Lesson video

Hi, I'm Miss Lowe, and I'm your RSHE teacher for today.

Thank you so much for choosing to complete your learning with me.

Now, because of some of the sensitive content contained in today's lesson about the effects of alcohol, it's really important that you can complete your learning with an adult present.

So here is our lesson outcome for today.

So by the end of the lesson, you're going to be able to explain the short-term and long-term effects of alcohol on the body and the mind.

Every RSHE lesson should begin with a set of ground rules.

This ensures that every conversation had in RSHE is respectful, and we're all able to learn effectively.

So Laura is reminding us that in RSHE, we should listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

And when disagreeing, we challenge the statement and not the person.

Andeep is reminding us to respect privacy.

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

Izzy is reminding us to choose a level of participation that suits us.

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

And finally, Jacob is reminding us that in RSHE, there is no judgment.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without the fear of being judged.

Now let's have a look at our keywords for today's lesson.

So our first keyword is "short-term effects." In this context, it means the immediate consequences of alcohol consumption, such as impaired judgment and coordination.

"Long-term effects," in this context, health issues that arise from prolonged alcohol misuse, including liver damage and addiction.

"Alcohol dependency:" a feeling of needing alcohol to carry out normal daily activities.

And finally, "misuse:" using something the wrong way.

So here is our outline for today's lesson, and the first thing we're gonna be looking at is: what are the short-term effects of alcohol? So alcohol is a drink which contains ethanol.

And as the doctor here is telling us, ethanol is a clear liquid, and it's produced when yeast ferment sugars and grains and fruits and vegetables.

And it can be found in alcoholic beverages, things like beer, wine, and spirits.

And this ethanol can have an immediate effect on the body.

Sometimes people use the word "drunk" to describe these effects.

Some people might use the word "intoxicated," but they are words to describe the short-term effects of consuming alcohol.

So when a person consumes alcohol, it enters the bloodstream through the mouth and through the tongue.

It then goes through the small intestine and the stomach.

And the less food that a person has in their digestive system, the faster the alcohol actually travels into the bloodstream.

And when alcohol reaches the bloodstream, it moves through it very quickly, and it remains there until the liver can metabolize it or break it down.

So alcohol, when it's in your bloodstream, it can cause some short-term effects like flushing or redness of the skin, a temporary feeling of warmth, and even a drop in blood pressure.

Now, alcohol can actually cause intense hot flushes and sweating in some people.

And this is a sign of something we call alcohol intolerance.

This is the body's way of telling you that this alcohol is not good and the body is rejecting it.

It doesn't like it.

So it only takes five minutes for alcohol to enter the brain and 10 minutes for a person to feel the effects of it.

So the effects of alcohol can come on very, very quickly.

Even a small amount of alcohol can have an immediate effect on the body.

And this includes things like impaired judgment and coordination.

And when we say "impaired judgment," we're talking about a person's ability to make decisions and think about them properly being reduced.

So, not being so good at making good decisions.

And the reason for this is because alcohol affects the frontal lobes of the brain, and the frontal lobes are responsible for really important things like decision-making, regulating our emotions, our judgment, and our muscle control.

So let's pause a minute here, and let's check our understanding.

True or false? Alcohol only affects the body if consumed in large amounts.

What you're gonna do is pause the video here, have a quick think about your answers, and then we'll join back together and go through them.

Really well done for giving that a go, and an extra well done if you said false.

But why do we know that this is false? Well, even in small amounts, alcohol can have a significant effect on both the body and the mind.

It can affect things like judgment and coordination, and it can affect the way a person feels.

They might feel intoxicated or drunk.

So due to the impact of alcohol on the frontal lobes, a person might experience these short-term effects: slurred speech, not being able to speak properly, having difficulty getting your words out; a temporary sense of giddiness or happiness; blurred vision; nausea, so feeling a bit sick and poorly; changeable emotions; and a loss of coordination.

Now, depending on the quantity of alcohol that a person has consumed, they may experience some more severe short-term effects.

And these include vomiting; alcohol poisoning, which is a very serious short-term effect of consuming alcohol; a loss of memory; or something called alcohol-induced psychosis, which is a condition involving paranoia, hallucinations, and trouble thinking clearly.

But going back up to alcohol poisoning, this happens when a person is drinking faster than their body can break it down.

And if this happens and a person is showing signs or symptoms of alcohol poisoning, they may actually need to go to hospital.

It's a very serious short-term effect.

Consuming alcohol can also lead to something known as a hangover, and this is an aftereffect of consuming alcohol.

Hangovers are caused by consuming too much alcohol, and they come with some pretty nasty symptoms, including nausea, so feeling sick; vomiting, so actually being sick; headaches, fatigue or tiredness, light sensitivity, and dehydration.

Now, alcohol can impair a person's judgment, and it can lead them to engage in risky behaviors.

Now our two doctors here are telling us some really interesting facts about alcohol's link to risky behaviors.

Firstly, our doctor on the left is saying that in 2023, nearly 40% of violent crime cases were believed to be the result of alcohol consumption.

Our doctor on the right is telling us that more than one in 10 visits to A&E are actually caused by alcohol-related incidents.

And we can see here that a person's engagement in risky behavior because of alcohol not only affects them, but it can also affect the people around them.

Now let's pause for a moment here and check our understanding about the short-term effects of alcohol.

So which of the following are symptoms of a hangover? You're gonna pause the video here, choose the right options, and then we'll join back together and go through them.

Really, really well done, and extra well done if you said experiencing headaches and vomiting as being side effects or symptoms of a hangover.

And we know that B is not a symptom of a hangover because hangovers don't make you feel hydrated; they make you feel dehydrated.

Now we're gonna put our learning into practice.

Around an outline of a person, I would like for you to label some potential short-term effects of alcohol.

I'd like you to try and get five potential short-term effects labeled around your outline of a person.

So pause the video here, have a think about your answers, and then we'll go through some ideas together.

Good luck, everyone.

Amazing work.

So some of the potential short-term effects that you could have listed are engaging in risky behavior, slurred speech, a hangover, fluctuating emotions, so being able to control your emotions, alcohol poisoning, nausea, and impaired judgment.

Now, if you wrote down any of those short-term effects around your diagram of the person, a big well done to you.

Moving on now to our second learning cycle.

And we're asking the question: what are the long-term effects of alcohol? So drinking more than the recommended amount of alcohol over many years can have a long-term impact on a person's body and a person's brain.

Some of these long-term impacts or effects can include: liver damage, which could actually lead to cancer; high blood pressure; memory loss or loss of brain function.

And we mentioned that memory loss was a short-term effect of alcohol consumption as well.

But when consumed over long periods, it can have a more significant impact on a person's memory and a person's brain function.

It can cause depression and/or anxiety and sexual health problems. And it could actually lead to something called alcohol dependency or addiction.

So your liver is responsible for metabolizing, and this means breaking down, alcohol in your system.

So the risk of liver cancer begins with consuming low amounts of alcohol, and it actually increases the more a person drinks.

This is because every single time a person drinks alcohol, it destroys some of the liver cells.

So it has a negative impact on the liver, no matter how much alcohol is consumed.

Over time and with excessive drinking, the liver can actually start to develop scarring.

Now, this is where those liver cells have died and then tried to regrow.

And what happens after that's happened a lot of times is that the liver cells can actually struggle to regenerate.

Now, this is known as cirrhosis.

The scarring of the liver can potentially then lead to liver cancer.

So a very serious long-term effect.

So let's check our understanding here about some of those long-term effects of alcohol.

Drinking alcohol can only affect your liver in the long term.

You're gonna pause the video here and have a think about your answer, and then we'll join back together and go through the correct one.

Great work, and an extra well done if you said false.

But why do we know that this is false? Well, alcohol is linked to several long-term health conditions, things like high blood pressure, loss of brain function, and anxiety and/or depression.

So let's have a look now at how alcohol can affect a person's heart.

So blood pressure can be impacted by drinking just three drinks in one sitting.

Long-term drinking can lead to dangerously high blood pressure.

And the word that is used to describe dangerously high blood pressure is hypertension.

So what happens is alcohol causes the blood vessels to narrow, and this means that the heart has to work that much harder to pump blood around the body.

And what this does is it puts pressure on the heart and the arteries, and it raises a person's risk of things like heart disease or a stroke.

So short-term drinking can temporarily impact your brain.

We saw that drinking just a bit of alcohol can affect a person's frontal lobes, whereas long-term drinking, or long-term alcohol misuse, can actually lead to a permanent change in the brain.

So what we can see here is a neuron.

So neurons exist in your brain, and they are responsible for really important things like memories and sending signals from the brain to the body.

Now, alcohol misuse, long-term alcohol use, can actually alter or damage these neurons.

This can lead to things like memory loss, it can affect a person's coordination, and again, it can impair a person's judgment.

So a really serious impact on those super important neurons that live in our brain.

So long-term alcohol misuse can actually alter brain chemistry, and this can lead to serious mental health issues like depression.

Now, interestingly, alcohol is known as a depressant.

And what this means is that it can actually cause low mood, and it can enhance low mood.

So if somebody's already feeling depressed or stressed or upset, alcohol can make that feeling worse.

Drinking alcohol can often result in a hangover.

So if a person drinks heavily long-term, this can have a lasting effect on the brain.

Another area of a person's life that can be affected by long-term alcohol misuse is sexual health.

And alcohol misuse can lead to some sexual health problems. It might cause impotence, which is a word that we use for difficulty getting or maintaining an erection.

It can reduce or decrease feelings of sexual pleasure.

It can harm a person's sex drive, so a loss or reduced desire for intimacy.

It can cause low sperm production, and it can lower the number and quantity of eggs, and it can increase a person's chances of getting a sexually transmitted illness.

And this is due to a person's engagement in risky behavior.

So we're gonna pause the video here, and we're gonna have a think about what we've just learned, and we're gonna check our understanding.

So which of the following statements about the long-term effects of alcohol are accurate? You're gonna pause the video here, have a read through those three statements, and we'll join back together and go through the answers.

Very well done for giving that a go.

And well done if you said A.

So, alcohol is a depressant, and it can intensify low mood.

So if somebody is feeling sad or depressed or stressed and they consume alcohol, alcohol can make those feelings worse and intensify those negative feelings.

Now we're gonna put our learning into practice.

So here is a table, and you are going to complete the table with the long-term effects that alcohol can have.

There is a list of body parts or types of health, and you're going to tell me what the long-term effects by alcohol are on that area.

So pause the video, have a think about your answers, and then we'll go through some possible answers together.

Excellent work.

So you will have completed the table with some long-term effects that alcohol can have.

You might have written that on the liver, alcohol can cause it to become scarred.

The cells become damaged, and this can actually lead to cancer.

The heart: alcohol causes blood vessels to narrow.

This puts pressure on the heart, and it can potentially cause serious illnesses like strokes or heart disease.

The brain: alcohol alters neurons; it can damage them, or it can destroy them, and this can lead to memory loss, poor judgment, and coordination.

Mental health: alcohol can intensify feelings of depression and actually alter a person's brain chemistry.

And finally, sexual health: alcohol can cause impotence, that difficulty maintaining an erection, a loss of sex drive, or a decreased sense of sexual pleasure.

Very well done if you've got any of those answers on your table.

Great work so far.

We are moving on now to the final learning cycle of today's lesson, and we're gonna be having a look at how alcohol can actually impact a person's life.

So alcohol can impact a person's life in many ways, and these impacts can include alcohol dependency.

So this is a feeling that a person needs alcohol to complete their daily tasks.

It's a dependence upon alcohol.

A breakdown of relationships, difficulties in work or education, financial problems, aggressive behavior.

And even casual alcohol consumption can impact a person's life in these ways because of its effect on behavior and health.

We're gonna have a look at those five impacts on a person's life now.

So firstly, let's have a look at alcohol dependency.

Regular heavy drinking can cause alcohol dependency, and this is when a person craves alcohol and they can't control the amount that they consume.

They may feel that they need alcohol in order to complete daily tasks.

Now, this has a harmful effect on health, and it can lead to very serious conditions like liver cancer, high blood pressure, and a decline in brain function.

Now, if somebody feels that they have alcohol dependency, it is very important for that person to go and speak to a medical professional.

Alcohol dependency is a disease, and they need to speak to a medical professional to help control the amount of alcohol that they are consuming.

So alcohol dependency can also impact a person in their wider life, and it can lead to things like a breakdown of relationships, unemployment, which can then cause financial difficulties, a loss of friends.

And alcohol dependency, as I said before, is a disease.

And people who are suffering with it may struggle to control their alcohol misuse by themselves.

So it's really important that they speak to a medical professional or a trusted adult if they're worried about alcohol dependency.

So we're gonna pause the video now, and we're gonna check our understanding of the impact that alcohol can have on a person's life.

So true or false? Alcohol will only negatively affect your life if you suffer from alcohol dependency.

So you're gonna pause the video here, have a little think about your answers, and then we'll join back together and go through the correct one.

Well done if you said false.

But why do we know that this is false? Well, alcohol can negatively impact a person's life even if they only drink every now and again, because it can still have an impact on their behavior and their health.

So very well done if you said false and you got that answer correct.

So alcohol misuse can put a strain on relationships, whether that be a family relationship, a romantic relationship, or even a friendship.

It can be difficult to maintain a healthy relationship due to the effects that alcohol has on a person's behavior.

And if we think back to the beginning of the lesson, we saw that alcohol affects a person's frontal lobes, that part of the brain that is in charge of making decisions and regulating our emotions.

It can also be linked to other unacceptable behavior, such as violence.

Now, alcohol misuse can lead to problems with employment.

It can impair a person's concentration.

It can increase the likelihood of the time that they need to take off work and increase the risk of workplace accidents.

Now, stress at work can make a person feel like they want to drink alcohol.

However, this can make the situation worse.

Alcohol, as we saw before, is a depressant.

And any negative feelings, like stress or sadness, or depression, are intensified by consuming alcohol.

But if you are experiencing stress or depression, it's really important to speak to a medical professional.

So if a person's employment is affected by alcohol, this can lead to financial problems. Due to things like impaired judgment, excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to more reckless spending.

As well, alcohol can be expensive, and if a person has alcohol dependency, they may find that they spend a great deal of money on alcohol, which can all cause financial difficulties and problems for a person.

Now, due to the effect of alcohol on brain chemistry, it can make a person more aggressive.

Alcohol can lower something called inhibition, and this is our sense of self-control.

And this can make it harder for someone to control feelings like anger.

Over 1.

2 million violent crimes in the UK are actually linked to alcohol each year.

That's a massive number.

And the World Health Organization says that alcohol is linked to aggressive behavior more than any other substance.

Okay, let's pause here and check our understanding of what we've learned so far.

So Alex is saying, "The only person affected by alcohol misuse is the person misusing alcohol." Is what he's saying true or false? You're gonna pause the video here and have a think about your answer, and we'll join back together and go through the correct one.

Great work if you said false.

How do we know that this is false? Well, alcohol misuse can lead to the breakdown of relationships.

It can affect partners, family members, and friends.

And this is because of the impact that alcohol can have on a person's behavior and their health.

So well done if you said false.

Now let's put our learning into practice.

There is a paragraph with some words missing, and I'd like for you to fill in the blanks using that word bank below.

To do this, you're gonna pause the video, have a think about your answers, filling in those missing words, and then we'll join back together and go through the correct answers together.

Excellent work.

So your completed paragraph should look like this, and it should read: Alcohol consumption can have an impact on a person's life.

Drinking more than the recommended amount of alcohol regularly can lead to alcohol dependency.

However, even drinking alcohol casually can have an impact on a person's life.

It can cause a breakdown in relationships, financial difficulties, and problems with employment.

Alcohol consumption is also linked to aggressive behavior.

Great work if you completed all of those words correctly.

Really, really well done and excellent learning today.

So let's go back through what we've learned during today's lesson.

So alcohol consumption has short-term effects like blurred vision and slurred speech.

Some of these effects are more serious, such as alcohol poisoning.

Alcohol consumption can also have long-term effects, and it can be very harmful to a person's health.

It can cause serious illnesses like liver cancer and high blood pressure, which we know is known as hypertension.

Alcohol can also be harmful to a person's mental health.

It can worsen feelings of depression because alcohol is actually a depressant.

And finally, consuming alcohol can have other negative impacts, including causing breakdowns in relationships, financial difficulties, and issues with employment.

Now, if any of the topics covered in today's lesson affect you or you feel worried or concerned, here are some places that you can go to access support.

So the NHS LiveWell website.

So NHS giving advice about healthy living, exercise, quitting smoking, and drinking less alcohol.

SafeCall, which is a service for young people and family members affected by missing people, county lines, or criminal exploitation.

And finally, Childline, a website and phone line which is able to offer confidential advice and support.

Now, I'd like to end this lesson by saying a really big well done for completing your learning today.

It's been absolutely fantastic getting to teach you, and I look forward to seeing you in another RSHE lesson soon.