I. Your choice

When you are staying with friends, do you think that alcohol is necessary to have fun? Do you enjoy going to the bar? Will you choose to drink alcohol when you are happy, sad or have problems?

How much do you know about alcohol? Is alcohol your friend?

II. Reasons for drinking

What do you expect from alcohol when you choose to drink?

Myth 1：People will laugh at me if I do not know how to drink and it means that if I can drink a lot I am a good worker too.

Truth 1：In general, alcohol-related harm expresses as a continuum. It will also make you have lots of drunken misconduct which will put you in an embarrassing situation.

Myth 2：Girls need to learn how to drink in order to prevent any danger when going out to have fun.

Truth 2：It would be better not to put yourself into high- risk situation instead of learning how to drink. Alcohol can inhibit rational thought which may make you jump into a danger situation.

Myth 3：Drinking occasionally will not cause any problems and I will not get addicted so easily.

Truth 3：Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen and causes many cancers. Children, adolescents and youth are likely to suffer from damage on brain development and alcohol dependence in later life.

Myth 4：Alcohol can help me to deal with the emotional problems and the difficulties that I am facing with.

Truth 4：Alcohol can contribute to the feeling of depression and anxiety and make stress harder to deal with. Drinking alcoholic beverages has both immediate and long-term effects on your health. It will also make you have lots of drunken misconduct. This will bring lots of stress to you and may drive you to drink more alcohol which can lead to a vicious cycle.

III. Alcohol and You

Do you know what is binge drinking?

According to the Department of Health, if someone who consumes five or more drinks at one time, he/she will be regarded as binge drinking. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, drinking over 8 units in a day for men or 6 units for women is known as ‘binge drinking’.

When you choose to drink, do you know how alcohol affects you?

Effects of alcohol

Drinking alcoholic beverages has both immediate and long-term effects on your health. For instance, tranquillizing, breathing difficulties, unconsciousness, coma, acute alcohol poisoning, depression, anxiety and insomnia etc.

Besides from the dangerous side effects on our health from drinking, alcoholic beverages will also make you have lots of drunken misconduct.

Loss of Personal possessions

One of the main effects of getting drunk is the inability to manage personal belongings. This is something which many culprits can take advantages over.

Reckless Speech

Alcohol will inhibit people’s self-restraint ability. Alcohol can cause unintended information to be given out as well as conflicts with others, which damage your social life as a result.

Unsafe Sex

Drinking can affect one’s judgement. This can lead to unsafe sex. Unsafe sex exposes you to the possibility of infecting AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy. In addition, drinking can also lead to various sex offences such as rape, indecent and sexual assault. These are all serious criminal offenses.

Conflicts with others

Alcohol inhabits rational thoughts. It reduces self-control and the ability to judge. Many people have conflicts with others after drinking and this leads to many serious injuries and criminal offences.

IV. Alcohol content

Every time when you drink alcoholic beverage, have you ever paid attention to the alcohol content?

Know the alcohol content (alcohol by volume) of the beverages that enter your mouth. Choose drinks with lower alcohol content.

If you wish to understand more about the disadvantages of drinking alcohol and calculate how much you drink, you can download our mobile application ‘Alcohol Unit Calculation’.

V. Tips on Saying No to Alcohol

On special occasions, you may feel the pressure to drink more than usual. Below are some tips which can help you to Say No to alcoholic beverages:

Direct rejection：No matter how your friends persuade, just keep on smiling and give a polite, convincing ‘No thanks’ reply. You do not need to provide any explanation, but just stick to your decision.

Leaving the scene：You find an excuse to leave the scene when your friends invite you to drink.

Self-ridicule：Use a humorous tone to dilute peer pressure.

Friendship persuasion：Use a sincere attitude to let your friends understand that you value friendships. Therefore, they should not force you to drink.

* You can still have a great time with non-alcoholic beverages as alternatives.