There are many myths about alcohol, including that it’s a stimulant and that it’s safe to drink while driving. Alcohol is a depressant that can cause serious health problems.
Myths:
1. Alcohol is a stimulant: Alcohol is a depressant that slows down the central nervous system.
2. Drinking is a good way to relax: alcohol can increase stress and worsen mental health.
3. Beer and wine are safer than liquor: Alcohol is alcohol, and the amount of alcohol in a drink depends on the type and amount consumed.
4. I can sober up quickly: It takes about 2–3 hours for the body to eliminate one drink, and nothing can speed up this process.
5. I can drive after a few drinks: Alcohol impairs speech, memory, attention, coordination, and balance.
Facts:
1. Alcohol can cause cancer, including breast, colorectal, esophageal, liver, stomach, and oral cancers.
2. Alcohol is a highly addictive substance.
3. Alcohol can affect the brain, liver, pancreas, heart, and other systems of the body.
4. Drinking too much alcohol too quickly can lead to alcohol poisoning, which can kill you.
5. Drinking alcohol can increase the risk of violence, unsafe sexual behavior, suicide attempts, and overdoses.
SUMMARY:
1. Myth: Alcohol is less harmful than other drugs.
Fact: Like other commonly misused substances, alcohol is highly addictive and causes tens of thousands of deaths every year. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), alcohol is linked to approximately 88,000 deaths per year, more than the 64,000 deaths to drug overdoses in 2016, making alcohol-related deaths the third leading cause of preventable deaths in the country.
2. Myth: All of my peers are drinking.
Fact: It may seem like drinking is everywhere, but according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), about two-thirds of teens are not drinking.
3. Myth: Beer, wine coolers, and wine are safer than liquor.
Fact: Although hard liquor may indeed have a higher alcohol percentage than beers and wines, alcohol is alcohol, and what matters is how much is consumed. A beer may contain 4-7% alcohol, wine 12%, and hard liquor closer to 40% – meaning a glass of beer, is about the same alcohol content as a 1.5 shot of vodka. A certain amount of any alcoholic beverage will pose the same risks.
4. Myth: If adults can drink in a healthy manner, so can kids.
Fact: Because the teenage brain is still developing, alcohol affects it differently. Research has shown that drinking causes more damage to the developing brain and that underage drinking drastically increases the likelihood of developing an alcohol disorder later down the line.
5. Myth: I can sober up quickly if I need to with coffee, a cold shower, a greasy meal, or walking it off.
Fact: Not so! You might trick yourself into feeling a bit soberer after a coffee and a shower, but it takes about two to three hours for just one drink to be metabolized by the body, no matter if you have a big meal, walk it off, or whatever other measures you take. All you can do is wait.
6. Myth: If we changed the drinking age from 21 to 18, there would be fewer problems with young people’s drinking habits.
Fact: In fact, a lot of thought went into the 21 minimum drinking age. Since 1984, when the drinking age was raised from 18 to 21, deaths related to driving while under the influence have decreased annually by the thousands.
7. Myth: Most teen drinking deaths happen because they decided to drive drunk.
Fact: Although drunk driving is extremely dangerous to the driver and others, studies have shown that in fact, drunk driving accidents account for only about one-third of underage deaths linked to alcohol. The other two-thirds of alcohol-related deaths in teens are due to alcohol-related homicide, suicide, poisoning, and other accidents.
8. Myth: Everyone stands the same risk of developing an alcohol addiction.
Fact: Anyone is susceptible to developing an alcohol disorder, but not everyone is subject to the same likelihood. There are various factors to consider, including hereditary factors, mental health conditions, and the age when a person began drinking in the first place, which is all to say that one person might be able to drink now and then without developing a serious addiction, while someone else may not.
9. Myth: People of the same height and weight can drink the same amount of alcohol safely.
Fact: Alcohol affects different people in different ways depending on a long list of variables. For instance, some health conditions can change the way our bodies react to alcohol, and medications can also have unpredictable interactions with alcohol. Other factors include age, gender, consumption rate, diet, and more. Just because one person can drink a certain amount without needing to go to the hospital doesn’t mean someone of the same size and weight can do the same.
10. Myth: Because Europeans can drink at an earlier age, they drink more responsibly and have fewer drinking-related problems.
Fact: Though kids in America often like to say kids in Europe drink more responsibly because of the lower drinking age, the data does not support the claim.
