Myth:
Alcohol gives you energy.
Nope! It's a depressant. It slows down your
ability to think, speak, move and all that other silly 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:
Everybody 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.
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.
Myth:
The
worst thing that can happen is a raging hangover.
Sorry! If you drink enough alcohol, fast enough, you can get
enough in your body that can kill you in only a few hours.
Myth:
Drugs
are a bigger problem than alcohol.
Alcohol and tobacco kill more than 50 times the number of
people killed by cocaine, heroin, and every other illegal drug combined. Ten
million Americans are addicted to alcohol.
Alcohol is most certainly a drug!
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!