What is alcohol?

Alcohol is a clear drink that is made from corn, barley, grain, rye, or a beverage containing ethyl. When a person drinks alcohol, about 20 percent is absorbed in the stomach, and 80 percent is absorbed in the small intestine. The concentration of alcohol, the type of drink, and whether the stomach is full or empty depends on how fast the alcohol is absorbed. Once the alcohol is absorbed into the tissue, it affects your mind and body. Blood alcohol concentration can rise up to 20 minutes after having a drink. After alcohol is absorbed it leaves the body in three ways: the kidneys, lungs, and liver.

Ethanol in alcoholic beverages has been consumed by humans since prehistoric times for a variety of hygienic, dietary, medicinal, religious, and recreational reasons. The consumption of large doses of ethanol causes drunkenness (intoxication), which may lead to a hangover as its effects wear off. Depending upon the dose and the regularity of its consumption, ethanol can cause acute respiratory failure or death. Because ethanol impairs judgment in humans, it can be a catalyst for reckless or irresponsible behavior.-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol
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• A high proportion of 14-17 year olds are drinking regulary. althoug significantly less than in 2002, there is evidence that the age at which young people first start really drinking is trending downwards.

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Norwegian youth and alcohol

On average, Norwegian youth are 14.5 years old when they drink alcohol for the first time. Young people between 15 and 20 drinks on average 5.5 liters of pure alcohol a year. It is as much as in the 388 0.33-bottles of beer - or 16 cans and four bottles.

Alcohol consumption among young people seems to increase dramatically. Youth drinking more often and more of the time. There are grounds for concern.

The reason for the increase is twofold. For the first is the more popular and more common to drink among young people. Young people drinking alcohol in several social contexts than before and they do it to excess. Another reason is that prices have gone down. Alcohol is simply becoming more available, also for youth, "he said. The corresponding figures for adults are not available, but figures from Statistics Norway show that it sold 6.03 liters of pure alcohol per person over 15 in Norway last year.


Sources: http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2004/07/11/402799.html

what's in a standard drink ?

The Standard Drinks measure is a simple way to work out how much alcohol you are drinking. It measures the amount of pure alcohol in a drink. One standard drink equals 10 grams of pure alcohol.

Facts about alcohol

Where does alcohol come from? What happens to it in our bodies? Where does it go? What effect does it have? Few of us give these questions a passing thought as we sip our wine, beer or spirits. As long as we enjoy the taste and it makes us feel good, the less we know, the better. Right?
That depends. If you're consuming more than six drinks a day, you probably should know what it's doing to your brain. Among other things, the areas affected are involved in reasoning and how thirsty you feel - alcoholics are thirstier than teetotallers for a reason!
Alcohol also causes cancer and heart disease, and it wreaks havoc on the liver. In fact, thousands of Australians die every year from cirrhosis and alcohol-related diseases.
The irony is, alcohol is legal, while other much less harmful drugs aren't.
Of course, not everyone who drinks has a drinking problem. But what of people who can't control their habit? Is their behaviour genetic or learned? And is a little bit of alcohol better for you than none at all? Still want a drink?