Lesson 30: Alcohol

Flashcards about Alcohol

A unit of alcohol is how many grams of alcohol?

10g

For 15 – 24 year olds what is the threshold below which alcohol has no risk?

0 units per week

The drink drive limit in the Netherlands for new drivers is?

0.2 ‰ alcohol in blood

The drink drive limit in the Netherlands for experienced drivers is?

0.5 ‰ alcohol in blood

The percentage of motor accidents in the Netherlands that are caused by alcohol is?

15%

The percentage of murders in the Netherlands in which alcohol is involved is?

25%

Describe the relationship between alcohol consumption and risk of death shown in Figure1.

A direct correlation, risk increases with consumption

What conclusions can you draw from Figure 2?

For men aged 45 –54 alcohol consumption of around 7 units a week produces the lowest relative risk. Risk increases relative to no alcohol above 20 units a week, there is then a direct correlation between consumption and risk.

How would you answer the question ‘Which age group is more at risk from alcohol?’ Consider both the relative risk and the absolute numbers dying.

The relative risk is far greater for the younger men, an increase of 40%. However because few young men die the absolute increase is greater for the older men - an increase of 3.3 per 10 000 as compared to 2.4 per 10000

Use the data in Figure 3 to explain the difference between relative risk and absolute risk.

Relative risk compares the risk of one group with that of another, in this case the risk of death in those drinking 35 units a week is compared with the risk of those of the same age who do not drink at all. It is a useful way of identifying risk factors. However it tells us nothing at all about how great the risk is. An increase of 40% in a low risk is still quite a low risk.

Write a headline for a news story on why the government should do more to reduce drinking in young people. Include data from the table to dramatise the harmful effects of alcohol.

40% more deaths amongst young people due to drinking alcohol.

Write a headline for a news story sponsored by the drinks industry on why the risks to young people are exaggerated. Include data from the table to support your point.

Only 6 young people die due to drinking alcohol

Give examples of unchangeable factors that contribute to cancer risk.

Age, sex, ethnicity, race, other genetic factors

Give an example of a factor that might influence the difference of the impact of alcohol on the body in men and women.

Different tissues, Different hormones

Explain why the last sentence in the text above the table might make it impossible to extrapolate results for humanity.

There might be a different life style in other parts, other ethnicities might dominate in other parts of the world (different genes so different reactions on alcohol)

What factors do you think might influence the difference within the Netherlands?

Unemployment, stress level, rural area

Give possible factors that influence the high use of alcohol in countries as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Long dark nights in winter time, culture

Norway, Sweden and Finland are other northern countries, Why do you think the alcohol consumption per person is so much lower?

The government puts high taxes on alcohol

Give a possible explanation of the difference in use of alcohol between the Netherlands and our German and Belgian neighbours.

Germany produces wine, Belgium has a different standard, advice max 10 glasses a week while Dutch advise is max 7 glasses a week (Which is now lower.)

Explain why a glass of beer, glass of wine, and a mixed drink are all considered to be one unit of alcohol?

All drinks contain about 10 grams of alcohol, that is why we call that a unit of alcohol. (Even though in the UK 8 grams would be the standard unit)