Effects of Alcohol and Other Drugs on the Body

Alcohol is by far the greatest hazard for a driver. In Rhode Island, the legal drinking age is twenty-one (21). Drunk drivers cause more than half of the collisions in which somebody is killed. More than 10,000 people die each year in alcohol-related collisions in the United States; 1,900 are teenagers. If you drink, even just a little, your chances of a collision are seven (7) times greater than if you don’t drink.

Alcohol reaches your brain in seconds affecting it before any other part of the body. Upon reaching the brain, alcohol first affects the control of your judgment and skill. Alcohol will affect your ability to estimate distance (depth perception), speeds and the movement of other vehicles, as well as reducing your ability to handle your own vehicle.

Alcohol slows down normal reflexes, interferes with judgment, and reduces alertness and vision. Some people appear stimulated after drinking. This is because alcohol lowers inhibition and self-control.

A 12-ounce container of beer, a 4-to-5-ounce glass of wine and a 1 to 1 1/2 ounce shot of hard liquor have about the same amount of alcohol per serving. Any amount of alcohol can affect you differently at different times. For example, drinking on an empty stomach will affect the body faster than drinking after eating. Alcohol’s effects are greater when you are taking medicine or are tired.

After drinking, there is nothing that will reduce the effects of alcohol except time. Coffee, food, fresh air, or exercise might wake an intoxicated person up, but it will not sober them up. The three methods by which the body eliminates alcohol: Breathing, Perspiring, and Oxidation (removed by the liver).

1. Most drugs taken for headaches, colds, hay fever, allergy, or to calm nerves can make you drowsy and can affect your control of a motor vehicle.
2. When taking prescription medicine, it is important to ask your doctor about any possible side effects which relate to driving.
3. Even though certain drugs can make you alert for a short time, later they can make you nervous, dizzy, and unable to concentrate. They can also affect your vision. When they wear off, they can cause the opposite effect, making you tired and less attentive.
4. Tranquilizers or sedatives make you drowsy and make driving very dangerous, especially when mixed with alcohol.
5. Studies have shown that marijuana can have a negative effect on drivers through reduced reaction time, altered attention to the road, and increased lane weaving. Drivers under the influence of marijuana also have longer visual adjustments to headlight glare.
6. Dangerous types of drugs can be obtained illegally. LSD, cocaine, and heroin are examples. They make users unaware or indifferent to their surroundings and unable to drive a motor vehicle safely.
7. Many drugs, both legal and illegal, have unexpected effects when they are taken with alcohol. Alcohol and other drugs should never be used at the same time. Combining alcohol with another drug can cause a synergistic effect, whereby the effects are multiplied. Not only does this pose a serious hazard to your health, but also it can have a disastrous effect on your ability to drive. One drink taken when you are also taking another drug, even a simple allergy or cold remedy, could have the same effect on your driving ability as having several alcoholic beverages. Even worse, it could kill you!

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