LET'S GET IT STRAIGHT

foreign [Music] [Music] there's something about a drink that's welcome and cheerful nothing about a drink that's warm and friendly there's something about a drink that gives a man a lift [Applause] but something about too many drinks that's mean and ugly about too many drinks that can mess a man up [Music] peculiar stuff this colorless liquid called alcohol it's worth a few minutes to consider what it is what it does how it should be handled as a drink by those who feel that it has a place in the social World they live in [Music] diversity School of School of all studies hazardous director one of the nation's leading authorities Dr Howard W Haggard contrary to populative leave alcohol is not a stimulant our work done here at Yale and parallel Studies by their scientists all over the country have demonstrated this medical fact Beyond question its effect on the human mind and body alcohol acts as an anesthetic like ether the pickup effect is more like taking off the brakes than any positive drive here is the chemical formula for alcohol c2h5oh this is the formula for ether c2h5o c2h5 notice how similar they are in chemical composition in moderate amounts alcohol acts as a mild sedative from it you get a feeling of relaxation in larger amounts the deeper anesthetic effects appear with loss of controls unlike ordinary Foods alcohol does not need to be digested before it's absorbed into the blood when liquor reaches the stomach almost half of its alcoholic content is absorbed through the stomach wall the bloodstream within an hour or so the rest of the alcohol goes into the small intestines where absorption continues until all of the alcohol has been taken into the bloodstream as the blood comes around through the liver the liver burns the alcohol into useful heat and energy in moderate quantities the liver treats alcohol as a quickly available food the catch is that the liver can only burn up from 1 6 to 1 3 of an ounce of alcohol per hour the unburned alcohol continues in the bloodstream tending to concentrate in those body tissues that contain the most blood and particularly in the brain so the load of alcohol that the Drinker takes on per hour is an important factor the alcohol in all drinks is chemically about the same the difference is in how much the alcohol is diluted a bottle of ordinary four or five percent beer for instance contains something less than half an ounce of alcohol [Music] a glass of strong wine carries about four-fifths of an ounce of alcohol mixed drinks vary but may include about an ounce of alcohol [Music] and straight whiskey up to an ounce and a half roughly three beers equals one whiskey and load of alcohol but with somewhat less effect because of slower absorption and greater dilution when more alcohol is coming into the blood then the body can burn up or eliminate the higher centers of the brain those in the cerebrum are the first to be affected these govern judgment and self-control this means that reactions timing and judgment begin to get off the beam alcohol affects the brain of the Drinker like shortage of oxygen does the brain of the Airmen in both instances performances cut down but the man does not know it he may even think he's doing better when he's high the man in this condition is dangerous behind the wheel of a car should not be allowed to drive by himself or in the company of others he's apt to become foolish and do things he would never do in Normal he may be gay one minute and insulted the next and talked tough foreign foreign with still more alcohol deeper centers of the brain are affected muscular control is lost the man can't walk straight his speech is incoherent his vision blurred and his senses of pain and touch are blooded the final stage of intoxication comes only after extremely large amounts of alcohol are absorbed by now the man is completely befuddled if he's lucky he falls into a stupor before he really gets hurt [Music] [Music] since the war a systematic study has been undertaken to find out the extent of drinking in the United States and its social effects out of a total population of 150 million they're about 110 million of drinking age of these some 60 million use alcoholic beverages mostly in moderation but almost 4 million about one in every 15 drinkers substantially harm themselves with alcohol and of these perhaps 2 million may be termed alcohol addicts individuals whose use of alcohol is so uncontrolled that they need medical help the real Danger real disease if you will is drunkenness the drunken husband the drunken wife the drunken son or daughter from the drunken motorist the obvious cure for excessive social drinking is common sense moderation if you are one of the more than 50 million non-drinkers in the United States you form no part of the nation's liquor problem you're free from it financially and liquor is a mighty expensive pastime almost nine billion dollars a year is spent on it in the United States the most expensive luxury item the world has ever known [Music] you're free of the risk that faces every Drinker taking too much and winding up in trouble for service men that usually means AOL or other trouble on leave or Liberty under the influence of alcohol but so far as ordinary social drinking is concerned the problem is to keep it social in moderation so that you don't actually lose whatever it is that you're drinking to get this is where that first ounce or so of alcohol takes a tricky advantage one drink calls for another you may be feeling no pain but you just don't think so good alcoholic relaxation which starts with the upper levels of intelligence may make a man less shy but also less particular [Music] Every Man Has a standard for what he considers attractive in the women he chooses but a few drinks well can make a pickup look better [Music] there's no truth in the notion that alcohol in any amount increases virility a man may be less disgusted drunk than sulfur but also less able to take care of himself it's VD for example or being rolled and speaking of Notions the amount of alcohol it takes to make any certain man dizzy doesn't have any relation to how rugged strong or enduring he may otherwise be it is a matter of body chemistry and delusion of the alcohol approximately 70 percent of the human body is water if this man weighing 120 pounds drinks two ounces of whiskey he will end up with a blood alcohol concentration of nearly two tenths percent the same drink for this man 165 pounds would result in a blood alcohol concentration of only one tenth of a percent and the same amount of alcohol and This heavyweight would dilute to well under one tenth percent [Music] among individuals of the same weight and condition body chemistry varies one has a more active liver to burn off the alcohol one is tired and the liquor hits him quicker there is no general rule for how much you can drink and still stay more or less sober [Music] diluting the alcohol and spacing out your drinks are useful if you want to keep your drinking social and in control [Music] eating food while you drink is a health food mixes with the liquor in the stomach slows up absorption of alcohol into the blood [Music] after the first one or two the more nearly used space your drinks to the slow rate at which your body can burn up and eliminate the alcohol the better chance your brain has them being literally pickled while you drink we haven't discussed The Chronic alcohol addict in the Lost weekenders they are emotionally and physically sick people who need long-term treatment but our William here needs the short-term treatment of wising up a letter today about trouble in the family the fact his wife needs the benefit of all the thoughtfulness and sympathetic love and understanding that he could put into a reply she could also use a few extra dollars did he write her well no but he's handling his problem in a big way [Music] with its moral authority of individual conduct and social responsibility organized religion has long taken a part in the treatment and prevention of excessive drinking the chaplain has this word whether you are a Protestant a Catholic or a Jew your religion teaches that excessive drinking is wrong they all agree it's wrong the minute that you lose control of yourself not only the first time or after the tenth time but each and every time now let's get it straight religion doesn't condemn drunkenness just to keep you from having a good time or to meddle in your private life the purpose of religion is to help you along the highway of life and you and I know that a drunk just doesn't have a chance on any Highway self-control is basic to a man's sound judgment and to his standard of conduct science has taught us that alcohol in the body quickly decreases a man's power of self-control it is no wonder then that we find in our Bible this rule for successful living let your moderation be known unto all men from moderation is the sign of strength it is the mark of manhood knowing some of the facts about alcohol and drinking and recognizing the risks involved each man has the final responsibility to see and obey the stop signals when he meets them and to know when enough is enough [Music]