Section 1
Section 1
Alcohol Is a Drug
Alcohol Is a Drug
Objectives
䊳
Describe how alcohol
acts as a depressant in the
body.
䊳
Identify three major
factors that influence
underage drinking.
Objectives
Before class begins, write the objectives
on the board. Have students copy the
objectives into their notebooks at the
start of class.
1. Focus
Quick Quiz See how many of these
questions you can answer “yes” to.
Vocabulary
•
•
•
•
drug
depressant
fermentation
zero-tolerance policy
1
Do you observe the law that
prohibits people under age 21
from purchasing or possessing
alcohol?
2
Do you avoid riding with drivers
who have been drinking?
3
Do you say no to friends who
pressure you to drink?
4
Do you know how to seek help
for an alcohol problem?
Warm-Up Quick Quiz
Use the
clickers
to survey student responses.
Make sure students are aware that
answering no to the quiz questions
can endanger not only their health
but also their lives. Call on several
students to share their responses to
the writing activity. Try to get a
diversity of ideas about ways to avoid
drinking. Tell students they will learn
in this section why it is so important
to avoid alcohol.
What other things can you do to avoid the
risks associated with drinking alcohol?
Facts About Alcohol
You may not think of alcohol as a drug, but it is. A drug is a chemical
substance that is taken to cause changes in a person’s body or behavior.
Alcohol Is a Depressant Alcohol acts as a powerful depressant.
A depressant (dih PRES unt) is a drug that slows brain and body reactions. In slowing the body’s normal reactions, alcohol may cause
confusion, decreased alertness, poor coordination, blurred vision, and
drowsiness.
The depressant effects of alcohol are very strong. If a person drinks
large amounts of alcohol, vital functions such as heartbeat and breathing
can be seriously affected. Death can result.
Teaching Transparency W49
2. Teach
L3 EL Reading/Note Taking 15-1
Alcohol Production The alcohol in beverages such as beer, wine,
and liquor is produced by the process of fermentation. During
fermentation, microorganisms called yeast feed on the sugars in foods
such as malted grains, grapes, or berries. In the process, carbon dioxide
and alcohol are produced.
L2 Adapted Reading/Note Taking 15-1
Facts About Alcohol
L2 Class Discussion
Ask: Why is alcohol classified as a drug?
(It is a chemical substance that changes
behavior.) What type of effect does
alcohol have on the body and brain?
(a depressant effect) Discuss the risks of
alcohol’s depressant effects, especially
while driving. Make sure students realize
that large amounts of alcohol can
depress the body and brain so much
that death results.
374
Chapter 15
374
Chapter 15
and Health
L3 Calculating Proportions
Have students calculate the proportion of
alcohol per ounce of each kind of drink
shown in Figure 1. (beer: 0.5 oz. ⫼ 12 oz. ⫽
0.04 oz. of alcohol per 1 oz.; wine: 0.5 oz.
⫼ 5 oz. ⫽ 0.10 oz. of alcohol per 1 oz.;
liquor: 0.5 oz. ⫼ 1.25 oz. ⫽ 0.40 oz. of alco-
hol per 1 oz.) Have students compare the
proportion of alcohol per ounce in liquor
and beer. Then ask: How much stronger is
liquor than beer? (10 times stronger)
Remind students that some liquors are
even stronger, depending on their proof.
L2 Visual Learning: Figure 1
How Much Alcohol Is in a Drink?
To Calculate Alcohol Content
Multiply drink volume by percent alcohol.
Example: 5 oz wine ⴒ 0.10
= 0.5 oz
This 1.25-oz shot of
liquor contains
40% alcohol,
or 0.5 oz.
12 oz
Beer
This 12-oz
beer
contains
This 4%
beers
contains
alcohol
4%
alcohol.
or 0.5
oz.
This 5 oz-glass
of wine contains
10% alcohol,
or 0.5 oz.
FIGURE 1 All of these drinks
contain the same amount of
alcohol—0.5 oz.
Calculating How much alcohol
is in an 18-oz beer?
Alcohol Content Not all alcoholic beverages contain the same
amount of alcohol. The alcohol content of alcoholic beverages typically
ranges from 4 percent to 50 percent.
Beverages with a greater percentage of alcohol, such as whiskey, gin,
and rum, list their proof on the label. To calculate alcohol content from
proof, divide by two. Thus 100-proof vodka is 50 percent alcohol.
Teens and Alcohol
For teens and others under the age of 21, using alcohol is illegal. In addition, many schools have adopted a zero-tolerance policy. Under such a
policy, students face stiff consequences—including suspension—starting
with the first time they are caught with alcohol or other drugs. Even so,
alcohol is the most widely abused drug among high school students.
What influences teens’ decisions about drinking? The attitudes of
peers, family, and the media strongly influence underage drinking.
Teens who refuse alcohol avoid the serious health and legal risks of this
dangerous drug.
Influence of Peers Some teens say they drink to fit in, or just to do
what their classmates seem to be doing. Teens often mistakenly believe
that everyone is drinking. In fact, millions of teens never use alcohol.
Teens who choose friends who avoid alcohol will have an easier time
refusing it themselves. Some teens refuse because they have a friend with
an alcohol problem and don’t want to turn out that way. Some teens
refuse because they know a friend or family member who was killed
because of drinking.
Connect to
YOUR LIFE
Help students interpret the numbers in
the figure. Ask: Which drink causes
intoxication in the smallest amount?
(liquor) Make sure students know that
consuming large quantities of any kind
of alcoholic drink can be deadly. Call on
a volunteer to solve the caption problem on the board.
Caption Answer 18 oz. ⫻ 0.04 ⫽ 0.72 oz
Teens and Alcohol
L3 Addressing Misconceptions
Drinking Habits Among Teens Students
may have the misconception that a
majority of teens regularly drink alcohol. The misconception may put them
under greater pressure to drink. Share
local data from the CDC’s Youth Risk
Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
available on the Internet. There may be
data for your state, local community, or
school that can help dispel the myth
that most students drink. (Recent
national surveys show that well over
half of students said they had not had
any alcohol to drink in the previous
30 days.)
Connect to Sample answer: We can do
YOUR LIFE activities together that do
not involve alcohol, remind each other
of the dangers of alcohol, and hold
each other accountable for our decisions to avoid alcohol.
L3 Content Update
For: Updates on drunk driving
Visit: www.SciLinks.org/health
Web Code: ctn-5151
Use the Web Code to
access up-to-date information about drunk driving. Have
students complete the Web activity.
How can you and your friends help each other
avoid alcohol?
Alcohol 375
EL English Language Learners
Make sure students understand how the
terms drug and depressant are used in this
section. Have them read the definition of
drug. Give them examples of chemicals
that they may not think of as drugs
because they are legal, including alcohol
(in beer and wine), nicotine (in cigarettes
and other tobacco products), and caffeine
(in coffee and many kinds of soft drinks).
Have students read the definition of
depressant. Rephrase the definition as “a
drug that makes the body and brain slow
down.” To avoid possible misconceptions,
explain that, in this context, a depressant is
not related to the mental illness called
depression.
Alcohol
375
Chapter 15, Section 1
MEDIA Wise
Sports and Alcohol
Introduce the activity by asking:
What are ways that ads for
alcohol try to connect sports and
alcohol in people’s minds.
(Sample answer: They show fit,
athletic-looking people in
outdoor settings.)
Sports and Alcohol
Think back to the last time you watched a sports
event on TV. What kinds of products were advertised
during the commercials? Chances are, some of the
ads were for beer. Besides being aired during sports
events, how do the ads try to connect sports and
alcohol in people’s minds?
Have students do the
activity as a homework
assignment. After students have
completed the assignment, ask
them to describe examples of ads
that received yes answers. Discuss
why yes answers indicate a link
between alcohol and sports. Then
ask how the attempt to connect
alcohol to sports is misleading.
(Sample answer: Drinking alcohol
doesn't improve a person's athletic
performance.)
Activity
Watch two beer commercials that air
during sporting events. Use the checklist above
to evaluate whether the ads make a connection
between sports and alcohol. Then explain how the
connection to sports is misleading.
Influence of Family Teens report that parents and other family
members are important influences on their decisions about alcohol. A
majority of teens want their parents’ guidance in making decisions about
alcohol use. Although your parents may seem tough on you, their rules
and advice can help you steer clear of alcohol and other drugs.
Ask students to write a journal entry
describing how a parent or other family
member influences their decisions about
alcohol. Reassure students that their
writing will be kept private. In case this
issue is too sensitive for some students,
give the class a choice of writing assignments. Another option might be why
drinking alcohol does not increase
popularity.
Influence of the Media Alcohol’s wide availability makes it relatively easy to obtain. Alcohol use is also seen as generally acceptable in
people who are over 21—even though it can be dangerous at any age.
Companies that sell alcohol bombard the public with advertisements
for beer, wine, liquor, and other beverages. Television commercials and
magazine ads often show drinkers in beautiful outdoor settings, at funfilled parties, or enjoying sports. Although the ads never show underage
drinking, the scenarios tend to appeal to teens as much as to adults.
Usually the message accompanying an alcohol ad says nothing about
the product. Unlike ads for some drugs, alcohol ads are not required to list
negative side effects. Instead, the ads promote a one-sided image of
drinkers as athletic, healthy, and successful. The ads give the false
impression that drinking will make you more popular and attractive.
L3 Cultural Connection
376
Chapter 15
TEENS Are Asking . . .
Q: I see kids drinking in the parking lot
during football games on Friday nights.
They look like they know something that I
don’t know. Doesn’t drinking sometimes
make you look cool?
A: You might think these students look
“cool” now, but think about how they
Chapter 15
Is beer shown to improve
athletic performance
or increase enjoyment
of sports?
A “Yes” answer to one or more questions indicates a
link connecting an alcohol ad to sports.
L3 Journal Writing
376
Does the beer have a
“mascot,” as many sports
teams do?
Does the ad make other
connections to sports?
Activity
Discuss the role of alcohol in different
religions. For example, Catholics and
Jews use small amounts of alcohol in
some of their religious rituals, whereas
Muslims and Mormons have strict laws
entirely prohibiting alcohol. Ask students
to share other examples of religions that
either use alcohol ritually or forbid its
use. Point out that religions in which
alcohol does play a role limit its use and
discourage its abuse.
Does the ad have a
competitive or a sportsrelated theme?
would look if they were to drink and drive
and end up in a car crash. Or how they
might look the next morning when they are
hung over and trying to recall what they
said or did the night before. The next time
you think kids look cool because they are
drinking, think about those images as well.
L4 Building Health Skills
Risks of Underage Drinking Teen alcohol use can have very serious consequences. In
fact, alcohol is a huge factor in injury deaths, the
leading cause of death among teens. Teens who
use alcohol increase their risk of the following:
䊳
Being injured or killed in a motor vehicle
crash
䊳
Committing or being the victim of sexual
assault or other violence
䊳
Long-term brain damage
䊳
Problems with alcohol later in life
䊳
Suspension from school, sports teams, or
other school activities
Advocacy Ask groups of students to go
online to find laws and penalties in their
state for the purchase or possession of
alcohol by minors. Have students use the
data to create a brochure advocating
teen avoidance of alcohol because of
the legal risks. Display their brochures
in the classroom.
3. Assess
Evaluate
Legal Risks Laws prohibiting minors—people under the age of 21—
from buying or possessing alcohol are enforced with heavy fines and
lawful seizure of property. For example, law-enforcement officers in some
states can seize a car in which a minor is in possession of alcohol. Selling
alcohol to someone under the age of 21 is a criminal offense for the seller.
In many states, it is against the law to serve alcohol to people under the
legal drinking age, even at a private party.
People found to be driving under the influence of alcohol may have
their driver’s licenses taken away or face other stiff penalties. In some
states, those found guilty repeatedly can be sent to prison. You will learn
more about driving laws in the next section.
Critical Thinking
5. Making Judgments Some people argue that
alcohol should not be considered a drug. After
all, it is legal for adults to use alcohol. What do
you think?
Section 1 Review
Teaching Resources
• Practice 15-1
• Section 15-1 Quiz
L2 Reteach
School Policy on Alcohol Find out your
school’s policy on alcohol. Make a poster that
informs your peers of the rules and the
consequences.
Key Ideas and Vocabulary
These assignments can help you assess
students’ mastery of the section content.
Answers appear below.
Health at School
Section 1 Review
1. What is a depressant?
2. List at least three of the depressant effects alcohol
may cause.
3. Describe how fermentation produces alcohol.
4. What are three major factors that influence
underage drinking?
FIGURE 2 Each year, crashes and
other injuries related to underage
drinking kill about 5,000 youth in
the United States.
Have small groups of students explain
section content to one another, using
the section objectives as a guide. They
should reread relevant passages for any
objective about which group members
have few or conflicting ideas.
L4 Enrich
Teaching Resources
• Enrich 15-1
6. Predicting What legal consequences could you
face by possessing alcohol as a minor?
7. Relating Cause and Effect Students who use
alcohol regularly are more likely than nondrinkers
to get lower grades, drop out of school, and use
other drugs. Offer some reasons why you think
this is so.
Health at
School
School Policy on Alcohol Students
may be able to find their school’s
alcohol policy in their student handbook. Remind them to include the
consequences of breaking the rules,
as well as the rules themselves.
Arrange for students to display their
posters throughout the school.
Alcohol 377
Section 1 Review
1. a drug that slows brain and body reactions
4. the attitudes of peers, family, and the media
5. Students might say that alcohol should not
be considered a drug because it is legal (for
adults) to use, or they might say that alcohol
3. During fermentation, microorganisms called
should be considered a drug because it
yeast feed on the sugars in foods such as
causes changes in a person’s behavior.
malted grains, grapes, or berries. In the
6. heavy fines and lawful seizure of property
process, carbon dioxide and alcohol are
such as cars
produced.
2. Any three: confusion, decreased alertness,
poor coordination, blurred vision, drowsiness
7. Sample answer: Their drinking and
hangovers might interfere with
going to classes and studying. They
might be more likely to use other
drugs for the same reasons they use
alcohol—such as trying to be popular or dealing with problems.
Alcohol
377