Myth:
Alcohol gives you energy.
Nope. It's a depressant. It slows down your ability to think, speak, move,
and all that other stuff you like to do.
Myth:
Switching
between beer, wine and liquor will make you more drunk than sticking to one type
of alcohol.
Whatever! Your blood alcohol content (BAC - the percent of alcohol in your
blood) is what determines how drunk you are. Not the flavors you selected.
Alcohol is alcohol.
Myth:
You'll get drunk a lot quicker with hard liquor than
with a beer or wine cooler.
Did we mention that alcohol is alcohol?
Myth:
Everyone reacts the same to alcohol.
Not hardly. There are dozens of factors that affect reactions to alcohol - body
weight, time of day, how you feel mentally, body chemistry, your expectations,
and the list goes on and on. Click to
check your affect.
Myth:
A cold shower or a cup of coffee will sober someone
up.
Not on your life. Nothing sobers you up but time. With coffee, you're simply a
wide-awake drunk!
Myth:
It's just beer. It can't permanently damage you.
Large amounts of alcohol can do major damage to your digestive system. You can
hurt your heart, liver, stomach, and several other critical organs as well as
losing years from your life.
Myth:
It's none of my business if a friend is drinking too
much.
If you are a real friend, it is your business. You can't make someone change but
you can be honest. Maybe they'll listen. You might even talk them into getting
help.½
Myth:
The worst thing that can happen is a raging hangover.
Sorry. If you drink enough alcohol, fast enough, you can get an amount in your
body that can kill you in only a few hours.
Myth:
Drugs are a bigger problem than alcohol.
Alcohol kills 6 ½ times the number of people killed by cocaine, heroin, and
every other illegal drug combined. Ten million Americans are addicted to
alcohol. Alcohol is the #1 drug problem of today's youth.
Myth:
Alcohol makes you more sexy.
The more you drink, the less you think. Alcohol may loosen you up and make
someone more interested in sex, but it interferes with the body's ability to
perform. And then there's pregnancy, AIDS, sexual assault, car crashes and
worse, to worry about. Not sexy at all.
Myth:
People who drink too much only hurt
themselves.
Every person who drinks has a mother, grandfather, sister, aunt, best friend,
boyfriend or girlfriend who worries about them. Each of the 12 million problem
drinkers in this country affects four other people.