Youth

We educate about the effect of drugs on the developing teenage brain and help young people to reduce harm and to understand why, at this critical stage in their life, they ought not to use drugs. We work with the whole person from the inside out.

Youth|Alcohol

Alcohol is the drug of choice for much of the western world and the social lubricant of Christian based societies. It plays an important role in so many of our celebrations and social gatherings that, for many, it's hard to think of life without it.

But it is a drug, and for every upside there is a downside, and its over-use makes it officially the most dangerous drug in New Zealand, costing over $5 billion annually.

It is a hard drug and in its pure form, ethanol, a corrosive poison, so we dilute it and flavour it to make it drinkable.

So how many of us are drinking too much?

In the 16-18 age group:

50% are regular drinkers; and
44% risked acute harm last month.

How drunk might I get? This depends on many things, including: how much alcohol you have drunk, how big you are, how much you have eaten beforehand, whether you are male or female, fit with muscles OR unfit & flabby...

How bad will my hangover be? Depends on your genetics, how much you drank, and water levels in your brain. Many people drink lots of water after a night on the booze, to try and reduce the size of the hangover.

What's bad and what's good? Some youth get to the stage where they do not know what's bad or what's good. Research shows that some teenagers who drink heavily learn to associate bad experiences, such as vomiting and car accidents, with pleasure. Neurological processes that were originally designed to ensure human survival are put off course by alcohol. Are you like this?

Good things about drinking alcohol

it makes most people feel more relaxed, happy, talkative and cheerful,
so drinking a little bit of alcohol tends to make us more sociable and able to enjoy ourselves.

So what are the negative effects?