How alcohol changes perception
In addition to the health risks, excessive alcohol consumption can cause a loss of control or even memory lapses, which can have serious consequences. This is shown in a new video clip from the FOPH.
Among 15-year-old adolescents who have consumed alcohol in the past 30 days, 36 percent of girls admit to having said or done something embarrassing while drunk. Among boys, this figure is 25 percent. Alcohol affects our actions and our perception of reality. Abusive alcohol consumption can lead to inappropriate behavior or have serious consequences such as accidents, injuries or unprotected sex.
Reason or unreason?
"Alcohol changes perceptions": this is the leitmotif of this second wave of campaigns by the FOPH and its partners. The new video clip addresses the temptation of alcohol because it can make you feel liberated and cool. A person who drinks feels looser, stronger and more cheerful. For some, this mood-lifting effect leads to increased consumption. The FOPH points out the limits that should not be exceeded, otherwise there is a risk of losing control and appearing aggressive, violent or disinhibited. The next day, memories are blurred or even completely missing, and you can't undo anything.
The film shows how alcohol changes perception
How much is too much?
In Switzerland, one in five people occasionally or regularly drinks too much. But from how many glasses does alcohol consumption endanger health? The risks taken vary depending on the person, situation, age, weight and gender. By providing information about the effects of alcohol, the national campaign aims to encourage each person to think about their own consumption. Since 2015, 84,000 people have accessed the informative website www.alcohol-facts.ch and the playful quiz posted there.
Abuse or addiction, both also have an impact on society as a whole. In 2010, abusive use cost the general public 4.2 billion Swiss francs. This includes direct costs caused by illnesses and accidents, but also indirect costs resulting from a loss of productivity in the economy (absences or reduced ability to work).
Guidance from the Federal Commission on Alcohol Issues:
In an effort to distinguish low-risk consumption from other drinking patterns, the Federal Commission on Alcoholism has formulated a series of guidance documents for alcohol drinkers:
- Healthy adult men should drink no more than two to a maximum of three standard glasses of alcohol per day.
- Healthy adult women should drink no more than one to a maximum of two glasses per day.
- For everyone, it is advisable to have at least two alcohol-free days per week. Children and adolescents under 16 should not drink alcohol at all. Pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as people taking medication or driving, are strongly advised to avoid alcohol.
1 standard glass = 10 grams of pure alcohol, which corresponds to e.g. 3dl beer or 1dl wine
Source: BAG
