COACH DAN'S CHALK TALK ABOUT ALCOHOL

         Joe Cool could do it all,
No matter what size, shape, or color of the ball.
Everybody looked up to him since he had it made;
The Athletic Recruiter even took care of his grades.
         With Joe's talent and blazing speed,
         Just being an athlete met all his needs.
         On the football field, he did excel.
Trying to tackle Joe was like putting out a fire in hell.
On the basketball court he was even more divine -
Averaged 30 points a game, and could dunk anytime.
Fans from miles around would pack the place
         To see Joe score, and yell, ``In your face."
         From all over America scholarships came;
         All Joe thought he had to do was sign his name.
         But little did he know his career had ended.
His grades were too low from classes unattended.
When the word got around about Joe Cool's grades,
         Visiting coaches disappeared,
         while scholarship offers began to fade.
         Football . . . basketball . . . Joe had tons of speed,
         Nobody even bothered to see if JOe could read.
         When last seen, JOe had lost all hope,
         Hanging around the park, shooting up dope.
         The city will never forget Super Joe Cool,
Who put sports before books and wound up . . . . . a fool!!!!!!!!!

                                                             Author unknown

         Sometimes you athletes forget that you are student athletes.  Sometimes you are not well-informed about the most important game of all, the game of life.  Unfortunately, almost every school has a Joe Cool who puts sports before books and ends up a fool.

         One reason for the downfall of many student athletes is drugs.  Just like Joe Cool, they lose all hope, hang around the park, and shoot up dope. Dope can be anything from alcohol or tobacco to anabolic steroids. All student athletes should and must know the facts about dope (drugs) so that they can make well-informed decisions.

         The first durg of choice by many student athletes is alcohol. It must be stated again that a person cannot drink legally until age 21.  Yes, alcohol is a drug, period. One good definition of ``drug" states that ``a drug is any chemical substance which affects the living organism, and which may alter behavior." Alcohol meets the definition well because it affects all parts of the body and it certainly alters behavior.

         The organ affected first and most noticeably by alcohol is the brain. Alcohol kills brain cells and slows reaction time. It can cause confusion, depression, stupor, coma, and even death

         Many other organs and systems are also adversely affected.  We will talk about some of them.

         Alcohol irritates the delicate lining of the throat and esophagus, burning tissue as it enters the body.  As alcohol is taken into the body, 95% is absorbed through the lining of the stomach and small intestine, quickly traveling to every cell and tissue in the body. Red cells clump together in sticky wads, slowing circulation and depriving tissues of oxygen. Alcohol can cause anmeia by reducing production of red blood cells and slowing the ability of white cells to engulf and destroy bacteria, leading to infections.

         Alcohol causes inflammation of the heart muscle, has a toxic effect on the heart tissue, disrupts its normal metabolism, and causes increased amounts of fat to collect throughout the heart (fat heart).

         Alcohol irritates liver cells and obstructs the tiny canal leading from the organ to the small intestine, blocking bile and preventing it from being filtered properly through the liver. Liver cells are destroyed and jaundice develops. Every drink increases the number of cells destroyed, eventually leading to cirrhosis of the liver.

         Alcohol irritates the pancreas and blocks the flow of digestive enzymes.  Unable to enter the blood stream, the enzymes begin to digest the tissue of the pancreas itself. This damage can lead to acute pancreatic hemorrhage (bleeding pancreas), which is a fatal disease. Without the pancreas producing insulin, diabetes can result.

         Alcohol has an irritating effect on the stomach's protective lining and can cause gastric or duodenal ulcers, leading to perforations of the stomach wall (open sores in the stomach).  In the small intestine, alcohol blocks absorption of such vital substances as thiamine, fat, vitamins B and B-12, and amino acids.

         Alcohol irritates the bladder and makes it unable to stretch properly.  In the kidneys, alcohol's irritating effect causes an increased loss of body fluids. Swelling of the prostate gland caused by alcohol interferes with the ability of the male to perform sexually. There are just some of the effects of alcohol.

       Coach Dan has coached football, basketball, wrestling, and track and field. Currently Dr. Ziatz teaches future coaches in the School of Physcial Education at West Virginia University.