Most people know that too much alcohol is unhealthy. Over time, alcohol can damage the liver, heart, nervous system and brain. Drinking too much can make a person seriously ill. It can even kill you.

Alcohol can change lives in other ways, too. Drinking can cause people to take risks they wouldn't usually take. When these risks involve sex, it can result in an STD.

STD, or sexually transmitted disease, is passed from person to person during close sexual contact. Some STDs cannot be cured. Herpes and genital warts are caused by a virus that stays in the body for life. HIV and hepatitis B are life threatening.

The best protection against STD is not to get one in the first place. This means making decisions about sex and STD and sticking to them no matter what. Drinking alcohol can make it much harder to do this.

Alcohol affects emotions. Even one drink can make people feel more relaxed. At the same time, alcohol can affect judgment and cause people to have less control over their actions. Together these two reactions can lead to decisions that could result in STD. To avoid STD, a person must

• Know the risks of STD.
• Talk to potential partners about past sexual history and protection.
• Decide on the best way to protect himself or herself from STD and stick to this decision.
• Be prepared to resist pressure from a partner.

These steps can be more difficult if one or both partners have been drinking.

n Many people with an STD have no symptoms. But they can still pass the STD to a sexual partner. You can't tell by looking if someone has an STD.

n Two STDs - HIV and hepatitis B - can also be passed by sharing needles with someone who has the infection. Sharing needles for any reason, including to inject drugs or steroids or for tattooing or body piercing, is dangerous.

n Untreated STD can damage reproductive organs and other parts of the body. Babies born to mothers with STD can have birth defects.

Talking with a possible sexual partner about past sexual history and about the best kinds of protection is important to avoid STD. Alcohol makes it harder to communicate well with a potential sexual partner.

There are several ways to protect yourself from STD.

ABSTINENCE. Not having sex is the best way to avoid getting an STD. Alcohol lowers self-control. People who are drinking may change their minds about being abstinent.

HAVING ONLY ONE SEXUAL PARTNER.

This can also be safe. Partners must not have an STD, have sex with anyone else or share needles of any kind.

CONDOMS. Latex condoms used correctly every time a couple has sex are highly effective protection against STD. Alcohol can cause a couple to be careless so that the condom breaks or slips. Or they might have sex without taking the time to use protection.

OTHER DRUGS. People who use alcohol are more likely to use other drugs. Combining alcohol with other drugs increases the effects of both drugs. Sharing needles to inject drugs, or having sex with someone who shares needles, puts people at high risk of getting HIV or hepatitis B.

A person who has been drinking is more likely to pressure someone into having sex, or to give in to pressure to have sex.

Alcohol goes directly from the stomach

into the bloodstream. It is quickly carried to the brain, liver, and

other major parts.

The liver helps the body get

rid of the alcohol, but if a

person drinks more than the

liver can handle, alcohol

builds up in the body. The more alcohol there is in the body, the more impaired a person becomes.

Only time will sober a person up. Drinking strong coffee will not help. The liver of a 150 pound man takes about one hour to get rid of one drink.

An alcoholic drink is any drink that has half an ounce of alcohol.

One 12-ounce can of beer, one 4-ounce glass of wine, or one "shot" (1 ounce at 100 proof) of hard liquor each contain half an ounce of alcohol. Beer and wine are as dangerous as hard liquor.

There is no way to know what amount of alcohol is safe because people respond differently to alcohol. Alcohol causes different feelings in different people. It can also cause different feelings in the same person at different times.

Many things affect how alcohol makes a person act and feel:

n Size, age, and gender

n How fast a person drinks

n Having food in the stomach.

Females, smaller people or people who drink on an empty stomach usually react to alcohol more quickly than muscular males who eat shortly before they drink. Young people are more affected by alcohol than older people.

Using alcohol with another drug increases the effects of both drugs. Many deaths have resulted from mixing alcohol with illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, or heroin.

Using alcohol and legal drugs such as sleeping pills, tranquilizers, antidepressants, painkillers and cold and allergy medicines is also dangerous.

Your best choice is not to drink at all when you need to make important decisions. If you choose to drink, there are some things you can do to protect yourself from STD:

n Know how alcohol affects your feelings and judgment. Remember that drinking can change your opinion about what's safe and what's risky.

n Talk with your partner about STD risks when neither of you is drinking. Agree on a plan to protect yourselves from STD and stick with it.

BACK TO CHESHIRECARES UNDERAGE DRINKING