Ethyl alcohol, the psychoactive ingredient in beer, wine, and distilled liquor, is a colorless liquid with a strong, distinctive smell. More than 3,000,000 teens are alcoholics. An alcohol-related family problem strikes 1 in 4 Americans. Alcohol impairs the brain's ability to use self control and impairs memory by disrupting the transfer of information into long term memory. Alcohol abusers are reported to have an accident rate 2-4 times higher than that of other workers, and alcoholism causes an estimated 500 million lost workdays per year.
Alcohol consumption increases the likelihood of injury or death resulting from vehicle accidents.
The younger a person starts drinking, the more likely it is that they will drink heavily, drink stronger drinks, and have an alcohol or drug problem when they are older.