1. Is there any safe limit for drink driving? Is there any amount of alcohol that
one can consume and still be safe to drive?


A. There is no safe limit. Driver’s judgment, Co-ordination and reaction times are affected by very small amounts of alcohol.
Just one drink will affect driving skills, particularly for inexperienced drivers or those who are not used to drinking.


By the time young drivers reach the legal limit for drinking alcohol and driving, they are five times more likely to cause or get involved in an accident.



2. On average, how long does it take the body to completely get rid of alcohol?


A. The rate at which alcohol is broken down by the world varies according to weight, age, gender general health and whether you are used to drinking.
On average, it takes 1-2 hours for the body to get rid of one unit of alcohol, so depending on how many units you drank, the longer it would take for the alcohol to leave the body.



3. Which of these drinks below contains the most alcohol?


- 330 ml bottle of alcoholic lemonade

- Half a pint of ordinary strength cider

- Pub measure of vodka ?


A. A bottle of alcoholic lemonade contains the most alcohol of the three.
Most Alco pops contain roughly 2 units of alcohol in a bottle.
Alco pops are stronger than many beers, lagers or ciders
A single pub measure of vodka (or any other spirit) and a half pint of ordinary beer or lager each contain 1 unit of alcohol.



4. What are the effects of drinking when under medication? 


A. Drinking while taking medication is both interesting and controversial. 

Many people believe that taking alcohol while taking medication is always wrong.  One often hears people say, “ I am on antibiotics and will therefore not have a drink”.


There are situations when you must not mix medication with alcohol.  In particular, when your doctor prescribes medication that could cause drowsiness, such as sleeping pills, some antihistamines (sometimes taken for the common cold and medication taken for anxiety and depression).  This is because alcohol could make more serious the sedative effect already caused by the drugs, making the reaction unpredictable and possibly dangerous. 



5. Why do some people vomit after taking too much alcohol whereas others don’t?


A. Some people get to vomit ordinarily more easily than others.  Some people seem to have more sensitive stomachs and therefore vomit more easily given the same circumstances. 

Large amounts of alcohol are dangerous in many ways including the fact that alcohol at that level irritates the stomach causing it to contract violently and hence the vomiting sometimes this leads to the complication of vomiting blood, either due to damaged blood vessels or ulceration in the stomach wall. 

Other complications include the inhalation of the vomited material, which could cause one to choke or even develop pneumonia.



6. Does alcoholism treatment really work?


A. First, you need to undergo a diagnosis to prove you are actually alcoholic.

However, while not 100 percent effective in every case, studies have shown that a minority of alcoholics remain sober at least one year after treatment while others have periods of sobriety alternating with relapses. However, treatment outcomes for alcoholism compare favorably to outcomes for many other chronic medical conditions. The longer one abstains from alcohol, the better his or her chances of remaining sober.

It is also important to remember that it often takes several attempts for people to achieve long-term sobriety. Relapses are common, and should not indicate failure or inability to overcome this disease. Seeking treatment is therefore the right thing to do and it does work.



7. Is there a difference in the way that alcohol affects the body as you age?


A. As a person grows older, some physical functions such as vision, hearing, and reaction time tend to decline. Also, other physical changes associated with aging can cause older people to feel the immediate effects of alcohol after consuming fairly small amounts. These factors make older people more susceptible to alcohol-related health conditions and accidents.
Also, since older people in general take more medicines than younger ones, the possibility of dangerous side effects when medication and alcohol are combined increases with age.

In addition, medical conditions that are more common to older people, such as high blood pressure and peptic ulcers, can be made worse by consuming alcohol



8. What is the best way of getting rid of a hangover?


A. Most people who take alcohol have different theories on how long it takes for one to sober up and what one needs to eat or drink in order to sober up faster. 


While some say black coffee would be the ideal drink, other schools of thought argue that a cold shower or a breeze of fresh air would suffice.


Scientific experts say that to get rid of alcohol, the body has to break it down into gas and water in the liver.  The liver can get rid of about 1 unit of alcohol per hour and nothing can speed it up.


Fresh air or black coffee might make you feel a bit more alert, water might help you to avoid a hangover, mints might mask the smell but none will make you sober more quickly.



9. What influences ones behavior after drinking alcohol?


A. The question about the most important influence on a person’s behavior after drinking alcohol has been very frequent.


Different people are affected by alcohol in different ways depending on how you expect it to affect you.


Psychologists have found that what you expect to happen to you when you drink alcohol is a more important influence on how you behave than the actual amount of alcohol you drink.
Experiments have shown that merely believing that you have taken alcohol regardless of actual content leads one to behave in ways they would normally expect to only when under the influence of alcohol.



10. Is it safe to drink during pregnancy?


A. The dangers of alcohol consumption among pregnant women are quite high.  More often than not, pregnant women will indulge in portions of alcohol whether a glass of wine, bottle of beer or a cocktail without knowing the danger that comes with such indulgence.


The reality is that the unborn child is also exposed to the same drink.  Whatever, you eat or drink while pregnant goes directly through your blood stream into the placenta.  If you are having a drink, so will the baby too.


For the unborn child, the alcohol interferes with its ability to get enough oxygen and nourishment for normal cell development in the brain and other body organs.


Research has shown that a developing foetus has very little tolerance for alcohol and infants born to mothers who drink during pregnancy can have serious problems.