Influence of Alcohol on human body. In modern time, when everyone is preoccupied with school, work, and family we often forget about things that might get us off the right track. Due to the government control, most of the dangerous substances either illegal or very difficult to access, however, one of the most dangerous ones is right in front of us every day of our lives. It is alcohol. Even though it is accepted in society, even embraced in some of the culture, it is nevertheless as harmful as any other drug, especially because people do not consider it as such. Unawareness is the reason why so many people fill up their glasses on different occasions without thinking about the consequences. To reveal the potential consequences of alcohol abuse I would like to begin with the description of alcohol itself. Alcohol is a colorless volatile flammable liquid, C2H5OH, synthesized or obtained by fermentation of sugars and starches and widely used, either pure or denatured, as a solvent and in drugs, cleaning solutions, explosives, and intoxicating beverages. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/alcohol). It is more familiar to people as one of the key ingredients in such beverages like beer, whiskey, wine, and vodka. Even though, the material it is made of can be different, the basic process of fermentation stays the same. People hear the expression “alcohol poisoning”, but they do not understand that the meaning of this expression is literal. When you consume alcohol your body starts reacting to it immediately. The dizziness that people are experiencing while under influence is the sign that your body is not functioning properly. People who have overused alcohol may stagger, lose their coordination, and slur their speech. They will probably be confused and disoriented. Depending on the person, intoxication can make someone very friendly and talkative or very aggressive and angry (http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/alcohol/alcohol.html#). It decreases your ability to drive, work, and make decisions in general. The worst scenario is the alcohol poisoning, is when a person consumed so much alcohol that the body can no longer handle it. It may cause inability to walk, talk, strong vomiting, and in some cases – death. The possibility of death starts from 0.030 alcohol concentration in your blood, which is about 10 drinks for an average female and about 15 for an average male (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_alcohol_content). The short term influence of alcohol is not the only danger. There is also a number of long term problems that can be caused by alcohol. Human’s brain finishes developing at the age of 21, however most people start drinking way before that age which prevents the brain from fully developing. Alcohol travels through your bloodstream and damages your brain, stomach, liver, kidneys and muscles. As a teenager, your body is still developing, so damage done to it now will affect the rest of your life (http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugsalcohol). Even though people should not consume alcohol at all, there is a safe way to do it. People should not drink more that 2-3 alcoholic beverages per day, and should not drink every day of the week. A good suggestion is to skip 2-3 days per week, that way drinking is less likely to become a habit. According to the law of the United States a person is allowed to have one or two drinks and still, legally, be able to operate a vehicle, however the best way is if have had any drinks you should not drive. Alcohol in any amount slows down your reflexes. In a critical situation a person even under influence of insignificant amount of alcohol might not be able to make a right decision fast enough. The right way is not to drink at all, but if you choose to do so, do so responsibly. And keep in mind, that everything you do influences your health, even if the immediate effect is hard to recognize .