How Does Alcohol Affect The Body?

Most people drink because they enjoy how it makes them feel. The majority of people drink socially and are responsible when they use alcohol.

In very small amounts, alcohol can help a person feel more relaxed or less anxious. In larger amounts alcohol causes greater changes in the brain, resulting in intoxication. People who have consumed larger amounts of alcohol may stagger, lose their coordination and slur their speech. They will probably be confused and disoriented. Reaction times are slowed dramatically, which is why it is dangerous to drink and drive. People who are intoxicated may think they're moving properly when they're not.

Alcohol may cause a person to act totally out of character. Depending on the person, intoxication can make someone very friendly and talkative or very aggressive and angry. It is often the people who are normally quiet and friendly who become loud or aggressive when drunk and those who would normally be anxious or hyperactive often become quieter and more relaxed after drinking.

WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE DRINK?

From a very young age, children see alcohol as an integral part of Irish society and therefore alcohol seems harmless to many teenagers. Experimentation with alcohol during the teen years is common. Some reasons that teens use alcohol (and other drugs) are:

• curiosity
• to feel good
• to reduce stress
• to relax
• to fit in
• to feel older

WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU ARE CONCERNED?

If you know or suspect a young person is drinking -

• Ask them not to drink. Young people like to know what the rules are.
• Ask them to drink alternatives such as minerals or non-alcoholic beers or wines.
• Drop them off and pick them up from where they are likely to go drinking. Most underage drinking is done before and after going to a match/disco/concerts.
• Wait up for them. If a young person knows he/she will have to face you or another adult at the end of the night they may drink much less, if at all.
• Tell them never to:

- leave a drink where it could be spiked
- mix drugs and alcohol
- drive after drinking or using drugs
- accept a lift from someone who has been drinking or using drugs
- leave a party or club alone

LCOHOL, SUICIDE & DELIBERATE SELF HARM

There are strong links between alcohol and suicide as many people who have died by suicide had been drinking alcohol immiediately prior to dying.

Deliberate self harm is a term used when someone injures or harms themselves on purpose. Common examples include “over-dosing” (self poisoning), hitting, cutting or burning oneself, pulling hair or picking skin, or self strangulation. It can also include taking illegal drugs and excessive amounts of alcohol.

Self-harm is always a sign of something being seriously wrong.

In 2006 41% of people who had self-harmed had been drinking alcohol at the time.

ALCOHOL & THE LAW

There are a number of laws relating to the sale and use of alcohol. Below is a list of the laws that are most commonly misunderstood.

Alcohol laws in the Republic of Ireland

• It is an offence for a person under 18 to purchase alcohol.
• It is an offence for a person under 18 to represent themselves as being over 18 in order to obtain alcohol.
• It is an offence for a person under 18 to consume alcohol except with the explicit consent of their parent/guardian in a private residence.
• Children under 15 may be in the bar of a licensed premises only if accompanied by a parent/guardian, but not after 9 pm.
• Young people aged 15-17 may be in the bar of a licensed premises unaccompanied, but not after 9 pm.
• Children under 15 accompanied by a parent/guardian and/or young people aged 15-17 may be in the bar of a licensed premises after 9 pm if attending a private function where a substantial meal is being served e.g. a wedding reception.
• It is an offence to serve alcohol to a person who is drunk.

Alcohol laws in Northern Ireland

• It is an offence to knowingly sell alcohol to a person under 18 years of age.
• It is an offence to give alcohol to a child under 14 years of age.
• In some areas there are by-laws restricting drinking of alcohol on the streets at any age.
• Police have the power to confiscate alcohol from under 18s who drink in public places.
• It is an offence for any person to allow a person whom they know to be drunk to be present in, or to buy or consume alcohol in a licensed premises.
• It is an offence for anyone to buy alcohol for someone under 18 to drink on licensed premises.
• It is an offence for anyone to buy, consume or supply alcohol in licensed premises outside the permitted opening hours
• It is an offence for anyone to be drunk in licensed premises.