Our task was to make a presentation demonstrating our knowledge of alcohol-related issues affecting young people.
What was the biggest thing you learned while completing this task?
While completing this assessment I have learned a lot more about the government guidelines regarding alcohol. I have learnt how many standard drinks you should have in a day (4) and a week (10). I have learnt that many people binge drink, which can be due to peer pressure. There are many short-term/long-term effects this can have on you. Some short-term effects of binge drinking are nausea, vomiting, unconsciousness and violence. Long-term effects of binge drinking can include mental health conditions, seizures increased risk of various types of cancer and an increased chance of strokes. From this assessment, I have learnt that
different alcoholic beverages contain different amounts of alcohol in them. For example, a giant pint of beer can have the same percentage of alcohol in it compared to a small glass of wine. From this task, I have learned many risks can occur when consuming alcohol and that you should always have a responsible adult around and to have a responsible person around to keep track of how much you are drinking. I have learnt about many dangerous drinking games that people play that are very unhealthy for you and can even lead to death. For example one of the most hazardous drinking games is called power hour. In this game, you consume a shot of beer every minute and it is on for up to an hour. This game can make you very ill and can even lead to death. From this assessment, I have learnt a lot about alcohol, its effects of it, how to keep yourself safe/responsible when consuming alcohol and dangerous drinking games.
What one piece of advice would you pass on to young teenagers above all else? Why?
If I could pass on any advice to young teenagers it would be to try to hold back drinking and to start when you are legally allowed to and if you do underage drink make sure to be safe and follow the alcohol guidelines. If you do choose to consume alcohol, make sure someone responsible is sober and is able to limit your intake of alcohol. Only consume up to the standard drink of alcohol and ask a responsible adult first. I say this because once you start drinking it can become very addictive which is extremely dangerous for you. An excessive amount of alcohol can leave many short and long-term effects. It’s very important to have someone responsible and sober around when you drink and to drink in a safe location that you are familiar with.
Write down a pledge that you will commit to if you start drinking alcohol (at the legal age of 18). Why did you pick these things to commit to? How will you stick to these commitments?
When I am at the legal age of 18 I pledge that I will never binge drink and always make sure that someone responsible is around when I consume alcohol. I say this because binge drinking has many extreme short and long-term effects on you that are very unhealthy. It’s very important to drink with someone responsible around you because they can limit your intake of alcohol and keep you safe. I will commit to this by telling the responsible sober person around me that I do not want to binge drink and that they can help prevent that by not giving me more than the standard drink.
