will get in the way of these activities. Whilst having a drink (or two) to limber up before an important conversation you want to have with someone might not always be particularly risky, attempting to drive, cycle, swim or cross a busy road on the way to your meeting could be very dangerous. As could the return journey.
Alcohol inhibits the erectile function of the penis. *No stiffy* So if your meeting included plans for a bit of that, well, hard luck. or not.
Alcohol use can affect someone's ability to make rational decisions. It affects some people's ability to make any kind of a decision at all, other people just decide that absolutely anything sounds like a really good idea. Alcohol use has been linked to sexual risk taking (except * see above) - that other person just has a special something about them, and to hell with a contraceptive. It can somehow seem - well - secondary. Or even less important than that. Or maybe just an afterthought, if it figures at all. Taking risks can, after all, be fun. Not like HIV, Herpes, Gonorrhea, Syphillis...you get the picture. Hopefully not too graphic, yet.
Can't get no satisfaction
Regular use of alcohol can lead to tolerance. It's a little bizarre when people are noticing that they can drink more, maybe even much more, than their friends, and still not behave as if they're half as intoxicated. It can start to seem like a night out is becoming more and more expensive, or needs to start earlier, or last longer. Tolerance happens when your body begins to adapt to a level of alcohol in the body. You begin to need to take more alcohol to get the same effect. If you keep on drinking regularly beyond this point, you will enable yourself to develop a physical dependence. You will become ill if you don't take alcohol.
I knew someone once who was stopped by the police after drinking a half-bottle of vodka, and then driving home from the store. 09.45 AM. This is in Europe, where a half-bottle is 350ml, a little more than a standard can of coke. About a half a pint. The police couldn't believe he drove so well, they said, as they arrested him. This man hadn't been able to see straight, or to walk well, or to concentrate, before he'd had a drink. By then, he was drinking more than a bottle of spirits a day, every day. Unusual, maybe, or maybe just determined.
Jingle Bells
Alcohol use has been linked to lots of social problems, including domestic violence and violent crime. It can also lead to problems with how we relate to each other, or not. Being drunk isn't much of an excuse if you say something to a friend you regret the next day.
Long-term use of alcohol is known to cause many physical illnesses including liver damage, stomach cancer and heart disease. Alcohol causes the body to lose heat to the environment - the blood vessels dilate, bringing them closer to the surface of the skin. It's probably worth saying that again, now, just to help it be brought to your attention, now. Alcohol causes the body to lose heat to the environment. Alcohol should never be given to someone to 'warm them up'. It might make them feel warmer, as they feel their body lose warmth to the environment. This is very dangerous. Their body will actually cool down. Going for a brisk chilly winter walk outside to get some 'fresh air' is somewhere near the top of the list of bad ideas for fun things to do when you're drunk. Hello frostbite! Bye-bye toes! To say nothing (or at least, very little) of hypothermia and exposure.
Alcohol will reduce a persons sensitivity to pain. It has a history of use in medieval (English) medicine, especially dentistry, when it would be a second choice for anesthesia if there wasn't a handy cudgel with which to hit the patient over the head. It's possible to suffer injuries and not realise until the effect of the alcohol wears off - burns, cuts, bruises and more serious trauma might go temporarily unnoticed, and untreated. Alcohol causes dehydration, so taking alcohol with other drugs that dehydrate (like speed and ecstasy) is potentially very risky.
Pished
A large dose of alcohol will cause overdose leading to loss of consciousness and possibly even death. For a non-tolerant person (someone not drinking regularly) about 30 units (a bottle of spirits) would end in a trip to hospital and could be fatal. If someone is drunk, the only thing that will help them to sober up is time. The body breaks down alcohol at the rate of one unit per hour - it's metabolised by the liver, which only works at one speed. Giving someone black coffee, stimulant drugs or a cold shower to "sober them up" won't make their liver work any faster. They'll still be drunk - their judgment will be all over the place - and they'll be wide awake. Sounds messy. Taking alcohol with other drugs that have depressant effects (like heroin, methadone and some prescribed medicines like temazepam, diazepam or valium and antihistamines) will increase the potential for overdose.
If you are with someone who has been drinking and then loses consciousness, make sure they are in the recovery position and try to stay with them. The "recovery position" will help to keep the person's airway open. Even if they don't overdose, they could vomit while they are unconscious and choke. Calling for an ambulance will ensure that they receive medical attention should they need it.
Benchmarking - "safer" drinking limits
The UK Health Education Authority (HEA) suggests that men drinking 3-4 units a day or women drinking 2-3 units a day are unlikely to be causing themselves physical harm as a direct result of their drinking. These levels assume one or two non-drinking days during the week. People who regularly drink more than this increase the risks of suffering alcohol-related illnesses. If you drink, having several alcohol-free days each week will reduce the risk of harm.
Pregnant women are encouraged to avoid alcohol altogether, or not to drink more than one or two units each week. There is a significant body of research suggesting links between maternal alcohol use during pregnancy and a 'foetal alcohol syndrome' that may affect the development of the new human being.
Research suggesting that there may be health benefits to moderate alcohol use has been published. The beneficial effects are reported to be a reduction in Coronary Heart Disease in men aged more than 40 who drink 1-2 units of alcohol each day. As with much research about the use of drugs, the research cannot prove a causal link - the health benefits may be related to other lifestyle choices, or other variables, that may or may not also be related to the use of alcohol. Confusing, and fun to ponder on how else the statistics could be interpreted. As with most things.
One unit = half a pint of beer, lager or cider, one glass of wine or one 25 ml measure of spirits. Many of the alcoholic colas, lemonades and other fizzy drinks available contain as much alcohol by volume as beer or cider.
You have the right...
The use of Alcohol in the UK is legal, within certain conditions (age, location, degree of drunkenness). There are aspects of alcohol use (such as driving whilst intoxicated and public order offenses involving alcohol) which are controlled by law, but generally the legal controls focus on the sale of alcohol to others.
It is not against the law to produce alcohol in the form of beer or wine. It is sometimes entirely inadvisable to consume 'home-made' alcohol on the grounds of poor quality. Even if the product is of a reasonable quality, you cannot sell any alcohol without the appropriate license.12
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Alcohol Tolerance How many pints does it take you to get drunk?
Just recently my alcohol tolerance has sky rocketed probably because i drink quite a bit of recent times. Yesterday i drank 7 pints fairly quickly and i wasn't sober but i wasn't drunk! booooo :cry:12…56
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Hard Things to Say When DRUNK THINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:
1. Innovative
2. Preliminary
3. Proliferation
4. Cinnamon
THINGS THAT ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:
1. Specificity
2. Anti-constitutionalistically
3. Passive-aggressive disorder
4. Transubstantiate
THINGS THAT ARE DOWNRIGHT IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHEN DRUNK:
1. No thanks, I'm married.
2. Nope, no more booze for me!
3. Sorry, but you're not really my type.
4. Doner Kebab? No thanks, I'm not hungry.
5. Good evening, officer. Isn't it lovely out tonight?
6. Oh, I couldn't! No one wants to hear me sing karaoke
.
7. I'm not interested in fighting you.
8. Thank you, but I won't make any attempt to dance, I
have no coordination. I'd hate to look like a fool!
9. Where is the nearest bathroom? I refuse to pee in this
car park or on the side of the road.
10. I must be going home now, as I have to work in the
morning.
:laugh_at::laugh_at:12
dealing with family member’s issues with alcohol Alcohol addiction causes pain for everyone involved. My question is is there anyone with experience in helping someone through recovery when they are still blind to all that pain they caused. Trying to he there for someone incase they go and have a drink when the resentment is eating u up inside. Trying not to get into things while they get straight. It feels like giving and giving and getting nothing in return.
So I’ve finally had my family tree finalised…. I've not been on here in some time I think, well.....
Since I was last online here, I've been in and out of hospital/the mental health system with chronic alcohol abuse, drug abuse and mental health scares. I've only just today come out of hospital after a week long drink/drug binge, no sleep no food, no cares. I've slashed my right arm to shreds and have ulcerated my stomach through heavy spirit drinking and taking an overdose of neproxin, I've since had my stomach pumped, been told that if I drink liters of spirits again, I will have a stomach so fragile, a cracker would rupture it.
I've now taken the executive decision, well, my body has, to put a full stop to all drink and drug activity, as I don't want to be in a hospital bed with my stomach removed and a being fed by some sort of machine.
So I've basically been in and out of the wars for quite some time now, and it's become apparent that I'm worse for myself than I'd first believed or thought, so which kind of leads me to the 'swan song'...
I'm going to be placing myself voluntarily into drug/alcohol rehab, it's unlikely I'll be on here; if at all ever again.
But I'd like to say that it's been a fuckin hoot, and I've had a good craic.
Much love to you all, I hope I'm not so fucked up and shit next time round.
x
BE : 3,2 km beer pipeline :) Smart move (it reduces traffic and pollution problems with lorries on small roads)
Bruges brewery De Halve Maan (The Half Moon) is about to open the valves on a €4m beer pipeline designed to carry vital supplies the 3.2km from its city centre production facility to its bottling plant
Belgian brewery lays 3.2km beer pipeline ? The Register
My experiences with alcohol 1 'standard drink' can get me buzzing for a good 30 minutes. Not always, but sometimes.
Sometime it takes 6 'standard drinks'. Usually I get more talkative, more sociable, braver (jumping off second story balconies in a night club), beer goggles (finding people more attractive than I usually would), happier just generally improved mood.
SOMETIMES it takes 20 'standard drinks'. I almost found the more I drank the more I needed to drink to get to the same level.
I say 'standard drinks' because on occasion I have drank entire bottles of spirits (Canadian Club which I purchased from a bottle-o in Brisbane) with almost no effect. It was almost as if it was non alcoholic. One time I drank half a bottle of Canadian Club with a mate (purchased from a bottle-o in CQ) and felt like someone had slipped me a mickey/roofie. It was horrible and I missed the whole night because all I could do was lay in bed without the energy to move.
Doing things I regret. Sleeping with someone I wouldn't normally be attracted to. Vomiting into a garden. Getting lippy to security staff. Fights. Blacking out. Hangovers. Oh man the hangovers. I've even got a couple convictions recorded in Australia from shit I can't remember doing.
If the laws in Queensland weren't so stupid I would have probable been able to use in moderation. But being who I am I often crave to change my consciousness. If I could have gotten some weed or shrooms I probably would have been able to moderate by drinking alot better.
So I guess my advice would be (and from what I can tell this goes for most drugs): a good amount, of some good stuff, at a good time, in a good setting can be a good thing.
Anybody else think beer cans w/ "cold meters" should be banned? This is just a rant but hear me out; I've been 21 (legal drinking age in the US, if anyone's wondering) for 4 years in May and I've tried a good many alcoholic drinks. For the basics, however, I enjoy a good ice cold beer. Americans are idiots, let's face it. I am an American and we are idiots but for God's sake, why do beer cans have cold meters on them? By cold meters I mean those stupid little things on the sides of the can that turn different colors according to how cold the beer is.
It blows my mind, seriously. If I put a Coors Light in the freezer and an hour later, reach in to grab it and pop it open, am I going to draw back my hand and cry about my flesh burning off from the heat? WTF seriously. I'm pretty sure I'm well aware if my beer is cold enough to drink. Now, I understand there is a genetic disorder that prevents afflicted individuals from feeling certain things or misinterpreting "pain" or "sense of touch" signals.
Whoever the fuck came up with this bullshit needs to be dropped on his head AGAIN because if you can't tell if your beer's cold enough, there's further issues that your doctor needs to investigate. Sheeeeeit.:you_crazy
the drink you love everyone hates What's the drink you love that most of your mates cant stomach?
mines called a 'boak' which is baileys and coke. Yummy!123
Black out drunk nearly every time…..how do you invoke moderation?! Aternoon!
Cut a long story short,whenever (well, a good 80% of the time) I drink,which has been a lot less recently I end up going so extreme I black out and have these crazy nights.
In theory it sounds funny,mates call me a legend say they love my drinking stories but I'm starting to feel like I could be pretty close to seriously hurting myself soon. It's like even my crazier friends have limits and boundaries I just have literally none when it comes to anything,mbooze,drugs, sex.
I don't want to stop drinking but I do want to moderate what I consume,I just don't seem to have the willpower. It's like one drink becomes 2 which becomes three which becomes shots etc. Add to the fact I have a very addictive personality I end up going on these drug binges of coke and Mandy when I get pissed and nights regularly end up at running costs of 200 - 300 quid a time. I did have issues with cocaine a couple of years ago but got over that by stopping completely which was so hard but I feel with the booze that's creeping back into my life too.
Its started coming to a head recently when I was so drunk I spent 200 on class as and couldn't remember even buying them, and then this weekend went on a date with a guy remember nothing half way through until we are back at mine doing lines :-( I've put off blokes on dates by being so crazy,I've missed important friends bdays wtc coz I've been too hungover and I just hate the fact I can't control myself.
mini vent there,apologies but I'm just upset I can't seem to stop,I guess what I'd be intrigued in is to what extent others have experienced these issues and how you've managed it? I struggle to go out and not drink but at same time I don't want to become a recluse!
Thanks guys.
Anybody else do things they regret when intoxicated? i rarely ever get drunk off of beer but lately at a couple of parties i chugged two red solo cups full of LIQUOR and i didn't mix it with anything and got super drunk and did TONS of shit i regret, does anybody else wish you could be intoxicated but not fully shitfaced where you can barely walk and you have no idea what you're doing? does anybody have a REALLY hard time remembering anything and have regret and are curious about what you did? tell me your funny regrets, or serious regrets. anybody else only remember certain parts that are embarrassing? anybody else a major lightweight? everyone at that party seemed to handle themselves pretty well.12
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