Help with Alcohol

Introduction

Let's face it, everyone wants to be liked, have lots of friends, be sociable and fun to be with. It can be very exciting joining with new friends whether it be at school, at college, at a new job and you're feeling nervous, under confident and unsure of yourself. You're eager to meet others and get on with your new relationship, but anxiety about how you come across to others can stop you being yourself, or the person you would like to be.

Most people think a great deal about the first impression they want to make, and many use alcohol to help (especially teen agers and young adults). After all, it's in the bar where most of the socializing happens and alcohol can help you feel relaxed. It appears to have an impact on all those pent up feelings, reducing inhibitions so that you feel better about things. So, it's not surprising that alcohol goes on to be at the hub of our social life.

And, all too often, we see the consequences of acting under the effects of alcohol, for example, unplanned sex, pregnancy, accidents and relationship difficulties. This website provides some useful information to enable you to make informed choices about your alcohol consumption.

The facts about alcohol
From a health perspective, alcohol is usually measured in units:

1/2 Pint (*3/4 can of beer) = 1 unit
1/2 Pint (*3/4 can of standard lager) = 1 unit
1 standard glass of wine = 1 unit
1/2 Pint (*3/4 can of strong lager) = 2 1/2 units

Student's comments ...

"When I woke up experiencing – yet again – the 'never again' feeling – the hangover, the splitting headache, the bad guts, the short-lived madness and laughter, the expense and embarrassment of the night before, I asked myself – was it really worth it?"

"I woke up not knowing where I was or what I'd done or who he was – I started to think of the possibilities ... and needed emergency contraception despite having always said I wouldn't get myself into that situation."

"A few drinks feels fine but why do they have to drink so much, so often? You feel odd if you don't go to the bar, but where else is it all supposed to be happening?"

"I'm broke and it's only week two."

"Why is it that after drinking too much alcohol a girl may end up in bed with a guy she only met that night and is not really interested in when she wouldn't dream of it in the cold light of day?"

What happens when you drink?

The short-term effects of alcohol consumption vary from person to person, but here is a summary of the side effects typical for a man of average build:

• 1-2 units: (about 1 beer) cheerfulness and increase in self confidence (Manchester bus drivers, when given a drink, believed they could drive an 8' bus through a 7'6" gap!)

The first noticeable effect of alcohol is a gradual release of anxiety and tension combined with a feeling of relaxation. You begin to feel more carefree and social inhibitions become relaxed Alcohol gives you 'Dutch courage', making you feel less shy and able to circulate more freely in the crowd or bar. As with any other drug, the actual effects very much depend on how you feel, your expectations and the
environment. However, common reactions are talkativeness, cheerfulness, contentment and sociability.

• 2 units: (less than 1 1/2 beers) increased risk of accident
  
  
• 3 units: (2 beers) usually increased happiness, but significantly impaired judgement
  
  
• 5 units: (less than 3 1/2 beers) above the legal limit for driving.
  Potential loss of driving licence and cause of serious accidents. *Drunk driving per se
  
  "Per se" is Latin for in itself, or intrinsically. An "illegal per se" law means that it is illegal in and of itself for you to be caught driving if your Blood Alcohol Concentration ("BAC") is over a certain amount (.10 or .08 percent, depending on the state).
  http://www.ohsinc.com/drunk_driving_laws_blood_breath%20_alcohol_limits.htm

• 10 units: (6 1/2 beers) slurred speech, loss of self control, may be aggressive.
  Unfortunately, sometimes the relaxation of inhibitions can release normally controlled emotions. Alcohol can impair your judgement and alter your perceptions. Alcohol affects your negotiating skills. What is done at night while under the influence of alcohol is often regretted in the morning.

• 12 units: (8 beers) inability to walk straight, loss of memory
  Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant which causes minor changes in blood circulation, e.g. a small increase in heart rate and the dilation of blood vessels in the skin. It causes sweating and can depress the temperature regulating mechanism in the brain, and causes inflammation of the stomach lining. Alcohol also diminishes sexual arousal and can inhibit male erection.

• 18 units: (12 beers) approaching toxic levels.
  Continued drinking will lead to unconsciousness.

Did you know...?

• The drinking behaviour of students during college years may determine their drinking patterns for the rest of their lives.
  
  
• 2 six pack's of beer a week for 52 weeks in the year costs $350.00.
  
  
• If you drink 6 1/2 cans of beer it will take 10 hours to get your blood alcohol level down to zero.
  
  
• Hangovers are caused by dehydration. For every 1 pint (16 oz.) of alcohol you drink, your body loses 1¼ pints of water.
  
  
• Your liver can only break down 1 unit of alcohol per hour.
  
  
• If a man and a woman, of the same weight and height, drink the same amount of alcohol, the woman's blood will have a higher concentration of alcohol.
  
  
• Women's bodies contain less body water than men's so with less water to dissolve the alcohol, the blood alcohol concentration is higher than the man's.

How can I tell if I have a drinking problem?

Here are some quick clues:

• Inability to control drinking – it seems that regardless of what you decide beforehand, you frequently end up drunk.
  
  
• Using alcohol to escape problems.
  
  
• A change in personality
  
  
• A high tolerance level – drinking just about everybody under the table.
  
  
• Blackouts – sometimes not remembering what happened while drinking.
  
  
• Problems at School, college or at work as a result of drinking.
  
  
• Concern shown by family and friends about drinking.

If you have, or suspect you have, a drinking problem, there are many others just like you and there is help available.

Where can I get support?
Celebrate Recovery- (An 8 step support program)
CELEBRATE RECOVERY SMALL GROUPS CAN:

• Provide you a safe place to share your experiences, strengths and hopes with others who are going through the "Principles" in a Christ-Centered recovery.
  
  
• Provide you a leader who has gone through a similar hurt, hang-up on habit that will facilitate the group as it focuses on a particular Step each week. The leader will also keep Celebrate Recovery's "FIVE RULES."
  
  
• Provide you with the opportunity to find an accountability partner or sponsor.
  
  
• Encourage you to attend other recovery meetings held throughout the week, if available.

CELEBRATE RECOVERY SMALL GROUPS WILL NOT:

• Attempt to offer any professional clinical advice. Our leaders are not counselors. We will provide you with a list of approved counseling referrals.
  
  
• Allow its members to attempt to fix one another.

Purpose Statement:

Celebrate Recovery ministry is to fellowship and celebrate God's healing power in our lives through the "8 Recovery Principles." This experience allows us to "be changed." By working and applying these Biblical principles, we begin to grow spiritually. We become free from our addictive, compulsive and dysfunctional behaviors. This freedom creates peace, serenity, joy and most importantly, a stronger personal relationship with God and others. As we progress through the program we discover our personal, loving and forgiving Higher Power - Jesus Christ, the one and only true Higher Power.

The Road to Recovery
8 Recovery Principles
based on the BEATITUDES

R=	Principle 1 - Realize I'm not God; I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable. "Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor"
E=	Principle 2 - Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to him, and that he has the power to help me recover. "Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted"
C=	Principle 3 - Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's care and control. "Happy are the meek"
O=	Principle 4 - Openly examine and confess my faults to God, to myself, and to myself, to God, and to someone I trust. "Happy are the pure in heart"
V=	Principle 5 - Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects. "Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires"
E=	Principle 6 - Evaluate all my relationships; Offer forgiveness to those who have hurt me and make amends for harm I've done to others except when to do so would harm them or others. "Happy are the merciful" "Happy are the peacemakers"
R=	Principle 7 - Reserve a daily time with God for self examination, Bible readings and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.
Y=	Principle 8 - Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words. "Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires"

MORE SUPPORT PROGRAM LINKS:
Sober Recovery Resources Online


Alcohol Help & Info Links
Alcohol Concern
Drug and Alcohol Resource Center Sober Recovery