Alcohol: Socialising and studying under the influence

People rely on alcohol to have a good time or believe that they need it to feel more confident in social situations. They may feel like alcohol makes them feel happy but alcohol is a depressant drug. This meons that you may react differently to situations ond your mood may be affected.

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Alcohol can lead to…

• Arguments with friends
  Drinking alcohol makes your brain process information differently and you may misinterpret others’ words or behaviours. This can lead to arguments. The idea that you become more confident comes from alcohol lowering your inhibitions, this means that you may say or do something that you don’t mean.
• Taking risks
  Drinking Alcohol makes it difficult to analyse situations appropriately and your ability to think rationally. This may lead to risk
  taking behaviours such as taking drinks from strangers, separating from friends, or leaving with someone you don’t know.

When drinking alcohol it is important to know your limits and stick to them. This will ensure you enjoy your time and won’t wake up with the fear the next day! Regretting, forgetting, or being embarrassed of your behaviour whilst drunk can lead to anxiety.

Effects of alcohol on studying: Alcohol may impact on your studying or quality of your work without you realising it. It is important to recognise that this might affect how well you perform and that could have further implications when it comes to future career prospects.

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The signs are…

• Trouble concentrating
  Alcohol depletes the body of essential vitamins that help with concentration. You may experience trouble focusing on tasks and as a result they may contain errors or be incomplete.
• Bloodshot eyes
  Alcohol causes tiny vessels in the eyes to dilate. this results in red eyes. This is something that is very hard to hide from teachers or potential future employers.
• Tiredness
  Many people think that alcohol helps you sleep but it can actually make you more restless. This can make it difficult if you need to be up early.
• Smelling of alcohol
  It is extremely difficult to disguise the smell of alcohol os it comes out of your skin and breath. This makes it particularly noticeable to others who have not been drinking the night before.
• Memory loss
  Needing to recall information is necessary during school, exams, work, or job interviews. Alcohol can make you forget what you learned that day, as well as make you more forgetful the next day. Not being able to perform well because of alcohol could have long term repercussions.

If you choose to drink it is important to be sensible, Knowing your limits and the potential consequences is essential when making decisions around drinking alcohol.