Author: Julieta Gil
Is Alcohol a Drug?
You see alcohol everywhere, its part of today’s society, it’s considered part of everyday life.

Most people don’t consider alcohol to be a drug.
First of all, what is a drug? Drugs are essentially poisons. A small amount acts as a stimulant (speeds you up). A greater amount acts as a sedative (slows you down). An even larger amount poisons and can kill.
Alcohol is a drug. It is classed as a depressant (it slows down vital functions of the body). Although classified as a depressant the amount taken determines the effect. Most people take alcohol as a stimulant. Such as taking a glass of wine or beer to “loosen up,” but if one takes more than the body can handle one can experience the alcohol “depressant” effect. One starts to feel stupid or lose control. Alcohol overdose creates an even more depressant effect such as inability to feel pain, toxicity that causes one to vomit, unconsciousness and sometimes even worse, coma or death.
These are not the only risks with alcohol abuse. In the US in 2007, the death toll for teenage drunk driving was 1,393 — that is almost four deaths every day of the year.
Alcohol distorts a person’s perceptions and judgment. This is something that people will readily admit and that their reaction time is slower. They also take more chances that they would never take if they were sober.
Alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream via the small blood vessels in the stomach and small intestine. After a few minutes of drinking the alcohol, it travels through the stomach to the brain, where it produces its effect of slowing down the nervous system.
When taken by pregnant women at any stage of the pregnancy, but most of all in the first few months, it can damage the fetus (unborn child). The alcohol enters the blood stream and goes through the placenta. There are risks of alcohol related birth defects, such as growth deficiency, face abnormalities, damage to the brain and nervous system.
To find out more on the truth about alcohol visit www.drugfreeworld.org
And for the person with a drug problem, there are also real solutions to addiction. Narconon, a drug rehabilitation program that utilizes the methods of L. Ron Hubbard, has a success rate of more than 75%. (www.narconon.org).