Research - alcohol awareness

In order to design my application I will need to research into what alcohol can do to a person, research will be needed to understand the law surrounding alcohol, what alcohol can do to the human body, what alcohol awareness campaigns are out there and also what situations someone under the influence of alcohol can get into.

My application will contain 4 different scenarios, one that follows a male under the age of 18, one that follows a male who is 18 or over, one that follows a female under the age of 18 and the final one following a female who is 18 or over. The scenario that will be played will depend on the information that the user inputs.

Information can be found on the drink aware website;

https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/

This information will be used to create relevant scenarios for the four categories of people, This information will be given to the user at the end of the application depending on how they have navigated there way through the application. Most of the information will be used in fact database which will be used to randomly generate facts on the decision pages.

The Law on under-aged drinking.

What the law says

Alcohol consumption in the UK is governed by strict laws.
It is against the law:

• To sell alcohol to someone under 18 anywhere.
• For an adult to buy or attempt to buy alcohol on behalf of someone under 18.
• For someone under 18 to buy alcohol, attempt to buy alcohol or to be sold alcohol.
• For someone under 18 to drink alcohol in licensed premises, except where the child is 16 or 17 years old and accompanied by an adult. In this case it is legal for them to drink, but not buy, beer, wine and cider with a table meal.
• For an adult to buy alcohol for someone under 18 for consumption on licensed premises, except as above.

It is not illegal

• For someone over 18 to buy a child over 16 beer, wine or cider if they are eating a table meal together in licensed premises.
• For a child aged 5 to 16 to drink alcohol at home or on other private premises.

Consequences of breaking the law

• If the police suspect someone under 18 has alcohol in a public place, they have the power to confiscate it. If young people get caught with alcohol three times they could face a social contract, a fine or arrest. Getting a criminal record could affect future job prospects and make it more difficult to travel to countries like the USA.
• The police can also confiscate alcohol from someone, no matter what their age, if they believe it has been, or will be drunk by someone under 18 in a public place.

How much is too much for under 18s to drink?

The UK chief medical officers recommend an alcohol-free childhood is the healthiest and best option.

There’s lots of debate about whether it’s OK to let children have a small amount of alcohol to try - some people call this the continental approach. But there’s no scientific evidence to prove this gives children a responsible attitude to drinking in later life.

Research shows the earlier a child starts drinking, the higher their chances of developing alcohol abuse or dependence in their teenage years and as an adult. Children who drink before age 15 are most vulnerable to alcohol misuse later in life.    

So, parents play a crucial role in delaying a child's first drink.
It may be tempting to offer your child a sip of alcohol on special occasions so they don’t feel left out. This could send mixed messages about whether they are or aren’t allowed to drink.  
Of course, children are naturally curious, so they’ll probably ask you questions if they see you drinking and may ask you to try some.  Rather than offering them a sip, use this as a chance to talk to them openly and honestly about the facts.  

You might think that allowing your child to try alcohol will demystify any uncertainties they may have. Instead, as with issues like smoking and drugs, it’s better to let them know they can ask you anything, at any time, about alcohol.  If you don’t know the answer, be honest and suggest you find out together.

If you’ve already given your child a drink, it’s best to be honest and explain that if they carry on drinking it could harm them so they aren’t allowed to continue.  Reassure them that if they stop, any effects drinking has already on their body are likely to be reversible, but if you’re worried it’s best to talk to your GP.

Drink driving

In 2010, nearly 10,000 reported road casualties happened when a driver was over the legal alcohol limit. As a result, 250 people were killed in drink driving accidents.

These figures are too high but accidents involving drink driving have decreased hugely over the last 30 years. Deaths and serious injuries related to drink driving have fallen by more than three-quarters since 1980. 

What's the law on drink driving?

In the UK, the alcohol limit for drivers is 80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath or 107 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of urine. In most other European countries, the limit is less, usually 50 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood.

How much can I drink and stay under the limit?

There is no fool-proof way of drinking and staying under the limit. The amount of alcohol you would need to drink to be considered over the driving limit varies from person to person. It depends on: (4)

• your weight
• your gender (men tend to process alcohol faster than women) 
• your metabolism
• your current stress levels
• whether you've eaten recently 
• age (younger people tend to process alcohol more slowly

Even small amounts of alcohol can affect your ability to drive so the only safe advice is to avoid any alcohol if you are driving.  

How alcohol affects driving

Many of the functions that we depend on to drive safely are affected when we drink alcohol: 

• the brain takes longer to receive messages from the eye
• processing information becomes more difficult
• instructions to the body's muscles are delayed resulting in slower reaction times.

You can also experience blurred and double vision, which affects your ability to see things clearly while you are driving. And you’re more likely to take potentially dangerous risks because you can act on urges you normally repress. 

What’s the punishment if I get caught drink driving?

Anyone caught over the legal alcohol limit when driving will be banned from driving for at least 12 months, and fined up to £5,000. You can also be sent to prison for up to six months. Imprisonment, the period of disqualification and size of fine depend on the seriousness of the offence (6).
If you’re caught drink driving more than once in a 10 year period, you’ll be banned for at least three years.

Health issues

Alcohol and your skin

Alcohol dehydrates your body generally, including the skin – your body's largest organ. This happens every time you drink. Drinking too much is also thought to deprive the skin of vital vitamins and nutrients. Over time, drinking heavily can have other, more permanent, detrimental effects on your skin. Rosacea, a skin disorder that starts with a tendency to blush and flush easily and can eventually lead to facial disfigurement, is linked to alcohol.

Beat the bloat

Alcohol can also cause your face to look bloated and puffy. You might find it bloats your stomach too. And then there's the cellulite; many believe the toxins in alcohol contribute to its build up.
How can you beat your beer belly?

Spots and smells

Sorry, there's more. Hungover people don't smell too good either; the liver processes most of the alcohol you drink, but some of it leaves the body straight through your breath, sweat and urine.
If you didn't manage to take your make-up off, you'll be more prone to spots too. Never mind your glassy, bloodshot eyes.

Why not cut down on alcohol and help preserve those good looks?

More information and facts that will be used in the database can be found on the drink aware website, this website is designed to make people more aware about alcohol, therefore it is the perfect website and scheme to base the application on.