What Is Alcohol?
Alcohol Is Nothing but a Drug does not contain any nutrients for our body. Pure Alcohol is colorless, orderless & inflammable fluid.
To make alcohol, you need to put grains, fruits or vegetables through a process called fermentation, when yeast or bacteria react with the sugars in food - the by-products are ethanol and carbon dioxide.
ALCOHOL CONTENT
Fermented drinks, such as beer and wine, contain from 2% alcohol to 20% alcohol. Distilled drinks, or liquor, contain from 40% to 50% or more alcohol. The usual alcohol content for each is:
Beer 2–6% alcohol
Cider 4–8% alcohol
Wine 8–20% alcohol
Tequila 40% alcohol
Rum 40% or more alcohol
Brandy 40% or more alcohol
Gin 40–47% alcohol
Whiskey 40–50% alcohol
Vodka 40–50% alcohol
Iqueurs 15–60% alcohol
Types Of Alcohol.
There are three major types of alcohol:
- Beer: It’s prepared by brewing and fermenting grains, then flavoring the mixture with hops, a flower that gives beer its bitterness. The alcohol content of beer usually ranges from 4% to 6% alcohol by volume.
- Wine: It’s made using fermented fruits (usually grapes). Wine is completely fermented and has a long aging process, which leads it to have an alcohol content of around 9% to 16%.
- Spirits: A product of both fermentation and distillation. Spirits are stronger alcohols and can have an alcohol content of above 20%.
Effect of Alcohol.
Many people think that alcohol is a ‘stimulant’ as it can give people feelings of confidence and fearlessness. However, alcohol is actually classified as a 'depressant drug', which basically means that it slows down the actions of the central nervous system in your body. If you feel confident or fearless when you drink alcohol, it’s because the alcohol impacts on your brain’s ‘warning system’ which helps you monitor your behavior.
Alcohol's classification as a depressant has a lot to do with how your body reacts to the drug. One effect of alcohol is that it lowers your heart and breathing rates. It also slows down the time it takes for a person to respond to things, which often results in being uncoordinated, having slower reflexes and making poor decisions.
What is a standard drink?
In bars, clubs, and pubs, alcohol should be served in what’s called a ‘standard drink’. This helps people work out how much they’re drinking and can make it a bit easier to control the amount of alcohol a person is drinking in one session.
One standard drink contains 10 grams of pure alcohol which can be a small, strong shot or a large, weaker drink.
Some examples of a standard drink include:
- One 425 ml schooner of light beer (2.7% alcohol)
- One 285 ml middy of regular beer (4.9% alcohol)
- One 100 ml glass of wine (12% alcohol)
- One 30 ml nip of spirits (40% alcohol)
- One 60 ml glass of port or sherry (20% alcohol)
It’s important to remember that the size of drinks served at some places, particularly at parties or home, can have more alcohol than the defined standard drink. Cocktails and party punch can have up to six standard drinks, so even though they may look like one drink they actually contain a whole lot more.
What to do now?
- Practice safe drinking.
- Drink water in between alcoholic drinks.
- Always have a safe plan to go home.
- Always plan drinking at home is safe.
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