Lesson video

Hello, my name's Miss Willow.

And I'm going to be your teacher for today's lesson.

Today's lesson is called "Staying Safe with Alcohol," and it fits into the unit, "Risky Substances.

What do I need to know about alcohol?" During this lesson, we are going to be talking about mental health and sensitive content, so for this lesson we require you to have an adult with you.

If you don't have an adult with you at the moment, please return to this lesson when you do have one with you.

If at any point you do feel worried or uncomfortable during this lesson, it's really important that you stop the video and that you speak to a trusted adult.

Okay, let's make a start on today's lesson.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain ways of staying safe with alcohol and how to support someone who has drunk too much alcohol.

Before we get started with today's lesson, we need to go over some ground rules.

These helps make sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable during today's lesson.

First of all, Laura says that we need to listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should always listen properly before we make any assumptions or before we decide how to respond.

When we disagree with someone else, it's important to challenge the statement and not the person themselves.

Next, Andeep says that we need to respect each other's privacy.

We can discuss examples, but we shouldn't use any names or descriptions that could identify anyone including ourselves.

If we want to share a story, we can refer to someone as my friend.

This means that we're not going to give away any identifying information.

Next, Jacob says, no judgment.

We can explore any beliefs and misunderstandings that we have about a topic without fear of being judged by others.

And finally, Izzy says that we can choose our level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or to join in with discussion, and we should never put anyone on the spot.

We're now going to take a look at the keywords for today's lesson.

Our first keyword is tolerance.

In this context, the body's reduced response to alcohol after repeated use leading to the need for larger quantities to achieve the same effect.

Next, we have intoxicated.

This is the state of being affected by alcohol to the point where physical and mental control is significantly impaired.

Next, we have alcohol poisoning.

This is a serious and potentially deadly condition caused by consuming large amounts of alcohol in a short period.

And finally, we have support.

This is the actions taken to help someone who's in a difficult or dangerous situation, such as providing care and seeking medical attention.

Today's lesson is split into two learning cycles.

Our first learning cycle is called What are Safe Practices for Drinking Alcohol? And our second learning cycle is called What do I do if someone has had too much to drink? Let's make a start on our first learning cycle.

What are safe practices for drinking alcohol? There are no completely safe ways to consume alcohol.

Each person is different and people's tolerance levels for alcohol will vary.

However, there are some safe practices that adults can follow when consuming alcohol to reduce risks.

Alcoholic drinks come with guidance regarding units and units are a way of measuring how much pure alcohol is in a drink.

So for example, a bottle of wine has around 10 units of alcohol depending on the type of wine.

Single measurements of a spirit, which is usually 35.

5 ml.

For example, gin and vodka will have 1.

4 units of alcohol.

And a pint of strong beer has three units of alcohol.

Many cocktails contain several measurements of spirits and can contain around three units.

And a standard bottle of alcopop, which is a sweetened mixed alcoholic drink, can contain 1.

3 units.

The recommendation by the UK Chief Medical Officer is that an adult should not consume more than 14 units per week.

This is a general recommendation and many people will need to drink much less or none at all to be safe.

For example, if a person is pregnant or if they're on certain medication, they should not drink at all.

It's advised by the chief medical Officer to never binge drink alcohol.

And nurse Daniel explains that binge drinking is when someone drinks a lot of alcohol in a short amount of time.

Binge drinking can impact the way that a person's body works and make them feel intoxicated.

This can lead to health risks and a higher chance of engaging in risky behavior.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing with this learning cycle.

I'd like you to fill in the blank.

The UK Chief Medical Officer recommends an adult consumes no more than blank units of alcohol a week.

Is the missing number, A, 14, B, 16, or C, 18? What do you think? Pause the video.

What do people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that A is correct.

The UK Chief Medical Officer recommends that an adult consumes no more than 14 units of alcohol a week, well done If you said the same thing.

If someone is going to drink alcohol, it's really important to be mindful and to plan ahead.

So they should set themselves limits regarding how much they will drink if they're going to drink at all.

Drink slowly and pace themselves.

To put their glass down when not drinking as this can stop them drinking without realizing it.

They should drink water in between alcoholic drinks to make sure that they stay hydrated.

And they should eat food before and while drinking to slow alcohol absorption.

Unfortunately, some people spike other people's drinks without them realizing.

This usually means putting a drug or a chemical such as methanol into someone's drink.

Dr.

Elsie explains that drink spiking is a serious crime.

It's illegal and it can result in time in prison.

It often causes the victim to become extremely unwell very quickly and in need of urgent medical care.

If someone has been spiked, 999 should be called as this is a medical emergency.

It's never anyone's fault if their drink has been spiked.

The responsibility lies entirely with the person who commits this crime.

However, there are some things that a person can do to help reduce the risk of spiking, such as staying with their drink at all times, not accepting any drinks from strangers and covering their drink for example, with their hand or with a glass or bottle cover.

It's also important if they think that their drink has been tampered with, it's important that they don't drink it.

Let's do another check for understanding, but this time I'd like you to decide if the statement is true or false.

Not leaving drinks unattended is one way that people can help to reduce the risk of drinks spiking.

What do you think? Is this true or false? Pause the video.

Talk to the people around you or have a think to.

Well done if you said that this is true.

It's true that not leaving drinks unattended is one way that people can help to reduce the risk of drink spiking.

However, it's important to remember that it's never anyone's fault if they've had their drinks spiked.

A person should also make sure that they have a plan on how to get home after drinking alcohol.

Drinking alcohol away from home can bring its own risks, and when a person is intoxicated, they can struggle to make it home safely.

Police Officer Paula suggests that people can pre-book a taxi or have a designated driver.

This is someone who will not drink alcohol so that they can drive and they can have a scheduled time that they will leave.

Alcohol is a risky substance and consuming it can increase the likelihood of encountering risky and dangerous situations.

It's important for people to look after themselves and their friends when consuming alcohol.

People will react to alcohol differently and tolerance levels will vary.

If a friend looks unwell or is putting themselves in a risky situation, it's important to take them home and make sure that they're safe.

People should not let their friends leave on their own if they appear unwell after drinking alcohol.

Phones should be kept charged when drinking alcohol as it's important to remain in contact with friends so that no one gets left by themselves and that everyone stay safe.

A person should also check on friends who've left to make sure that they've made it home safely.

Keeping phones charged will also ensure that someone can be called in an emergency.

In this example, someone has checked in with their friend who's left somewhere early.

And they've said, "Just checking you, made at home safely." And they've replied, "Yes, just got in.

Thanks for checking on me." Let's do another check for understanding to see how you're doing.

I'd like you to decide which the following is not safe practice for someone drinking alcohol.

A.

Keep their phone charged to check on friends.

B, if their friend is Ill send them home alone in a taxi.

C, drink slowly and pace themselves.

Or D, have a plan for how to get home.

Which of those is not safe practice for someone drinking alcohol? Pause the video, talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done If you said that B is correct.

It's not safe to, if a friend is Ill send them home alone in a taxi, it may be that they need medical attention and it's important to stay with them so that they stay safe and get the medical help that they may need.

Well done if you said the same thing.

We're now moving on to our first practice task and well done for your hard work in this learning cycle.

I'd like you to complete the paragraph about safe practices when drinking alcohol.

Adults should consume no more than 14 blank per week, but people's blank levels vary, meaning some need to drink much less or none at all to feel blank.

When consuming alcohol, people should pace themselves and drink blank in between drinks.

It's important to stay with your drink to help avoid a blank, which is a serious crime.

People should look after their blank while drinking and never let them go home alone if they appear unwell.

By keeping blank charged, people can get help in and blank and ensure everyone gets home safely.

And here are the words in our word bank, intoxicated, spiking, units, alcohol, water, hospital, friends, phones, emergency, strangers, taxi, tolerance, and police.

Can you complete the paragraph about safe practices when drinking alcohol, using the words from the work bank? Pause the video and we'll go through the completed paragraph in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what your completed paragraph should look like.

You should have said that adults should consume no more than 14 units per week, but people's tolerance levels vary.

Meaning some needs to drink much less or none at all to feel intoxicated.

When consuming alcohol, people should pace themselves and drink water in between drinks.

It's important to stay with your drink to help avoid spiking, which is a serious crime.

People should look after their friends while drinking and never let them go home alone if they appear unwell.

By keeping phones charged, people can get help in an emergency and ensure that everyone gets home safely.

Well done if you spotted that these words were not used, alcohol, hospital, strangers, taxi and police.

Well done if your completed paragraph looked like this.

We're now moving on to our second learning cycle.

What do I do if someone has had too much to drink? Sometimes a person may drink too much alcohol and they can become intoxicated.

When a person is intoxicated, their ability to care for themselves effectively and to stay safe will be limited.

If a person has been binge drinking large amounts of alcohol, they may get something called alcohol poisoning.

It's important to know what to do if someone has drunk too much alcohol and they've now become unwell.

Firstly, it's important to assess the situation.

It's important to stay calm so that you can effectively manage the situation and care for the person.

It's important to check the person for any symptoms of alcohol poisoning, so these are confusion, vomiting, slow or irregular breathing, low body temperature, pale skin, passing out, or seizures or fits.

Dr.

Elsie says that if a person shows symptoms of alcohol poisoning, it's important to take action and seek medical help.

If you suspect that someone is experiencing alcohol poisoning, you must request emergency support as soon as possible.

Call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

Nurse Daniel says that even if you have doubts that the person has alcohol poisoning, if they're unwell from drinking alcohol, it's important to seek help from a trusted adult or medical professional to be safe.

We can also call 111 to get medical advice if we are not sure if it's an emergency.

While waiting for an ambulance, don't leave the person who is drunk alcohol alone.

If someone becomes unconscious and vomits, it can be incredibly dangerous as they may choke.

Where possible it's important to keep the person upright and awake, if they do lose consciousness, ensure that they're lying on their side in the recovery position.

And that you check their breathing regularly.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing.

This time I'd like you to decide if this statement is true or false.

Becoming unconscious after drinking alcohol is fine.

A person just needs to sleep it off.

What do you think? Is this true or false? Pause the video, talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is false, but why? You might have said that becoming unconscious is a symptom of alcohol poisoning.

If you suspect that someone does have alcohol poisoning, it's important to seek medical help urgently and to put them in the recovery position.

Well done if you said this or something similar.

Never give someone showing signs of alcohol poisoning more alcohol.

Try to give them a glass of water instead and encourage them to sip it slowly.

Dr.

Elsie says that alcohol lowers the body's core temperature, so make sure that the person is kept warm and comfortable as well.

For example, by giving them blankets.

Alcohol poisoning is not typical when someone chooses to drink alcohol.

If someone experiences alcohol poisoning, it's important for them to reassess the way that they consume alcohol.

If a person is struggling to control their alcohol intake or experiences alcohol poisoning, it's important that they seek support to prevent it from happening again.

For example, from medical professionals.

There are also many different support groups to help people understand their boundaries around alcohol and support them in making healthy choices.

Josephine, who's a Charity Helpline worker, says that if you or someone you know is worried about alcohol consumption, there are many places to get help.

You should talk to a trusted adult like a parent, carer, school nurse, or school counselor.

You could also contact organizations like Childline for confidential advice.

Remember that asking for support is a sign of strength and not weakness.

Let's do another check for understanding.

It's what this person is saying, true or false? Being sick from drinking alcohol is typical, it's nothing to worry about.

What do you think true or false? Pause the video, talk to the people around you or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is false, but why? Well done if you said that sickness caused by alcohol is a sign of alcohol poisoning, which is dangerous and it is not typical when drinking alcohol.

If someone is regularly sick, they should seek support in managing their alcohol consumption.

Well done if you said something like this.

We're now moving on to your final practice task and well done for your hard work in this lesson.

With your learning partner, I'd like you to discuss ways to support someone who's had too much to drink.

I'd like you to consider in your discussion, alcohol poisoning and its symptoms, calling for help, and keeping someone safe while waiting for help.

So with your learning partner, discuss ways to support someone who's had too much to drink.

Pause the video and we'll go through what you might have said in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what you might have said.

With your learning partner, you may have discussed that if a person has drunk too much alcohol, they may have alcohol poisoning.

Symptoms to look out for include losing consciousness, vomiting, low body temperature, confusion, and irregular breathing.

If you suspect someone has alcohol poisoning, you must seek emergency help.

Call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

Even if you only suspect that they have alcohol poisoning.

It's better to be safe.

Remember, you can also call 111 if you're not sure if it's an emergency, but you feel like you need medical support.

You may have also discussed that while waiting for help to arrive, you must try to keep the person awake and sitting upright.

If this isn't possible, then make sure that they're lying in the recovery position to avoid vomiting whilst unconscious, which can be dangerous.

If conscious, keep them warm and encourage them to sip water slowly.

While done, if you and your partner discussed any of these ideas.

We're now going to summarize the key learning from today's lesson.

In today's lesson, we've learned that when consuming alcohol it's important for a person to understand their tolerance and how they can drink safely to avoid becoming intoxicated.

If someone is drunk, too much alcohol, they may experience alcohol poisoning.

This is a dangerous condition and you should know the symptoms to look out for.

It's important to never leave someone who is intoxicated by themselves.

It's important that they receive emergency medical attention if necessary, or that they're taken home safely.

People who struggle with alcohol dependencies should seek support from a trusted adult or medical professional.

During this lesson, you might have found that you've got some worries or questions, and if you do, it's really important that you share these with a trusted adult.

There's also some resources on the screen that are there to help you to.

Well done for your hard work today.

I hope to see you again soon.