5.Drinking Alcohol Can Cause Birth Defects
5.饮酒可导致新生儿先天性缺陷
Alcohol can lead to birth defects. Pregnant women who drink put their unborn babies at risk for fetal alcohol syndrome. A woman is at risk of giving birth to a child with fetal alcohol syndrome if she drinks while pregnant.Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a condition that affects the developing fetus when alcohol passes through the placental barrier. Experts indicate that drinking alcohol while pregnant is the leading cause of birth defects and developmental disability in the U.S. About 40,000 babies are affected by FAS every year. The effects of fetal alcohol syndrome include physical and mental disabilities, learning difficulties, behavioral issues and lifelong impairments that prevent individuals from reaching their full potential.
酒精可能引发新生儿的先天性缺陷。饮酒的孕妇，易使自己还未出生的宝宝患上胎儿酒精综合症。如果怀孕了还喝酒，那这就是把自己的孩子置于患上胎儿酒精综合症的危险之中。胎儿酒精综合症，是酒精透过胎盘屏障影响生长中的胎儿的一种情况。专家指出，在美国，孕妇饮酒是导致婴儿先天性缺陷和发育障碍最主要的原因。每年大概有40,000婴儿患有胎儿酒精综合症。胎儿酒精综合症的症状包括，生理和心理障碍，学习障碍，行为问题和终身残疾，这些都会影响一个人充分发挥其潜能。

Children suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome often have abnormal facial characteristics, stunted growth, brain damage, organ defects, problems paying attention and poor coordination. These children are also experience poor coordination and limited fine motor and gross motor skills. Fetal alcohol syndrome not only impacts the affected child, it takes a toll on society with billions being spent each year on services for children with FAS. Even if a woman stops drinking when she learns of her pregnancy, can still have a baby with FAS. Alcohol can affect the developing fetus very early. That is why any sexually active woman of childbearing age who is not using birth control should avoid alcohol. There is no cure for fetal alcohol syndrome, once the damage is done to a child, he or she must suffer for life. Abstaining from alcohol is the best practice for any woman who is at a stage of life where she may become pregnant.
患有胎儿酒精综合症的儿童，通常会有面部特征异常、发育迟缓、脑损伤、器官缺损、注意力不集中和肢体协调能力差等问题。这些孩子们还要经历协调性障碍，像难以完成的精细动作和一些大动作的技能。不仅仅是患有胎儿酒精综合症的儿童们受苦，社会每年还要支付数十亿美元来为这些儿童患者服务。即使饮酒的女性在得知她怀孕时停止摄入酒精，她生出的宝宝也有可能会患上胎儿酒精综合症。酒精能在很早的时候就对胎儿的发育产生不良影响。所以说，性行为频繁却未节育的育龄女性应该避免饮酒。胎儿酒精综合症现在还没有治愈的方法，一旦得了这种病，孩子必将一生受苦。戒酒对于育龄期女性来说，可谓明智之举。

4.Drinking Alcohol Can Increase Aggression
4.喝酒可能会引发暴力事件

Alcohol is often a factor in physical and sexual violence. Alcohol should never be used as an excuse for violence and is not the underlying reason for this behavior. However drinking can and does contribute to family violence orviolence against women and children. In the home, a person who physically abuses his or her spouse can become more aggressive when alcohol is involved. The individual who perpetrates the violence feels less inhibited, which results in an escalation of violent behavior toward a spouse or children. This can result in actions such as hitting, kicking, shoving, verbal abuse or the use of weapons like knives or guns. Children who are sexually abused are often the helpless victims of drunken adults.
酒精是引发身体暴力和性暴力中的一个因素。酒精不应该被当做是施行暴力的借口，而且它也不是引发暴力行为的根本原因。然而饮酒会促使家庭暴力的发生，或促使对妇女和儿童使用暴力。在家中，有家暴行为的人，饮酒后对配偶的暴力行为会加剧。醉酒者施行暴力会无所顾忌，从而引发对配偶和孩子的暴力行为升级。这也就导致了殴打、踢、推搡、言语辱骂和使用刀枪器械等暴力行为的发生。儿童常常会成为醉酒的成年人性虐待的无辜受害者。
In these situations there may be a pattern of drinking and abuse that persists for years. Similarly alcohol is often a factor in violent acts toward other people including date rape and gang rape. Every year there are stories about young people being sexually assaulted by either trusted friends or strangers, and in many cases alcohol is a factor. On college campuses, a party where binge drinking occurs may lead to a student becoming vulnerable when he or she is observed as too drunk to be aware of what is happening. As a result one or more persons may decide to take advantage of the situation by having forced sex with the individual. When caught, the perpetrators try to make excuses such as "she wanted it," or he did not resist." It is obvious that an individual who is drunk is not in a position to consent to sex nor to defend themselves in such a situation.
酗酒和虐待已经存在好多年。同时酒精也是致使约会强奸和轮奸等暴力行为的一个诱因。每年都会有很多年轻人，遭受自己信任的朋友或是陌生人性侵犯的案件发生，多数情况下酒精就是引发这类案件的一个因素。在大学聚会中，当别人觉得你喝了太多酒时，其实酒精早已让你麻痹，对身边发生什么毫无知觉，容易成为受害者。从而可能诱发有些人会利用这一状况强迫他人发生性关系。当行凶者被抓时，他们会寻找借口说"是她想要做的"或"当时他根本就没有抵抗"。很显然，一个人在醉酒的情况下，根本不具备认同与他人发生性行为，或是自卫的能力。

3.Drinking Alcohol can Lead to Fatal Vehicle Crashes
3.酒驾会造成致命交通事故

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2012, there were 10,000 people who died in alcohol related car crashes. Millions of people go to bars and attend social events where they drink heavily and then get in their cars and drive. The impaired judgment and invincibility that comes with drinking alcohol causes people to think that they can drive without problems. As a result, persons who drive while impaired end up in accidents where they injure or kill themselves and or others.
根据美国国家公路交通安全管理局统计，2012年有1万人死于酒驾事故。数以百万的人在酒吧或参加社交活动时大量饮酒，之后仍然继续开车。饮酒会使人的判断力降低，并产生无敌感，让人认为继续开车根本没有问题。因此，醉酒驾驶最终会引发事故，造成双方间的伤亡和伤残。
Alcohol alters depth perception as well as the skills necessary for operating a vehicle safely. When turning onto a busy highway, a drunk driver may not be able to judge the distance of an oncoming car when turning onto a busy highway. He or she may exceed safe speeds, drive the wrong way or veer off the road into crowded spaces. All of these actions put lives at risk. Getting arrested for driving while alcohol impaired is the beginning of a lengthy criminal record for many who choose to drink and drive. Regardless of the circumstances, a driving while impaired charge has repercussions. Those who are caught drinking and driving spend time in jail and pay thousands in court cost and fees. Assuming that a drunk driver has not killed or maimed anyone, regaining the privilege to drive often requires paying more fees and excessively higher insurance premiums. A person arrested for driving while impaired may also regain only restricted driving privileges. The criminal record that comes with drunk driving can impact the ability to get a job, purchase a home and live as a responsible citizen, making it difficult for the individual to function as a respected member of society.
酒精会彻底改变人知觉，以及安全驾驶所必须的技能。当车辆驶入车水马龙的高速公路时，酒驾的司机根本无法及时判断出迎面驶来的汽车的距离。他/她可能会超速驾驶、开错方向、驶离道路，开入拥堵区。这些行为都会危及到生命安全。一旦酒驾被记录在案，其他犯罪行为也会随之而来。无论什么情况下，酒驾都会带来严重的影响。酒驾的人被拘捕后会关在监狱里一段时间，同时还要向法院支付数千美元的诉讼费用。如果酒驾司机没有造成人员伤亡和伤残，那么他可以继续驾驶，并且只需赔偿一些费用和额外高额的保险费。因酒驾被捕的人虽能重新获得驾驶的权利，但酒驾的犯罪记录会影响到当事人找工作、购买房屋和公民信用度，使他的声誉很难被社会认可。

2.Drinking Alcohol is a Gateway to Other Drug Use
2.酗酒是滥用其他毒品药品的"跳板"

Alcohol is a known as a gateway drug. The term "gateway" refers to a situation where people get introduced to substance abuse by first using drugs that are easy to get. Gateway drugs are usually inexpensive and are readily available. This is what makes alcohol the drug of choice for many young people who are seeking a quick high and although it is not legal for persons under 21 to purchase, it is not difficult for young people to get alcohol by paying older friends, using fake identification cards or sneaking drinks from a parent's liquor cabinet or wine cellar.
酒，被称为诱导性毒品。"诱导"，意指人们在第一次使用过比较容易得到的毒品之后，会导致滥用毒品的情况。诱导性毒品一般比较便宜且非常容易得到。这就是为什么很多寻找刺激的年轻人选择拿酒来消遣。虽然未满21岁的人购买酒是不合法的，但是对于年轻人来说使用假身份证，或花钱找年长的人买酒这并不是什么难事，有些年轻人甚至会从橱柜或者酒窖中偷父母的酒。
Young people who abuse alcohol are likely to abuse other drugs. The fact is that alcohol changes brain chemistry, leading to the desire for other drugs. Once young people get a taste of alcohol and become accustomed to the high from drinking, they often seek what they think is a better high through other drugs. Often when a young person takes his or her first drink, it is in an environment of recreational drug use where along with the alcohol, all types of drugs are available. These drugs may include marijuana, cocaine, meth as well as painkillers and other prescription drugs. As a result of combining these drugs with alcohol a young person may become addicted to several substances which begins a vicious cycle of addiction. In fact, some experts say that most young people between the ages of 12 and 17 who are heavy alcohol users also use illicit drugs. This is why it is imperative that young people not experiment with alcohol. One night of experimentation can lead to a lifetime of addiction.
恶意酗酒的年轻人，极有可能滥用其他毒品药品。酒精会让大脑产生一种化学物质，会让人们有使用其他毒品药品的欲望。一旦年轻人喝过酒，并且习惯了喝完酒后的兴奋感，他们通常就会寻找那种通过使用其他毒品药品后带来的更加兴奋的感觉。通常人们第一次喝完酒后，就会处于酒精和毒品带来的快感之中，用完任何毒品都会有这种反应。这些毒品药品包括大麻，可卡因，冰毒，止痛药以及一些其他的处方药。年轻人把这些毒品药品和酒精混合使用，很可能会对其中的几种物质上瘾，并对依赖这些毒品药品陷入恶性循环。事实上，一些专家说，大多数12到17岁的对酒有严重依赖的年轻人，也违法使用毒品。这就是为什么年轻人要远离酒类，年轻人一旦沾酒，可能会终生上瘾。

1.Drinking Alcohol Can Ruin Your Life
1.酗酒会毁掉你的生活

Alcohol is dangerous because it has the power to change a person's life forever in the worst kind of way. The teenager who takes one drink on a dare and gets behind the wheel and has an accident where there are fatalities not only faces criminal charges, but may forgo any chance of attending college and enjoying the privileges and opportunities that come with being a carefree young adult. There are many former recovering alcoholics who live each day on the edge because they are afraid that the will relapse and start drinking again.
酒精非常危险，它可能以残酷的方式永远改变人们的生活。那些斗胆酗酒，并且酒驾发生车祸的青少年，最终不仅会面对刑事处罚，而且可能失去上大学的机会，失去享受基本权利的机会，失去一个无忧无虑的大学生该有的各种机会。有很多已戒酒的酗酒者，整天忧心忡忡，因为他们害怕有一天意志垮掉，继续酗酒。
When an alcoholic is willing to work hard at it, treatment can be successful, however, every day requires the recovering alcoholic to focus on one thing—not taking a drink. Not taking a drink when one is an alcoholic is in some cases like not being able to eat when hungry. This is how dangerously powerful alcohol is and no one is immune to its effects. Imagine drinking for several years, deciding to quit and being successful at staying sober. You rebuild your life, meet and marry a supportive spouse. You have a home, lovely children, a decent paying job and all seems to be going well. One day someone comes into your home and assaults you and your family to the appoint where you need hospitalization, burns down your home, steals your identity and runs up thousands of dollars of bills in your name. You are devastated. All that you have worked so hard for is now in shambles. That is the effect that deciding to take one drink can have on the alcoholic who for whatever reason decides to return to drinking. Once again after so much hard work to rebuild his or her life, the dangerous power of alcohol leaves the alcoholic's life and the life of his or her loved one's in shambles. Anyone who does not consume alcohol is better off leaving alcoholic beverages alone. Most people who start drinking think they have the knowledge and will power to limit the amount they drink. It is true that some people take a drink now and then and never encounter any of the earlier discussed problems. However no one knows for sure how he or she will react to that first drink. The result could be that one drink leads to a fatal accident or other life altering encounter. The first drink is often the gateway to the use of other harmful substances. There are people who are more prone to addiction than others due to genetics or other reasons. However sense no one knows prior to taking that first drink what the outcome will be, before experimenting with alcohol, the following questions should be asked? "Is this something I can live without, and am I willing to risk throwing my entire future away for a swig of an alcoholic beverage?"
当一个酗酒者决定戒酒时，治疗会起作用。然而，这就需要他们每天集中精力做一件事——不酗酒。对于一个酗酒者来说，让他滴酒不沾，就像是让饿了的人不吃饭一样。这就是酒精的魔力所在，并且很少有酗酒者能够自已。试想一下：酗酒多年后，决定戒酒，并且能够时刻保持清醒；你重塑了生活，遇见相伴左右的配偶并与之结婚；你有自己的家庭，有可爱的孩子，有体面的工作，一切看起来都是那么称心如意。但突然有一天，一个人来到你家，袭击你和你的家人，致使你们需要住院治疗；烧毁了你的家，毁坏你的声誉，夺走你名下大把的钱。你遭受到了毁灭性的打击。这一切你努力得来的现在都已化为泡影。这些后果，都是决定戒酒后，又重新酗酒的酗酒者会遇到的情况。通过不懈努力重塑生活后，酒精的强大威力，又会使酗酒者及其深爱的家人的生活苦不堪言。不喝酒的人，最好远离含有酒精的饮料。很多尝试喝含酒精饮料的人认为，他们有能力和毅力掌控好喝酒的度。不排除一些人喝酒只是偶然现象，他们也不会遇到任何一种之前所提到的问题。然而没人能确定喝酒的人接下来的行为——结果可能会是，因喝一次酒而发生致命的事故，或者其他会使生活出现大变故的事情。饮酒行为通常会成为使用其他有害物质的诱导因素。有一些人由于遗传或者其他的原因，比其他人更容易上瘾。然而，既然没人知道喝酒所带来的后果是什么，在喝酒前，应该考虑以下问题：没有酒，我能生存吗？我是否愿意用我的未来做赌注，来大饮特饮这些含酒精饮料？

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