change. If time is limited, pick and choose through these activities and focus efforts on later modules. Activity: What’s Your Alcohol IQ? Overview This activity is a good ice breaker to get students thinking about the truths and misconceptions about alcohol and its effects. Learning Objectives Students will be able to: Describe the effects of alcohol Contrast facts and myths surrounding alcohol Materials What’s Your Alcohol IQ? Worksheet Getting Ready Print worksheets Introduction and Pre-Activity Discussion Discuss the prevalence of alcohol in society and the fact that there are many myths surrounding alcohol. Activity Hand out one worksheet to each student and have them complete it on their own. Once they are finished, review the answers as a group. Post-Activity Discussion Discuss the answers to the questions as a group and stimulate discussion about what the students think one way or the other. Worksheet: What’s Your Alcohol IQ? Directions: Below are a dozen statements about how alcohol affects a person’s brain activities. Some of these are misconceptions, or mistaken beliefs. Do you know which are true and which are false? Circle TRUE or FALSE for each statement. Alcohol is a pick-me-up. TRUE FALSE
Answer Key: What’s Your Alcohol IQ? *Note: the answers below are just guidelines. Try to get students to discuss why they answered one way or another to get the wheels turning; ask for examples to support their answers. Alcohol is a stimulant. FALSE Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. It can appear to be a stimulant because, initially, it depresses the part of the brain that controls inhibitions. Under the influence of alcohol, everything may appear to be fuzzy; drinkers may slur their words and have difficulty hearing, tasting, and smelling. TRUE Alcohol slows down the brain as it works with information from your senses. Under the influence of alcohol, a drinker’s ability to think, speak, and move may slow way down. TRUE When you think of something you want your body to do, the brain sends a signal to that part of the body. Alcohol slows down the brain, making you think, speak, and move slower. Under the influence of alcohol, drinkers are usually calm, thoughtful, and easygoing. FALSE When alcohol affects the brain, you may find it hard to your emotions and urges. You may act without thinking or even become violent. Drinking alcohol over a long period of time can damage the brain forever. Drinking alcohol over a long period of time may damage a person’s self-control and ability to plan, think, and make decisions. TRUE The brain is important for planning, forming ideas, making decisions, and using self-control. Drinking alcohol over a long period of time can damage the brain forever. Alcohol does not affect memory. FALSE When alcohol reaches the brain, you may have trouble remembering something you just learned, such as a name or a phone number. This can happen after just one or two drinks. Drinking a lot of alcohol quickly can cause a blackout—not being able to remember entire events, such as what you did last night. If alcohol damages the brain, you may find it hard to learn and to hold on to knowledge.
Suggested Questions Possible Responses Leader’s Points Why do you think some young people who don’t want to drink feel pressured to drink? They want a certain person to like them. They don’t want to be different. They don’t want to create a big scene. There are other things to do together that would be fun and don’t involve drinking. Try some of those. You can choose not to drink – most young people don’t drink! Sometimes it is easier to use a one-liner that allows you to say no without making a big scene. What are some things to say if someone pressures you? Students may suggest one or more of the ideas in the next column. Be sure they get a chance to discuss all of them. Some possible alternatives: No thanks. I don’t feel like it – do you have any soda? Alcohol’s NOT my thing. Are you talking to me? FORGET it. Why do you KEEP pressuring me when I’ve said NO? Why do you think young people start to drink? Peer pressure – some friends and classmates want you to do it. We see our parents and other adults drinking. We want to appear grown up. Alcohol is easy to get – someone always brings it to a party. Ads show young people drinking. We see ads everywhere that make drinking look cool and a way to be popular and have friends. We want to see what it tastes like. Actually, many studies have shown that a large majority of people your age—most of them—DO NOT drink or get drunk! A recent study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that more than 80 percent of youth ages 12 to 17 reported they had not drunk alcohol in the past month. The media’s glamorous portrayal of alcohol encourages many teens to believe that drinking will make them popular, attractive, happy, and cool. To generate sales, alcohol advertising makes products look appealing.