FAQ

Ethyl alcohol, also called ethanol, is an ingredient in beer, wine, and liquor that makes you feel drunk. Alcohol is made by letting yeast, sugars, and starches break down into alcohol.

Every organ in the body is changed by alcohol. It slows down the nervous system and gets into the bloodstream quickly from the stomach and small intestine. Enzymes work in the liver to break down alcohol. But the liver can only break down a small amount of alcohol at a time, so the rest of the alcohol goes around the body. The amount of alcohol you drink has a direct effect on how much it affects your body.

It means that adults who are old enough to legally drink can choose not to drink or to drink in moderation by having no more than 2 drinks a day for men and no more than 1 drink a day for women. It's better for your health to drink less than to drink more.

Excessive alcohol use includes binge drinking, heavy drinking, drinking by people under the legal drinking age of 21, and drinking by women who are pregnant.

Binge drinking is when a person drinks so much alcohol that their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is 0.08 percent or higher. This way of drinking usually means that men have 5 or more drinks in one sitting, and women have 4 or more drinks in one sitting, usually within 2 hours.

Heavy drinking or binge drinking too much is linked to a number of health problems, including:

• Long-term diseases like liver cirrhosis (damage to liver cells) and pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas);

• Cancers of the liver, mouth, throat, larynx (the voice box), and esophagus;

• High blood pressure; and mental health problems.

• Unintentional injuries, like those caused by car accidents, falls, drowning, burns, and gunshots.

• Violence, like abuse of children, murder, and suicide.

• Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders can happen if a woman drinks while she is pregnant, which is bad for the baby.

• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

There are some people who shouldn't drink at all. These people include:

• Women who are pregnant or might be pregnant.

• If they are under the age where it is legal to drink.

• If they have certain health problems or are taking certain medicines that can interact with alcohol.

• If they are trying to get over an addiction to alcohol or if they can't control how much they drink.

To lower the risk of alcohol-related harms, adults who are old enough to drink can choose not to drink or drink in moderation by limiting their intake to 2 drinks or less a day for men and 1 drink or less a day for women.

Yes. Studies have shown that teens and young adults who drink alcohol are more likely to get hurt, both seriously and not seriously. Research has also shown that people who start drinking before age 15 are six times more likely to become dependent on alcohol than adults who start drinking at age 21. Teens who drink alcohol are also more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, do poorly in school, and commit suicide or cause fatal harm someone else.

No. When you drink alcohol, your reactions are slower and your judgment and coordination aren't as good. All of these are important skills for safe driving. Remember the more alcohol you drink, the worse the effects.

The legal limit for drinking is the amount of alcohol a person can have in their body before they can be arrested or lose their license. Legal limits can be measured by a blood alcohol test or a breathalyzer. Legal limits are usually set by state law and can change based on factors like age, occupation, and gender. Note that legal limits do not set a level below which it is safe to drive or do something else. When someone drinks alcohol, it starts to affect them well before the legal limit.

When drinking causes problems in your relationships, at school, in your social life, or in how you think and feel, that's a problem

If you or someone in your family worries that they might have a drinking problem, you should talk to your personal health care provider, teacher or any other professional service provider.