ALCOHOL'S TRIP THROUGH THE BODY

1.  Mouth and Esophagus: Alcohol is an irritant to the delicate linings of the throat and food pipe. It burns as it goes down.

2.  Stomach and Intestines: Alcohol has an irritating effect on the stomach’s protective lining, resulting in gastric or duodenal ulcers. This condition, if it becomes acute, can cause peritonitis, or perforation of the stomach wall. In the small intestine, alcohol blocks absorption of such substances as thiamine, folic acid, fat, vitamin B₁, vitamin B₁₂, and amino acids.

3.  Bloodstream: Ninety-five (95) percent of the alcohol taken into the body is absorbed into the bloodstream through the lining of the stomach and duodenum. Once in the bloodstream, alcohol quickly goes to every cell and tissue in the body. Alcohol causes red blood cells to clump together in thick wads, slowing circulation and depriving tissues of oxygen. It also causes anemia by reducing red blood cell production. Alcohol slows the ability of white cells to engulf and destroy bacteria and degenerates the clotting ability of blood platelets.

4.  Pancreas: Alcohol irritates the cells of the pancreas, causing them to swell, thus blocking the flow of digestive enzymes. The chemicals, unable to enter the small intestine, being to digest the pancreas, leading to acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis. One out of five patients who develop this disease die during the first attack. Pancreatitis can destroy the pancreas and cause a lack of insulin, thus resulting in diabetes.

5.  Liver: Alcohol inflames the cells of the liver, causing them to swell and block the tiny canal to the small intestines. This prevents the bile from being filtered properly through the liver. Jaundice develops, turning the whites of the eyes and skin yellow. Each drink of alcohol increases the number of liver cells destroyed, eventually causing cirrhosis of the liver. This disease is eight times more frequent among alcoholics than among non-alcoholics.

6.  Heart: Alcohol causes inflammation of the heart muscle. It has a toxic effect on the heart and causes increased amounts of fat to collect, thus disrupting its normal metabolism.

7.  Urinary Bladder and Kidneys: Alcohol inflames the lining of the urinary bladder, making it unable to stretch properly. In the kidneys, alcohol causes increased loss of fluids through its irritating effect.

8.  Sex Glands: Swelling of the prostrate gland caused by alcohol interferes with the ability of the male to perform sexually. It also interferes with the ability to climax during intercourse.

9.  Brain: The most dramatic and noticed effect of alcohol is on the brain. It depresses brain centers, progressively producing in-coordination, confusion, disorientation, stupor, anesthesia, coma, and death. Alcohol kills brain cells, and brain damage is permanent. Drinking over a period of time causes loss of memory, judgment, and learning ability.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

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EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Information in this table shows the BAC level at which the effect usually is first observed, and has been gathered from a variety of sources including the National Highway Safety Administration, the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism, the American Medical Association, the American Automobile Association, and the National Commission Against Drunk Driving, and www.webMD.com.

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)	Typical Effects	Predictable Effects on Driving
0.02%	Partial loss of judgment Relaxation Slight body warmth Altered mood	Reduction in visual functions (rapid tracking of moving target) Decline in ability to perform two tasks at the same time (divided attention)
0.05%	Exaggerated behavior May have loss of small-muscle control (as in focusing one’s eyes) Judgment changes Good feelings Lowered alertness Release of inhibition	Decline in coordination Lessened ability to track moving objects Difficulty steering Reduced response to emergency driving situations Lessened ability to brake appropriately
0.08%	Muscle coordination becomes poor (e.g., balance, speech, vision, reaction time, and hearing) Difficulty detecting danger Judgment, self-control, reasoning, and memory are affected	Concentration impaired Short-term memory loss Speed control altered Information processing capability lessened (e.g., signal detection, visual search) Impaired perception and lessening of peripheral vision
0.10%	Marked deterioration of reaction time and control Affected speech, poor coordination, and slowed thinking	Reduced ability to maintain lane position and brake correctly
0.15%	Far less muscle control than normal Vomiting may occur Considerable loss of balance Possible memory loss	Considerable impairment in vehicle control, attention to driving task, and in visual and auditory information processing capability

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STATISTICS

According to NHTSA in 2009,

• Of the 10,839 people who died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes in 2009, 7,281 (67%) were drivers with a BAC of .08 or higher.  The remaining fatalities consisted of 2,891 (27%) motor vehicle occupants and 667 (6%) nonoccupants.

• These fatalities represent an average of one alcohol-impaired-driving fatality every 48 minutes.

• The rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes was four times higher at night than during the day (37% versus 9%).

• 16 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes during the week were alcohol-impaired, compared to 31% on weekends.

• The most frequent recorded BAC level among drinking drivers in fatal crashes was .17.

• In 2009, 6,685 (65%) of the drivers involved in fatal crashes who had been drinking had a BAC of .15 or greater.

• Of the 1,314 children age 14 and younger killed in motor vehicle crashes, 181 or 14% occurred in alcohol-impaired crashes.

• Out of those 181 deaths, 92 or 51% of these children killed were riding in vehicles where the driver had a BAC of .08 or higher.
   

NEBRASKA ALCOHOL-RELATED TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT AND CRASHES - 2010
DWI Arrests	12,399
Alcohol-Related Convictions	10,724		Death Rate (Per 100 Million Miles of Travel)	0.97
Conviction Rate	86.5%
Total Crashes	33,212		Alcohol-Related Crashes	1,687
Injury Crashes	11,562		Alcohol-Related Injury Crashes	790
Total Injured	16,712		Alcohol-Related Injured	1,179
Fatal Crashes	166		Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes	46
Total Deaths	190		Alcohol-Related Deaths	53

NEBRASKA ALCOHOL RELATED CRASH DATA