Alcohol and Tobacco Use

Question 1

How much alcohol is too much?

Answer 1

Low risk drinking

• 15 drinks a week for men (no more than 3 drinks)
• 10 drinks a week for women (no more than 2 drinks)

Heavy drinking

• 5+ drinks on one occasion for men
• 4+ drinks on one occasion for women

Question 2

Discuss short and long term impacts of drinking.

Answer 2

Short term effects include:

• Impaired perception
• Vision
• Decreased body temperature
• Dulled taste and smell
• Altered sense of time and space
• Diminished sensation (heat, pain)
• Decreased motor skills, judgement, and sexual performance
• Increased urination
• Bad sleep
• Memory problems and blackouts

Can cause liver diseases, cardiovascular disease, cancer, brain damage, poor nutrition, digestive problems, reproductive/sexual dysfunction

Question 3

What do students drink?

Answer 3

Reasons include relaxing, socialize, getting drunk, feeling good, peer pressure, to celebrate, to lower inhibitions

Question 4

What factors impact body’s metabolism of alcohol?

Answer 4

• Amount consumed
• Strength of drinks
• Speed of drinking
• Drinker’s size and sex (men have more alcohol dehydrogenase, more muscle which has water, more weight)
• Warm alcohol is absorbed quicker
• Lack of sleep
• What is in stomach (slows absorption)
• Tolerance
• What is mixed in the drink (carbs increase pressure in stomach to force alcohol into cells)

Question 5

How does nicotine work?

Answer 5

• Stimulates cerebral cortex, outer layer of brain that controls mood and alertness
• Stimulates adrenal glands to increase blood pressure

Question 6

Describe short and long term health consequences of smoking.

Answer 6

Health effects include heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases, ulcers, anxiety

Question 7

Discuss alcohol on campus.

Answer 7

• Binge drinking occurs at beginning off semester, around events, following exams
• Higher among residence students and those with lower academic orientation
• ½ of all high school students report drinking at least once a month, 1/3 report binge-drinking
• Most individuals will drink more between ages of 18-21 than any other time period in their lives

Question 8

Describe other forms of tobacco.

Answer 8

Other forms of tobacco include cigars (no inhalation), pipes, waterpipes, smokeless tobaccos, e-cigarettes, second-hand smoke

Question 9

What are some helpful strategies for someone wanting to quit smoking?

Answer 9

• Gradually cut down
• Switch to less potent brand
• Relaxation techniques
• Aversion therapy (makes taste bad)
• Wellbutrin
• NRT inhaler (cigarette sized prescription device, less nicotine, no tar/carbon monoxide)
• Patch

Question 10

What does alcohol do to the body?

Answer 10

Low concentrations (0.03-0.05)

• Social stimulant
• Affects part of brain which controls judgement

High concentrations

• Depressant
• Decreased motor coordination
• Low verbal performance and loss of judgement
• Irritability, anger, sadness, sleepy, and sedated

Question 11

Discuss smoking on campus.

Answer 11

• Students who use tobacco are more likely to smoke marijuana and binge drink, have more sexual partners, have lower grades, party more, rate athletics and religion as less important
• Students in particular smoke because they can, no parental rules to follow, defiance of parental norms, fears of weight gain, manage stress, denial of nicotine addiction, drinking behaviour

Question 12

What are the forms of alcohol?

Answer 12

Ethyl alcohol - alcoholic beverages

Methyl - should never be drunk

Question 13

What counts as 1 drink?

Answer 13

• 12 ounces of beer, cider, or cooler (5% alcohol)
• 1 glass (5 ounces) of table wine
• 1 small glass (2.5 ounces) of fortified wine (20% alcohol)
• 1 shot (1.5 ounces) of rum, whisky, vodka