1. Alcohol is a drug which affects the way the body naturally functions. It is a depressant which slows the body processes.
   
   
   
2. It is the oldest and most abused drug in the world.
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3. There are predictable, though varying physical effects upon everyone who drinks alcohol. (This is why the law has set a specific blood alcohol level for defining drunkenness while driving.)
   
   
   • The brain is the control center of the body.
     
     
   • The brain is the organ most affected by the presence of alcohol.
     
     
   • Alcohol is a drug that depresses the central nervous system, thus reducing the activity of the brain.
     
     
   • Alcohol arrives in the brain almost as soon as it is consumed.
     
     
   • The bloodstream carries alcohol to the brain.
     
     
   • It keeps circulating through the brain until the liver has had time to change all of the alcohol into carbon dioxide and water for release from the body.
     
     
   • It affects the higher functions of the brain - judgment, learning, and behavioral control. It then affects vision, coordination, and speech.
     

Have the boys read a story in the newspaper or magazine about an alcohol related incident - accident - Drunk driver. Have them report back to the den and discuss what happened.

Contact the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to obtain information on the bad effects of alcohol and driving. Talk with the boys about the pamphlets that you receive. Remember BSA policy about alcohol around the boys or any scout activities.

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