You've probably heard the expression "You are what you eat." People may not talk about it as much, but you are what you drink, too. Drink healthy liquids and you'll feel good. Drink the wrong stuff like alcohol and you'll feel bad--in many ways. When you drink alcohol, it affects almost every part of your body. This is especially important when we're talking about kids' bodies.
Look at this illustration and you will see what we're talking about. Not all these things happen to everyone, but you can't be sure which ones will happen to you.
Lungs Large amounts of alcohol can make it hard for you to breathe. You can pass out. If you throw up, you may not be able to breathe easily and you might choke.
Blood Alcohol can affect your blood's ability to clot. That means if you are cut, it will be harder to stop bleeding and form a scab. Your white blood cells--the ones that fight germs--may not work as well, so you may get sick.
Liver Alcohol can cause fat to build up in your liver. That becomes scar tissue, which can lead to a liver disease that can eventually kill you.
Small Intestines/Pancreas Alcohol can damage the lining of your intestines. Your pancreas can become irritated.
Stomach Alcohol can irritate your stomach and make it produce too much acid. More acid in your stomach can cause you to throw up or feel sick later.
Kidneys Alcohol can make you go to the bathroom over and over and over. You become dehydrated, meaning you don't have enough water in your body. Without enough water, your kidneys could stop working.
Brain drinking alcohol might depress you and affect the brain cells that help you think and move normally. This could make you do all sorts of things that you wouldn't normally do.
You might not be able to remember your address. You might start crying just because someone looks at you or for no reason at all. You might get a fierce headache that seems to last forever. You might have a hard time concentrating on what people are saying. You might become so dizzy that you are unable to do such basic things as tie your shoes or unlock a door. You might call your best friend ugly in front of everyone. You might pick a fight with someone much bigger than you. You might commit a crime like stealing or vandalizing. You might run across a highway or do something else that's dangerous.
Eyes Alcohol can make it hard to stay awake, but then it also disturbs your sleep. When you wake up, you will still be tired, and maybe grouchy, as well.
Mouth Alcohol can make you mumble your words. You may speak too loudly. You may say rude things that offend people. You may say things you'd never say if you hadn't drunk alcohol. Your breath may stink.
Heart Alcohol can stress your heart. You may have an irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, a stroke, even heart failure.
Legs Alcohol makes you clumsy. You can't walk straight and you trip, even over nothing.
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