Alcohol is a very powerful, addictive drug that some adults enjoy in low doses, but that is damaging or even lethal in high doses. Many adults drink moderately and are safe. Alcohol is often called a "gateway drug.".When young people like the feeling they get from alcohol, they may be interested in trying other drugs later.

This can lead to multiple drug use, which is very dangerous. Alcohol is absorbed from all parts of the gastrointestinal tract largely by simple diffusion into the blood. However the small intestine is by far the most efficient region of the gastrointestinal tract for alcohol absorption because of its very large surface area.

Alcohol is a toxin. Your body reacts to alcohol like a poison. Alcohol is also classified as a food because it contains calories. The average drink has about the same calorie count as a large potato but, unlike a potato or any other food, alcohol has no nutritional value. Alcohol is also a diuretic, which causes the kidneys to incre ase urinary output, contributing to dehydration and your hangover.

Alcohol is involved in over half of the fatal car crashes in the U.S. Although many states consider a driver legally intoxicated when the Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) reaches .10%, driving skills are affected at levels as low as .03-.05%. Alcohol is water soluble and the bloodstream rapidly transports the ethanol throughout the body where it is absorbed into the body tissues in proportion to their water content.

Alcohol is a neurotoxin that affects the brain in a complex manner through prolonged exposure and repeated withdrawal, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Alcohol-related psychosis is often an indication of chronic alcoholism; thus, it is associated with medical, neurological, and psychosocial complications.

Alcohol is one of the strongest stimulants of these receptors we know of. Each time you drink, it turns the pleasure on. Alcohol is a problem if it causes problems in any part of your life. This includes your health, your work and your life at home. Alcohol is there to help. Whatever modestly ironic intelligence put the planet together decreed that from decay comes the means to keep decay at bay.

Alcohol is believed to have been involved at least 50% of the time. New findings show a clear relationship between days of alcohol consumption and risk of experiencing victimization both sexual and nonsexual. Alcohol is associated with over 50 percent of adult drownings.

Up to 40 percent of industrial fatalities and 47 percent of industrial injuries are linked to alcohol consumption and alcoholism. Alcohol is postulated to act by facilitating GABA-A function, by interacting with the GABA-A receptor, but at a site different from the GABA binding site or the benzodiazepine binding site. This results in the activation of the DA neurons in the mesolimbic system.

Alcohol is considered a food with non-nutritional calories that quickly add up. When you abuse alcohol, you tend to be undernourished, making your hair dry, giving you cracked lips, aggravating acne, making your eyes look glassy, and giving your skin a puffy broken vein look.

Alcohol is eliminated by the body in three ways: metabolism, excretion and evaporation. The rate at which these three occur varies from person to person. Alcohol is a part of life at Williams. According to a random survey conducted by the CONNECTIONS program during the 1990-1991 school year, 90% of Williams students had used alcohol at least once during the past year.