If you are at high school in the UK you have probably tried alcohol by now.

One in four 11 year old boys and one in six girls claim to have at least one alcoholic drink a week.

More than a third of 13 year olds claim to have been drunk.

And among 11 to 15 year olds who drink the average consumption has doubled since 1990 to 10.5 units a week, that’s the equivalent of five alcopops or five pints of cider.

Drinking is part of growing up, it is part of our culture and within certain limits it is enjoyable and perfectly safe.

But there are risks to drinking too much and getting drunk. And the risks for young people are very different to those for adults.

The key to coping with our drinking culture and peer pressure in school is understanding the effects of alcohol and knowing your limits.

What is alcohol?

Alcohol is a powerful drug that has a powerful affect on how your mind and body function.

Pure alcohol is a chemical known as Ethanol. It is produced through a process of fermentation where yeast breaks down the natural sugars in fruits and grains into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Grapes for wine, hops for beer, apples for cider.

The process has been around more than 5000 years, Egyptians have brewed beer since 3500 BC.