Contenido:

ALCOHOL, TOBACCO AND DRUGS

Alcohol

The consumption of alcohol is part of our use and culture. It is our cultural drug par excellence, up to the point that it is considered normal and acceptable by everyone.

Alcohol is used not only as part of the diet, but also outside of it, as a gratifying substance on certain occasions. However, the abuse of alcohol has negative consequences because of its toxic effect on diverse organs and the effect it has on behaviour that can affect personal, work and social relationships.

Alcohol is the cause of a large percentage of accidents at work and many medical consultations, also leading to expulsions from the ship and, in many cases, even repatriation.

THESE DRINKS CONTAIN ONE UNIT OF ALCOHOL:

THE TOTAL UNITS OF ANY TYPE OF ALCOHOL PER WEEK SHOULD BE NO MORE THAN 21 UNITS FOR MEN AND 14 FOR WOMEN.

These limits should not be surpassed as:

• The possibility of permanent damage to the liver and other body organs increases.
• You run the risk of alcohol addiction.

HOW MANY UNITS OF ALCOHOL ARE THERE IN A DRINK?

Source: Problems of alcohol in the workplace, Foundation for aid against drug addiction, 1998.

According to the quantity of alcohol drunk, consumers (data refers to males) can be classified as:

• Prudent drinker: less than 21 units/week;
• Moderate drinker: between 21 and 35 units/week;
• Excessive drinker: between 35 and 50 units/week;
• High risk of alcoholism: more than 50 units/week.

The effect of alcohol depends on the quantity present in the blood at each moment. The 3 units per day for men and 2 units per day for women should not be exceed.

It should be remembered that you should not drink between meals, nor on an empty stomach, as in these circumstances the alcohol is absorbed very quickly. It should neither be used to "quench the thirst" or as a "warmer" to fight against the cold.

Tobacco

Lighting a cigarette is easy and socially acceptable (though less and less so), and for many people, a cigarette between the fingers is a part of their identity.

Although all smokers know that smoking is dangerous, such as the connection between smoking and illness, few are conscious of the true magnitude of the danger that continuing to smoke entails: 90% of lung cancer and chronic respiratory diseases and 25% of cardiovascular diseases can be attributed to tobacco use. At the same time, it also aggravates other clinical complaints such as gastro duodenal ulcers, diabetes, bronchial asthma, etc.

The benefits of giving up smoking are immediate:

• The respiratory capacity quickly improves (climbing stairs, running, etc.)
• Vulnerability to colds and other respiratory infections diminishes, as well as coughing.
• The sense of smell and taste recover quickly.
• The risk of gastro duodenal ulcers diminishes and helps in recovering from an ulcer outbreak.
• Improves the quality of life and reduces the risk of premature death (for every four people who smoke, one dies prematurely from smoking; many smokers would have lived between 10 and 30 years more without tobacco).
• Increases the probability of having a normal pregnancy if the mother gives it up when pregnant.
• The children of non- smoking parents have fewer respiratory disorders and it is less likely that they become smokers themselves.
• Reduces the risk of suffering from cancer.

Drugs

A drug is a substance that produces changes in the body by acting on the central nervous system, altering behaviour, the capacity to feel and think. It can produce physical and psychic dependency (each time requiring larger quantities of the drug to feel the same effect) and cold turkey (physical signs that appear when giving up the drug).

There are certain kinds of drugs that are socially acceptable, denominated legalised drugs (alcohol and nicotine), but normally this term is usually applied to those non-institutionalised, legally forbidden drugs, such as hashish, cocaine, heroin, and amphetamines.

Drug consumption on board is a problem because of the alterations in behaviour and reduced attention span it causes, which puts personal and collective safety at risk. It should, therefore, be avoided at all cost.