Alcohol: Myths + Truths
MYTH: Everyone drinks.
TRUTH: Not True. 69% of teens said they did not drink alcohol in the past month! If you choose not to drink, you're definitely not alone.
MYTH: Alcohol gives you energy.
TRUTH: This statement is false. Alcohol is a depressant, and can actually make you sleepy. It slows down your motor skills which control the way you think, speak, move and react.
MYTH: Beer before liquor, never been sicker - liquor before beer, you're in the clear.
TRUTH: This is an old urban legend used to explain why people get sick when they drink - but it's just not true. Your blood alcohol content (also known as BAC, the percentage of alcohol in your blood) is what determines how drunk you are. It doesn't matter what type of alcohol you chose to consume - a drink is a drink, and too much of any combination can make you sick.
MYTH: I can sober up quickly if I need to.
TRUTH: If you think that taking a shower, drinking 10 cups of coffee or eating a loaf of bread will help you sober up — think again. The only thing your body needs is time — depending on your weight, it takes about three hours to eliminate every two drinks from your body.
MYTH: Driving with someone who drank can be safe, because they drive extra carefully so they don't get pulled over.
TRUTH: Drinking and driving is extremely dangerous and can be deadly. Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking and about 1,900 of these deaths are from motor vehicle crashes (NIAAA). In 2002, alcohol was involved in 41% of all fatal crashes (NIDA). A person might think he's in control, but alcohol slows down reaction time which makes driving a car one of the worst decisions one can make — even if he's had only a little bit to drink.
MYTH: Everyone who gets drunk acts the same.
TRUTH: Not true. There are lots of factors that affect the body's reactions to alcohol, including weight, age, gender, body chemistry, genetics, amount of food and alcohol consumed — the list can go on. The way one person reacts can be vastly different from how another person reacts. You can't predict how alcohol will affect you.
MYTH: If I drink too much, the worst thing that can happen is I get my stomach pumped.
TRUTH: This is false. If alcohol is drunk excessively, it can lead to alcohol poisoning which can cause death. Also, drinking excessive alcohol can cause vomiting. When drunk and unconscious, a person may inhale fluids that have been vomited, resulting in death by asphyxiation. Long-term, heavy use of alcohol can lead to addiction (alcoholism), and can even cause a heart attack or stroke.
MYTH: Talk to me about drugs - that's a bigger issue than alcohol.
TRUTH: Both drugs and alcohol are serious problems among teens. Alcohol kills young people just like cocaine, heroin and other serious illegal drugs. Also, according to recent studies, nearly one-half (47%) of persons who began drinking before age 14 were alcohol dependent at some point in their lifetime.
MYTH: Alcohol isn't harmful to my body.
TRUTH: Again, this statement is wrong. Large amounts of alcohol can take its toll on your body, causing disturbed sleep, nausea, and vomiting as well as a dreaded hangover. Heavy drinking can inhibit the firing of nerve cells that control breathing, a condition known as respiratory depression — a condition that can be fatal.
MYTH: My friends will think I'm weird if I don't drink.
TRUTH: Friends are your friends no matter what - and they won't give up your friendship over something as silly as a beer. And if they do, they're not your real friends. Also, keep in mind that most people are usually too focused on themselves to care what others are — or aren't — doing.
MYTH: My parents drink — so what's the big deal if I do?
TRUTH: Science now proves it is a very big deal. According to new research by A. Thomas McLellan, Ph.D., teens who drink and take drugs are at greater risk than previously thought. Research shows that the brain is not fully formed until age 24. Using drugs and alcohol during this important time as your brain develops might have negative long-term effects on brain functions such as memory. |
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Five Myths About Marijuana
MYTH: Marijuana is Harmless
TRUTH: Sure, it can't directly kill you – but that doesn't mean that pot is risk-free. Regular marijuana use has been shown to be associated with long-term problems, including poor academic performance, memory loss and lung cancer. To a developing brain, like those of teenagers, marijuana can be especially toxic -- using pot can lead to panic attacks, depression and other mental health problems, not to mention increased anxiety.
MYTH: Marijuana is Not Addictive
TRUTH: But what you didn't know is that more teens enter treatment each year with marijuana as the main substance that they abused. In 2004, 64% of teens were admitted for treatment for marijuana as their main drug of choice vs. 36% of all other substances including alcohol. Marijuana is addictive, as it meets the criteria for substance dependence established by the American Psychiatric Association including:
Tolerance (needing more of the substance to achieve the same effects) Withdrawal symptoms, using a drug even in the presence of adverse effects (you smoke even though bad things have happened when you do) Giving up social, occupational or recreational activities because of substance use (you quit your sports team or job because they get in the way of your drug use.)
The desire for marijuana can have a powerful pull over a user – and can make it hard to quit.
MYTH: Marijuana Isn't As Bad As Cigarettes
TRUTH: Nope, sorry. Pot actually contains many of the same cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco. Puff for puff, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of cancer more than smoking tobacco does.
Therefore, if you smoke pot regularly, you may experience the same breathing problems as those who smoke cigarettes. To put it plainly, walking up flights of stairs will seem difficult, and if you're an athlete -- that unattractive wheezing and coughing caused by excessive smoking won't look so hot (or feel so good) on the playing fields.
MYTH: Driving While High is Safer than Driving Drunk
TRUTH: Hardly. In a study reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, even a moderate dose of marijuana was shown to impair driving performance, since it affects alertness, concentration, perception coordination and reaction time – essential skills required for safe driving. Researchers also found that 17% (1 in 5) of crash victims under the age of 18 tested positive for marijuana.
MYTH: I Can Smoke Pot and Still Get Straight A's
TRUTH: Hey, anything is possible – but there has been a lot of research done that states the opposite. Researchers have found that heavy marijuana use may be especially problematic during teens' peak learning years, when the brain is still developing, since smoking pot can impair your ability to concentrate and retain information. This can cause poor academic performance. You might think you're doing well in school – but you'll never know if smoking pot is inhibiting your true academic potential.
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The Warning Signs
If your friend has one or more of the following warning signs, he or she may have a serious problem with alcohol or other drugs:
-lying about things, or about how much alcohol or other drugs he or she is using
-avoiding you in order to get drunk or high
-giving up activities he or she used to do, such as sports, homework, or hanging out with friends who don't drink or use other drugs
-planning drinking in advance, hiding alcohol, drinking or using other drugs alone
-frequent hangovers
-pressuring others to drink or use other drugs
-taking risks, including sexual risks
-having "blackouts" -- forgetting what he or she did the night before while drinking (if you tell your friend what happened, he or she might pretend to remember, or laugh it off as no big deal)
-feeling run-down, hopeless, depressed, or even suicidal
-sounding selfish and not caring about others
-constantly talking about drinking or using other drugs
-getting in trouble with the law
-drinking and driving
-suspension from school for an alcohol- or other drug-related incident |
