A wasted life!!

This weekend all the people were in vacations, and most of them went to the beach: either san carlos or kino bay. Others, went to the united states, and others visited other cities in mexico. However, I noticed that all the people is crazy these days. They drive with big velocities, they buy things crazily, the drink alcohol extremely, and they even say things they should not. With these, I questioned myself: Are not people aware of what they are doing? Why can't people see the opportunities they have and take the best ones? Are not people able to decide and used their willpower for not to drink until becoming unconscious?

In these blog I will try to explain and try to understand some of the consequences of why teenagers drink, as well as the consequences that they suffer or can suffer.

Why teenagers drink?

These were some of the answers I have heard:

- Because its delicious.

- Because it makes me feel big.

- Because it helps me forget my problems.

- Because it makes me more "machito".

- Because all of my friends do it.

- Because it is a tradition in my brothers, so I don't want to break it.

- Because it is a way in which I can have more "girls or boys" behind me <3. align="justify">

What are the consequences of alcohol?

In the alcoholic's body:

Initially, alcohol generally produces feelings of relaxation and cheerfulness at the very beginning, but further consumption can lead to blurred vision and coordination problems. Cell membranes are highly permeable to alcohol, so once alcohol is in the bloodstream it can diffuse into nearly every biological tissue of the body. After excessive drinking, unconsciousness can occur and extreme levels of consumption can lead to alcohol poisoning, damages in the the liver and the immune, cardiovascular, and skeletal systems, and even to death.

In the alcoholic's society:

First of all, alcohol breaks your relations. It starts with your your true friends, then with your job, and finally with your family. Alcohol increases crime, as well as accidents. I have just read in the newspaper that a car with 3 children and their parents, they all die in a car crash in the highway because of an alcoholized young men (24 year-old) who came with 3 of his friends from enjoying spring break. 9 PEOPLE DIE BECAUSE OF ALCOHOL!! Think about it, 9 lives, more than the half innocent. Alcohol takes alcoholics into violence which affects all of us. It also can take the alcoholic, or in some case a member of the alcoholic's family into suicide.

(There are lots of other consequences that I did not mention)

However, if you are an alcoholic, you can still get out of that situation, and recover yourself. The tratment is usually therapies that some insititutions such as AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) and others offer. In extreme cases, there are rehabilitation and medical centers that offer drugs that can help as well as therapies and activities for their better.

Remember, if you are an alcoholic, you can still SAVE your life, you just need help. But, if you are just a drinker, take care of yourself, measure what, how, and when you drink; we only have ONE LIFE, we need to take care of it!

DID YOU KNOW?????

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 2.6 million young people do not know that a person can die of an overdose of alcohol.

Alcohol poisoning occurs when a person drinks a large quantity of alcohol in a short amount of time.

The amount of alcohol in the bloodstream is called the blood alcohol concentration or BAC. BAC is measured in percentages. For examples, a BAC of 0.10 percent means that a person has 1 part alcohol per 1,000 parts blood in the body. Most experts define a lethal dose of alcohol at about .40 to .50 percent; however, the level can be higher or lower for different individuals.

Impaired driving can occur with very low blood alcohol percentages. For most young people, even one drink can adversely affect driving skills.

For young drivers 15 to 20 years old, alcohol involvement is higher among males than among females. In 1997, 25 percent of the young male drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking at the time of the crash, compared with 12 percent of the young females drivers involved in fatal crashes.