Alcohol
What it is
Alcohol is the most commonly used psychoactive drug in New Zealand. 'Psychoactive' means a substance that has a mind altering effect when taken. Although alcohol use is widely accepted, it does have damaging effects to both the individual and wider community. More deaths and injuries involve alcohol than any other drug.
What it does
Alcohol is a depressant drug meaning it slows down the messages travelling around the central nervous system. The initial effects of alcohol include relaxation and slower reactions. As a person drinks more, they become less inhibited, their moods might swing, their speech will slur, they could feel dizzy. If excessive amounts of alcohol are drunk, it can cause vomiting and unconsciousness. Alcohol poisoning can be fatal.
It can be dangerous to drive the morning after a night of heavy drinking as you can’t be sure that all the alcohol has left your system, and you could still be drunk.
Myths and legends
You need to drink to have a good time
Socialising often revolves around alcohol in New Zealand, but you need not have a bad time because you aren’t drinking. If you have trouble having fun without a drin,k it might be an indication you have a problem. Go to www.likeadrink.org.nz or call the Alcohol Drug Helpline to talk about this.
Risks
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol over a short period of time is called 'binge drinking'. This can cause severe drunkenness, vomiting, shakiness, headaches and bad hangovers. Binge drinkers are at risk of alcohol poisoning, which can lead to coma or even death.
Heavy or regular drinkers also risk long-term damage to their liver, brain, lungs, heart, and stomach, as well as an increased risk of cancer.
People can do things they later regret when drunk. Unplanned or unwanted sex while intoxicated can result in sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies.
Alcohol is also a factor commonly associated with crime and domestic violence so alcohol use can harm the alcohol user's family, friends and community.
Frequent and heavy drinkers are also at risk of becoming dependent on alcohol.
Alcohol withdrawal
Alcohol withdrawal refers to a group of symptoms that may occur if a person suddenly stops drinking after a period of drinking on a regular basis. When someone is dependent on alcohol, they become used to functioning with alcohol in their system.
Not everyone who is dependent on alcohol and stops will experience all the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, but it can be potentially dangerous, especially if that person has been a chronic drinker. Some people choose to go to a supervised detox centre so they can get support during their withdrawal in a safe environment.
The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal range in severity. Some symptoms are:
- nervousness
- fatigue
- anxiety
- irritability
- insomnia
- hand shakes
- clammy skin
- vomiting.
More severe symptoms are:
- confusion and Hallucinations (known as 'delirium tremors' or 'the DTs)
- convulsions
- black outs.
