A legal recreational drug that some people enjoy is alcohol (or ethyl alcohol, ethanol). Most people over the age of 18 have tried alcohol at one time point in their lives, and a little over half say they’ve drank in the past month. Read more here – https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics. The legal age to buy alcohol beverages in the US is 21.
Ethyl alcohol is produced by either fermentation or distillation. Fermentation is a natural process of conversion of sugar to alcohol in plants – typically wine and beer is produced by this method. Distillation involves heating alcohol and then condensing the vapor, producing a higher percentage of alcohol by volume. Any liquor over about 12% of alcohol by volume is produced by distillation. In the US, you may also see that alcohol has a “proof” listed on the bottle – this is twice the percent of alcohol by volume. So a liquor that is 80 proof is 40% alcohol by volume.
Long term drinking increases risks for certain health conditions – https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-body Excessive drinking can also lead to injuries and even death, as well as alcohol use disorder – https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/How-much-is-too-much/Whats-the-harm/What-Are-The-Risks.aspx.
How alcohol affects you when you consume it depends on BAC or blood alcohol concentration – defined as the percent of alcohol in your blood stream by volume. Even small changes in your BAC can lead to impaired motor function, attention, coordination, speech, and memory. If you binge drink (or bring your BAC to 0.08 or higher), you may be at risk for serious consequences, including overdose. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/understanding-dangers-of-alcohol-overdose
Some people may be more at risk when they consume alcohol, including college students – https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/college-drinking.
Signs of alcohol use disorder include feeling sick when not drinking, feeling out of control when it comes to drinking, and continuing to drink even though it’s cause you problems. There may be a genetic risk as well – people whose close family members suffer form this disorder may be at higher risk themselves. However, treatment is available through counseling, medications, and peer support. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/treatment-alcohol-problems-finding-and-getting-help
