Alcohol
Alcohol is a depressant drug. This means it slows down your: reactions, heart rate, changes the way you think, feel, and behave. Because of this Alcohol makes you more likely to take risks and makes you more vulnerable.
Just a few drinks
Alan tells his story of how an evening of drinking alcohol led to a sequence of events that changed his life. The effect of alcohol is also explored through scientific analysis. WARNING: Contains adult themes.
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Alcohol use and Young People
The use of alcohol in the UK for many is part of normal everyday culture. We can find any excuse we can think of to justify our alcohol use. Birth, Death, Wedding, Stress, Work, the weather, party, celebration, bad day, good day you name it we can usually find some way to include alcohol as part of it.
Our attitude towards drinking is reflected in the lives of young people. Some young people just like adults also find any excuse to drink except for young people the risks associated with drinking are much higher than for adults due to several factors.
For young people drinking alcohol can feel like a right of passage into adulthood. Young people are drawn to risk taking and alcohol fits in perfectly with those feelings.
The Risks.
Drinking too much alcohol can lead to overdose and even alcohol poisoning.
If you drink alcohol faster than your liver can process it, the amount of alcohol in your blood rises to a dangerous level. This can lead to overdose.
You could lose consciousness or even die from alcohol poisoning.
Alcohol affects young people more than adults as young people’s organs are not fully developed and it takes longer for their bodies to fully process alcohol and nothing can speed this process up.
It is extremely dangerous to mix alcohol with any other drug.
STAYING SAFE
If you are planning on drinking it is important that they have a safety plan in place to help to stay safe. Remember alcohol free is always the safest option.
Know what you are drinking! The amount of alcohol is different in different drinks, some are stronger than others.
If you are going to drink, make sure you eat something substantial beforehand. This will slow down the rate alcohol is absorbed into the body
Slow down. It takes time for your body to process the alcohol you consume. Drinking too much too soon may cause you to become really drunk quickly
Drink water in between your alcoholic drinks. This will help you stay hydrated
If you start to feel drunk, switch to soft drinks as your body will still be processing alcohol
The only thing that will sober you up is time
Do not leave your drink unattended and never accept a drink off someone you do not know
Do not drink alone
Be in a safe place i.e. not by a river or road
Have an emergency plan
Look after your friends and seek help if worried
It can be really difficult to say no to friends especially if you are offered alcohol by someone you know but it is really important you listen to yourself and are not pressured into doing something you may later regret.
Try to prepare yourself. Think about how you will respond if you are offered alcohol so you will know what to say.
Surround yourself with people who you trust. Friends should understand and respect you for saying no.
Say ‘no’ firmly but clearly and without making a big deal about it. If they try to persuade you, don’t’ feel like you have to change your mind.
If you think you would find it hard to say no to your friends if you were offered alcohol by them. Take a step back and think about whether it is time to find some new people to hang around with.
Before trying anything new it makes sense to find out about it in advance. You can talk to your HSIS Youth Worker in school or contact Response Drug and Alcohol team on 01516664123 for advice and support. You can also visit talktofrank.com to find out about the drug and how it might affect you.
What to do in an emergency
Stay calm, call 999
If you are with someone who needs medical help because they have used drugs or alcohol do not wait to see if they get better.
Call 999 and ask for an ambulance.
Stay calm, keep talking to them and always stay with them.
If they are unconscious (not responding to you), sleepy or passed out. Lie them on their side, tilt their head back and stop them from rolling backwards. (Recovery position)
This will keep their airway cope, ensuring they can breathe.
You might be worried that you will get into trouble for calling an ambulance. You may get told off at home, maybe you’ll even get grounded, but you will have helped save your friends life. In the end your family will be happy and reassured you know what to do in an emergency.
The Recovery Position
By placing someone in the recovery position, you are making sure that they are still breathing and can breathe easily, as it’s not unusual for someone who has become unconscious for their tongue to block their airway. You are also making sure that if they vomit, it will not block their airway and choke them.
1. Open their airway by tilting the head and lifting their chin. Lie them on their side and straighten their legs.
2. Place the arm nearest to you at right angles to the body. Get hold of the far leg just above the knee and pull it up, keeping the foot flat on the ground. Place their other hand against their cheek.
3. Keep their hand pressed against their cheek and pull on the upper leg to roll them towards you and onto their side.
4. Tilt the head back so they can breathe easily.
5. Make sure that both the hip and the knee of the upper leg are bent at right angles.
What happens at A + E?
Young people under the age of 16 will been seen in the Children’s Emergency Department, if are 16 or over you will be seen in the Adults Emergency Department.
In A&E the doctors and nurses will treat your friend as best as they can. This may involve giving treatment to counteract the effect of the drugs. It may also involve observing the young person until there is no longer a risk to their health. All drugs stay active for varying amounts of time, so therefore it is so important to let staff know what has been taken.
You can help by telling the ambulance crew, the doctors, and nurses all you know about what drug(s) your friend had taken, if they’d been drinking alcohol, and if your friend has any medical conditions.
Providing this information will help them give your friend the right treatment without delay.
There are members of Response Substance and Alcohol Team based at A&E during key times, and you may meet them if you or a friend goes to Hospital with a Drug or Alcohol related issue. These workers are there to help and will offer support and guidance if you need it. You may also agree to a referral into their service and complete some work with them to help you understand what has happened and how it can be avoided in the future.
Further Support
Response
If you, or someone you know is having problems with drug and/or alcohol misuse Response can provide help and support. Response offers a wide range of support for young people, aged 13 - 19, including drugs & alcohol, counselling and lifestyle support.
To contact the team call 0151 666 4123 or email response@wirral.gov.uk
We encourage anyone looking for advice to call us, Monday to Friday 9am-8pm.
Health Services in Schools Youth Workers
HSIS Youth Workers support young people in Wirral Secondary Schools, Wirral Sixth Form College and Wirral Met College.
Each school/college has a designated HSIS Youth Worker that provides young people with an opportunity to access confidential support on any issues which may be affecting them.
We provide support to young people on a wide range of issues and topics such as: building resilience, reducing risks, healthy relationships, sexual Health (including issuing condoms in some schools) drugs, alcohol, emotional health, Stress and Anxiety.
To find your youth worker visit their page.
KOOTH
Kooth is an online young persons (11-25) mental health support website. Offering a magazine, daily journal, discussion boards, and live chat with the specialist team.
What is Kooth?
Kooth.com is an online counselling and support service offering a 24 hour source of help for Wirral's 11 to 25 year olds, with information and links to many different agencies and services. Kooth.com offers young people an opportunity to access help and support through our online chat room, where young people can drop in and/or book one to one chat sessions with a member of the Kooth team.
SHOUT
Shout is an affiliate of Crisis Text Line® in the UK that provides free, confidential support, 24/7 via text. It’s the first free 24/7 texting service in the UK for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere. Shout is available in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
Text SHOUT to 85258 in the UK to text with a trained Crisis Volunteer
or
Text BLUE to 85258 to get resources and sign posting information.
Every texter is connected with a real-life human being trained to bring people from a hot moment to a cool calm place through active listening and collaborative problem-solving. All of our Crisis Volunteers donate their time to helping people in crisis.
FRANK
Honest information about drugs
Find out everything you need to know about drugs, their effects and the law. Talk to Frank for facts, support and advice on drugs and alcohol today.