1. Impairment Activity

• This activity is great to show how impairment does effect our driving ability.
• Participants: 8 or over
• Materials: A ball the size of a soccer ball or an inflated balloon can work.
• Have your group stand in a circle with very little space between them.

To demonstrate, you as the instructor will begin. You hold the ball and state your name, and then you say the name of the person next to you and hand them the ball. Then they say their name and the person next to them and continue to pass the ball. And so on. So Bill begins.

Bill, Kate Kate, Jill Jill, Ali Ali, Chris Chris, Joe Joe, Mary Mary, Dan Dan, Ann Ann, Bill

 

• Go around the circle once so they get a feel of what to do. The lead person will end up with the ball or balloon.
• Then you want to time them with a watch doing the same thing. (It is best as the instructor to step out of the circle and only time the activity.)
• After they complete it, ask them if they can go faster.
• Have them do it a few more times and try to go faster and record their best time.
• Now, you want them all to move places. They are not allowed to stand next to someone that they stood by before.
• Now, they do the same thing, but they can not cut through the circle, they must go round the circle to the person who was next to them originally.

So again, it begins with Bill. The ball also must be passed along.

Bill, Kate Kate, Jill Jill, Ali Ali, Chris Chris, Joe Joe, Mary Mary, Dan Dan, Ann Ann, Bill

You time them several times and try to see how fast they can get.

What will happen is they will get better at this exercise but will never be as fast as the original activity.

This is similar to impairment and driving. So often people say they drive better when they are impaired. Unfortunately, this is not true. People who are impaired can get better at the skills but will never be as good as they are when they are not impaired.

2. Blood Alcohol Content Activity

The goal of this exercise is to understand the effects of different levels of alcohol on the body.

Materials needed: two identical large jars (quarts work best), two identical small jars (pints work best), three identical medium size jars, a wine glass, a beer glass, a shot glass, food coloring and water.

1. Explain the concept of blood-alcohol content and the definition of a standard drink to your students. Refer to this chart for examples:
• Blood Alcohol Content
2. Now show your students how this works!
• Part One
• Place the two large jars on a table and fill with water.
• Explain to students that the large jars represent a man's body.
• Explain to students that each drop equals one standard drink.
• Drop 2 drops of food coloring into the first jar and 4 drops into the second jar.
• It will be visible that the 4 drops of food coloring make the water to be deeper in color than the 2 drops.
• Explain how the difference in color between the two jars demonstrates the different levels of alcohol present in a man's body after consuming different amounts of alcohol.
• Part Two
• Now fill up the two small jars with water and put 2 drops of food coloring into the first jar and 4 drops into the second jar.
• Explain to students that the small jars represent a woman's body.
• Explain to students how men and women metabolize alcohol differently due to body size, body composition, alcohol dehydrogenase, menstrual cycles and the use of oral contraceptives.
• Part Three
• Fill a wine glass, beer glass, and shot glass with water.
• Put 4 drops of food coloring into each glass.
• Explain that the drops of food coloring represent the percentage of alcohol in each type of beverage.
• Pour each of the wine, beer, and shot glasses into a separate medium size jar and fill with water.
• The color of the water in each jar should be the same!
• Explain how a shot of spirits, a glass of wine, and a can of beer all contain virtually the same amount of alcohol.
3. Lead students in a discussion of the concepts of percentage, ratio and proportion related to this effect.
4. Assign your students to explore Prevlink to learn the differing effects of alcohol based on body size and weight and relate it to their own body weight and size.

3. Use of the “drunk goggles

You may have your SRO or state trooper demonstrate impairment by using the drunk goggles, which imitate impairment. They can put a student through the various field sobriety tests. They can also set up various obstacle course and have the student go through the course by using a golf cart, if available.

4. Health Activity: Impaired
www.pecentral.org/lessonideas/

Related Links

Intoximeter Inc.
www.intox.com/wheel/drinkwheel.asp

Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control
www.abc.state.va.us