Community Sets Alcohol Awareness Meetings
March 11, 2010
The Jackson County Communities That Care Coalition is providing a safety net for the youth of the area by holding meetings the first Monday of every month from October through June at noon at the EUMC Family Life Center in Holton. The mission of the meetings is building healthy you and communities by providing educational projects and programs designed to reduce/eliminate substance abuse and develop youth into productive community members.
Nearly 60% of all high school athletes use alcohol. The American Athletic Institute has researched the effect of alcohol on elite athletic performance and has proven the following scientific facts:
- Heavy episodic drinking results in projected losses of up to 14 days of training effect
- Alcohol reduces performance potential by up to 11.4% in elite athletes and perhaps by as much as 15-30% in high school athletes
- Drinkers are twice as likely to become injured as non-drinkers
- Alcohol greatly increases the release of cortisol (the stress hormone) which negates training effect
- Alcohol decreases the protein synthesis for muscle fiber repair
- Alcohol can impair the blood glucose system for up to 36 hours
- Alcohol reduces the immune system capability - Athletes who drink get sick more often
- Alcohol disturbs the REM sleep time and recovery ability
- Alcohol impairs reaction time up to 12 hours after consumption
- Alcohol increases the time for recovery of training hormones (up to 96 hours, which is 4 days)
- Alcohol's diuretic effect diminishes water soluble vitamins required for hormone catalytic/conversion actions
- HGH (Human Growth Hormone) release is reduced up to 70% during the sleeping hours when release is at peak levels
- Alcohol negatively affects heart, lungs and muscle performance
Alcohol is a metabolic poison that crosses all barriers and negatively affects all systems of the human physiology simultaneously. It's time to educate our parents, athletes and coaches.
For more information visit www.jacoprevention.com or call Deanne Armstrong at 785-876-6028.
