Alcohol answers

a.      How much is too much? (What are potential harmful effects of too much alcohol? Short and long-term)

– I believe that everyone is different for their intakes if we want to know how much is too much. Short term effects are impaired judgment, slurred speech, vomiting, headaches,and blackouts. Long term effects included high blood pressure, stroke, heart diseases, liver disease, and never damage.

b.      Can alcohol be healthy when used in moderation? (What are potential positive effects?)

– A glass of red wine a week can help with weight loss and be beneficial for your heart. It can help fight off colds, and boost memory.

c.       How does alcohol affect your body?

– Alcohol effects your body by weight gain, changes body temperature, weaker immune  system, thin bones and less muscles.

d.      Who should health educators target when designing alcohol education programs? Why? (ex. college students, women, athletes, youth, specific ethnic/cultural group)  – Health educators should target the youth so that way when they are older the know that risks of this and what it can do to you and effect you.

e.       What type of information should be included in an alcohol prevention program for the identified population? (Should technical/scientific information be included in health promotion programs? Should there be visual displays?)

– Things that should be included in the alcohol prevention program is that there should be technical and scientific information in health promotion programs as well with visual aids because this way people can truly understand what they are putting into their body and how it can affect them in the short term and long term process.

https://www.google.com/search?ei=U-roW-XlD8izzwKi-4zYAg&q=Who+should+health+educators+target+when+designing+alcohol+education+programs%3F&oq=Who+should+health+educators+target+when+designing+alcohol+education+programs%3F&gs_l=psy-ab.3..35i39.19243.22804..23566…0.0..1.922.2554.3-1j0j1j2……0….1..gws-wiz…….0i71.VyL_ehTVcVw

Here’s another answer

I believe that from a health standpoint alcohol has the potential to do much more harm than good. People whose health is affected by alcohol are typically high risk/heavy drinkers. In order to be considered an “at-risk” or heavy drinker, a male must consume more than 4 drinks on a given day and have more than 14 a week, while females must consume more than 3 drinks a day and 7 a week. Drinking heavily and frequently puts you at risk of developing alcohol use disorder, liver failure, countless types of cancers/diseases, etc. With that being said, there are a few health benefits that come along with drinking in moderation, meaning the consumption of less than 4 drinks a day for males and 3 for females. Moderate alcohol consumption has been linked with lowering the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other heart related issues. It has also been linked with lower chances of developing gallstones and type 2 diabetes. The last benefits are social and psychological. Drinking in moderation can help someone unwind, deal with stress and also help with their social lives. Both of these would lead to better overall health.

Now let’s look at how alcohol affects the body. It can affect the body in many different ways, most noticeably the brain. When drinking, the brain’s communication pathways are disrupted causing a loss of motor skills and the ability to think/act rationally. Heavy drinking over time can also lead to heart failure, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular related issues. It also takes a toll on the liver, leading to inflammation and other problems. In order to help limit the damage that alcohol is able to cause, it is important that information is being spread about the risks of drinking. Health educators should target teenagers and college students to educate them about the pros and cons of drinking. This is because most people will start drinking in their teens, so it is important that before making this decision that they are well informed on the potential benefits/risks. The drinking habits that are formed at a young age can stay with them for the rest of their lives which is why it is important to inform people before they begin to drink. I believe that a program designed for teens and college students should be heavily focused on the risks that come along with the decision to drink. The health risks, the increase in the risk of being injured/picking up sexually transmitted diseases, etc. An effective way to portray this information would be through displays and the use of numbers. This will show them how serious the problem really is if they can see how many people it affects. I believe that alcohol will always be a problem faced by mankind but that it is something that is controllable with the right education system put into place.

https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/How-much-is-too-much/Whats-the-harm/What-Are-The-Risks.aspx

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/drinks-to-consume-in-moderation/alcohol-full-story/

here’s another sample answer: As college students, many individuals misjudge the healthy and safe ways in which alcohol may be consumed. We often do not consider the longterm impact of our actions and the harm that over drinking and underage drinking can cause. Over drinking can be displayed in several different forms and lead to several different negative outcomes in both the short run. It can be seen as the over consumption of alcohol in one sitting, drinking too often, or a combination of the two. In the short run, over drinking can be easily calculated using a blood alcohol content measurement in which displays alcohol’s impact on the nervous system. When individuals over drink, meaning they consume more alcohol than their body can process or more than a standard pour (ie. 12 ounces of bear, 5 ounces of wine, 8 ounces of malt liquor) they can experience mild reactions such as flushing of the face (BAC of 0.033-0.12) all the way to Respiratory Depression (BAC of 0.25-0.4). Longterm alcohol abuse can also lead to extreme health issues such impacting the way your heart receives and distributes oxygen, cause fatty tissue to form on the liver later leading to liver failure, and increase your risk of pancreatitist- a swelling of the pancreatic blood cells that may cause pancreatic cancer. For more information on both the short and longterm impacts of alcohol abuse please visit: https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/alcohol/effects/ or https://www.addictioncampuses.com/alcohol/long-term-effects/

When certain alcoholic beverages are consumed in moderation, there are several health benefits that may be noted. However it is important to note that when alcoholic beverages are consumed in excess, these benefits will be outweighed by other health complications. One benefit noted by the Mayo Clinic (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/alcohol/art-20044551) is the reduced risk of developing heart disease when consuming small amounts of alcohol, especially red wine. They also noted that small amounts of alcohol can reduce your risk of an ischemic stroke (Artery blockage in the brain) and diabetes. However, these benefits can also be achieved without alcohol, such as through a balanced diet and physical activity. These alternatives continuously provide more reliable long-term evidence of benefits and are generally believed to be easier tools to balance than alcohol consumption.

It is so difficult to balance a high and regular intake of alcohol due to the fact that the second you consume an alcoholic beverage, it begins to have an impact on your body. When alcohol is consumed, it is processed by your Gastrointestinal Tract and is diffused into two main aspects of the digestive system 20% into the stomach, and 80% into the duodenum and the jejunum. When this alcohol is dispersed throughout your body, it then has the ability to damage many different cell proteins. As alcohol then moves through your liver and blood stream, many different organs may be impacted. Alcohol interferes with the communication in ones brain, making changes to the pathways that can cause changes in mood, behavior, and decision making processes. It can also lead to cardiovascular issues such as an irregular heart beat and high blood pressure, although these impacts usually occur over an extending period of drinking regularly. Additionally, drinking places an extreme strain on the liver leading to cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis, and fatty liver tissue. Alcohol can also lead to a weakened immune system, reducing your ability to fight inflection and many other diseases. For more information on the impact of alcohol on the body, check out https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/alcohols-effects-body

When working to make individuals aware of these issues, health educators should target individuals ages 18-24, college students, and Native American Populations most heavily. 18-24 year olds have been identified by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as the most at risk group for alcohol abuse with 13% of the population being identified as alcohol dependent. This overlaps with an increase in alcohol abuse by both part time and full time college students who partake in drinking on their college campuses. Finally, 29% of the Native American population exceeds the daily drinking limit for individuals 18-24 and has a history of increased alcohol consumption by this group in the U.S. More information on this can be found at https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa74/aa74.htm

When targeting these populations, is important to emphasize the physical impact of alcohol, but through real world examples rather than purely scientific facts. Young people who should be targeted in this education generally prefer to see examples and interact as they are educated, rather than being scared through statistics and graphs. I believe that when open dialog and personal reflection are included in such education, people are more likely to get engaged and prioritize their own health over what seems cool in the moment.