What are Depressants?
Depressants depress the Central Nervous System by mimicking either the brain's natural sedating chemicals or thwarting the brain's natural ability to produce stimulating chemicals.

What are the general depressants drug abusers use?
Some of the depressants include: alcohol, opiates, sleeping pills, sedatives, barbiturates and anesthetics. Alcohol is the drug most commonly used by adolescents. That is right, alcohol is a drug.

Alcohol alone is a clear liquid. It takes on the colors, smells and tastes of various products added by manufacturers of beer, spirits, and wine. Of all the ingredients in a glass of beer or wine, it is simply the sugar that creates the alcohol, and it is the alcohol that creates the intoxication. Nonalcoholic beer is simply beer, like any, but without the sugar. The sugar ingredient might contribute to why it is that 70%- 90% of all alcoholics have hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is a sugar sensitivity which is usually under diagnosed in many adolescents, but it is a very important biological issue that needs to be addressed for alcohol abusers and alcoholics in treatment (Larson, J, 1997). Please refer to appendix ??? for the symptoms of hypoglycemia.

ALCOHOL CONTENT

Common beers = 5% alcohol Dinner wines = 10 -14 % alcohol Sherry, Port = 16 - 20% alcohol Rum, gin, etc. = 40% alcohol Alcohol Proof is established by multiplying the percentage of alcohol by 2. Therefore, many cough syrups are 40 - 50 proof.

Alcohol dis-inhibits many adolescents, therefore increasing risk-taking behavior to the point of bad judgement or danger. This judgement has lead to the emotional immaturity, std's, legal consequences and death of many adolescents who we have worked with over the years. Adolescents use many different terms when they refer to alcohol.

What are the street terms for alcohol?
Some of the street names for alcohol are: "booze", "brew", hooch", "forty", "forty-ouncer", and "brewsky". No matter what the name is, it still has negative effects.

What are the effects of alcohol?
SHORT TERM EFFECTS
· diarrhea
· upset stomach
· anaemia(loss of red blood cells)
· red, blotchy, or dried out skin
· increase skin acne problems
· headaches (loss of fluid in the brain)
· decreased perception and coordination
· slowed reflexes and mental processes
· loss of consciousness
· black outs (memory lapses)

LONG TERM EFFECTS
· cirrhosis of the liver
· malnutrition
· cancer of the mouth and throat
· increased stomach acid
· gastritis (inflamation of stomach walls)
· ulcers
· pancreatitis
· increased blood pressure
· weaken muscle fibre
· weakness of bones
· dependence
Note: mixing alcohol with other drugs can result in hospitalization or death.