In the United States the minimum legal drinking age is 21, in Japan and Iceland it is 20, in South Korea it is 29. Several countries have no minimum legal drinking age including Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Fiji, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Soviet Georgia, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The minimum legal age to drink in Antigua, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey and Switzerland is 16 with the rest of the countries chiming in at age 18.

There are other dangers for teen drinkers besides the higher risk for developing alcoholism. The other dangers include the perils of drinking and driving and being involved in a fatal crash. Teens that drink are very likely to make the decision to drink and drive in part because of the fear of being caught if they call home for a ride, and partly because poor judgment is a symptoms of alcohol abuse. Teens who are intoxicated typically engage in many dangerous behaviors including behaving in a way that they might not otherwise behave such as having decreased inhibitions to act in a sexual manner that they would otherwise not participate in which carries the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

Alcohol is a drug and as a drug it is addictive. Alcohol usage often leads to the use of other drugs that carry many other dangers for teens.

Teens who drink are also in danger of performing poorly in school, which can impact future possibilities for career and higher educational choices resulting from the drop in grades that typically follow alcohol dependency.

Teen alcohol usage can also damage relationships between the teen and his/her family creating rifts that can last a long time. Teens that drink often exhibits behavioral problems, which can further complicate family relations.

Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to numerous health risks later in life including the increased risk for liver issues, heart problems, stomach ulcers, and malnutrition at a time when physical growth is still occurring.

The obvious danger is that underage drinking is illegal, and those who engage in illegal activities as youth may continue to break the law as adults, which can lead to dangerous situations. They may also engage in other illegal activities as teens, which carry other dangers.

The health affects of alcoholism are physical, mental and emotional. The treatment plan for someone suffering from alcoholism must address all three-health areas in order to be truly effective in treating the disease.

The excessive drinking that occurs when a person suffers from alcoholism can lead to many physical health issues including those that affect major organs of the body like the liver and brain. The liver can be affected by alcohol and cirrhosis of the liver can occur. The person can also develop hepatitis as a result of excessive alcohol consumption. Research studies have also been conducted on the matter of excessive alcohol consumption being connected to liver cancer. Doctors using imaging technology have been able to detect alcohol related damage to both the brain and the liver.

The brain can be damaged by alcohol in many ways including something called, "alcohol dementia. Alcohol dementia can affect memory, reasoning ability, ability to learn and other brain functions.

Those suffering from alcoholism often participate in binge drinking which has been shown to alter mood, and negatively affect cognitive performance.

The health-related symptoms of alcoholism include dizziness, blurred vision, unconsciousness and even coma and death. Long-term alcohol use can also have serious impact upon just about every organ in the person’s body.

Statistics show that there are more than 100,000 deaths each year that can be directed tied to alcoholism or excessive alcohol consumption that include both direct and indirect causes of death such as death caused by drunk driving, alcohol-related falls, liver cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, complications of diabetes that are related to alcohol consumption, and also stroke.

It appears that females have a faster progression of the symptoms of alcoholism then men which makes it critical that anyone, especially women who have a suspicion that they may be suffering from alcoholism be evaluated by a medical professional.

The illness spreads through family units as children of parents who suffer from alcoholism have a significantly higher risk for starting to drink during the teen years and then to develop alcohol related disorder because of the early drinking.

Alcoholism will follow a very predictable path that will become progressively worse over time. The disease makes the individual feel as if they can’t possibly function normally unless they consume greater and greater amounts of alcohol, leading to more severe symptoms of health related problems. The disease can progress to the point of being fatal.

The younger the individual starts the drinking habit the difficult the disease is to treat. Those that have a good deal of difficulty dealing with stressful situations or those who have mental issues tend to be at a higher risk for developing alcoholism.

Alcohol does not just affect the person’s health it can have devastating affects upon the person’s financial affairs due to the cognitive affects alcohol has on the ability to reason, remember or on cognitive abilities. Individuals who suffer from alcoholism often forget to record financial transactions resulting in overdrawn accounts, spend money without remembering they have done so, or use money needed for other budgeted items on alcohol instead that may deprive the family of food, clothing or shelter. Alcoholism can also have a negative impact on the individual’s ability to perform well at work or even to show up at work on a consistent basis which may lead to getting fired and the loss of income can be devastating to the individual and any other family members. Alcoholism can also put a huge strain on relationships as family members, especially spouses and children try to understand the symptoms of alcoholism and why the individual behaves the way they do while drinking or why they have such strong cravings or withdrawal symptoms as a result of the disease.

The backlit LCD is large and easy to read (no matter what state you are in), and is the ideal unit for professional testing situations.

The Alcohawk PT500 has obtained FDA 510k premarket clearance for consumer use.

Using the PT500 is easy.  Turn the machine on using the On/Off button, and press enter.  The unit will calibrate, and then display a blow now signal.  The person then takes a deep breath and blows into the mouthpiece for around 5 seconds.   The unit will then show you the test result on the large LCD screen.

The majority of people who reviewed this item on Amazon gave it a full 5 out of 5 score.  The only negative review was from someone who said the unit never worked – maybe a defective unit?

The machine is sensitive in the the range of 0 – 0.400% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) with a quoted accuracy of +/- 0.01% at 0.02% BAC.  The Alchoawk ABI uses semi-conductor oxide technology.

The Alcohawk range of breathalyzers have a technology built in (called sensor recognition) to look for various abnormalities in the sensors.  This all adds to the accuracy of this range of tester.

The Alcohawk ABI is cleared for consumer use by the FDA, DOT and NHTSA.

The majority of people who left reviews on Amazon about this unit were satisfied with its performance, though on or two were less happy, with a couple of people complaining that it needed recalibration quite quickly and there is no way to do that yourself – you need to take it in for a service and that costs money.

The machine makes sure that the air breathed into it is deep lung air, which is essential to accuarate measurements as this is where the alcohol in the breath is mainly found.

The Alcohawk Elite was developed for personal use as well as professional use, though perhaps the fuel-cell technology breathalyzers would be a better option for professionals.  The Elite model has a temperature display to make sure that the test is performed under optimal conditions.

The Alcohawk Elite works with a simple one button press. The blue lit LCD display will then show the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC).

I would strongly urge you to read customer reviews of the Alcohawk Elite breathalyzer on Amazon because the majority of people who purchased this unit at the US site were not happy with it.  Comments like the unit not even registering any alcohol after a drink, and don’t waste your money, must give you cause for concern.

The machine is well built and robust because of the impact resistant material used to build it – are thinking that drunk people will drop it a lot   At least one review on Amazon did question the build quality though.

The Alcohawk Precision is a fine instrument to carry in your car, in case you go to a party and need to make sure you are under the legal limits for driving.

The machine comes with 5 mouthpieces which can be disposed of if required, though washing them is more economical.  You’ll also get a carry case.

This model meets the DOT / NHTSA specifications and has FDA 510K clearance.

I highly recommend that you read the reviews on Amazon before purchasing.  The majority of people are very happy with the Alcohawk Precision, but a few are not so pleased with their purchase.

This model is simple to use with a single push button.  The Alcohawk Pro has an innovative Flow Check breath monitoring technology to make sure the breath is sufficient for an accurate measurement (from the deep lungs required for accurate testing).  If the machine detects that the breath was not sufficient for an accurate reading, an error message is displayed and the test needs to be re-administered.

The Alcohawk Pro is used by a range of professionals including the police, hospitals, schools and personal use. because it is one of the most accurate semi-conductor based breathalyzers available.  Accuracy levels of +/- 0.01% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at 0.1% BAC are quoted.

This model is DOT / NHTSA approved & 510k certified by FDA.

Before buying an Alcohawk Pro, I would read some of the reviews at Amazon, as some people are not convinced of its accuracy, while others seem very happy with the product.

A breathalyzer is a machine that can estimate blood alcohol concentration (BAC) based on the concentrations of alcohol in a sample of deep lung air.   The word breathalyzer is actually a brand name, but has become a word in common usage to describe any machine that can measure BAC.

The police have been using breathalyzers for some time to detect alcohol in drivers bloodstream.  It is vital that the machine are accurate, since high levels of alcohol in the blood can make the driver very dangerous on the roads.  It is undoubtedly more accurate to take a blood sample and analyze that, but this really isn’t practical in the field.  The same applies to urine samples which can be used to find the concentration of alcohol in the blood.  They are also not very practical.  Therefore breathalyzers offer the best compromise, giving accurate estimates of blood alcohol concentration without invading a person’s body.

How do breathalyzers work?

When a person drinks alcohol, the alcohol is absorbed into the blood.  As the blood passes through the lungs, some of the alcohol will pass through the capillary network of the lungs into the alveoli (alveoli are small spaces in the lungs which give the lungs its large surface area.  They are responsible for gaseous exchange).  The concentration of alcohol that passes into the lungs is obviously related to the concentration of alcohol in the blood.  The higher the blood alcohol concentration, the higher the concentration of alcohol found in the lungs.  The ratio of breath alcohol to blood alcohol is something like 2000 : 1.

When a person breaths into a breathalyzer, the air from deep in the lungs passes over sensors in the breathalyzer.  These sensors measure the concentration of alcohol in the breath, and then using a calculation, can estimate how much alcohol there is in the blood.

How accurate are breathalyzers?

The accuracy of the breathalyzer depends upon the machine itself, but generally the more expensive the breathalyzer, the more accurate it will be.  Some figures quoted for the Alcohawk range of machines suggest these machines are accurate to +/- 0.01%.  However, you should read the specifications from the manufacturer of  of your particular machine.

The Alcohawk Slim is operated with a single push button, and provides fast and accurate readings.  It has an electronic airflow sensor built into it to ensure that the sample that is breathed in is a deep lung sample (required for accurate calculation of blood alcohol concetration – BAC).

The Alchohawk Slim can detect blood alcohol between 0.000 – 0.400% BAC with a B.A.C. sensor accuracy of +/- 0.02% and displays the results with a 2-digit display.

The folding mouthpiece on the Alcohawk Slim is replaceable, and packs of 50 can be bought separately.  However, if you are using the tester for your own personal use only, there may be no need to buy extra mouthpieces, as the ones that come with the machine can be washed and re-used.

This model is perfect for anyone wanting to personal alcohol breath tester with professional accuracy.  The Alcohawk Slim meets DOT/NHTSA model specs for breath alcohol screeners and has FDA 510k pre-marketing clearance.

Customer reviews of the Alcohawk Slim Digital breathalyzer have been very favorable over at Amazon.  With its automatic calibration when its turned on (taking around 60 seconds, though sometimes a little longer), quick accurate readings and low cost, people are loving this breath alcohol tester.

A lot of people who bought the Alcohawk Slim, did so for peace of mind.

Breathalyzers are digital alcohol breath testers that can accurately measure the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) from a breath sample.  They work by measuring the breath alcohol content (BrAc) when the user blows into the mouthpiece.  Breath passes over sensors which measures BrAc, and the breathalyzer converts this data into BAC using a simple equation which relies the fact that the alcohol level in the breath of the lungs is a known proportion of the alcohol level in the blood.

Most breath-testers come with replaceable mouthpieces, so they can hygienically be used by several people.  Of course the law enforcement people rely on this.

Choosing a breathalyzer is not as straight forward as you would imagine as there are many different makes and models, each designed with slightly different applications in mind, but most can provide quite accurate measurement of blood alcohol levels.

These machines range from heavy duty professional units, to home units and even keychain breathalyzers.

Here we are just concerned with the Alcohawk models, and there are two series of Alcohawk breathalyzer:

Alcohawk SC Series alcohol detectors, which use semi-conductors for a lower cost personal and home unit.  These come in a range of models called:

• Alcohawk Slim – sleek & compact breath alcohol tester.  One button operation and folding mouthpiece make it an good one to carry around with you.
• Alcohawk Slim 2 – Another compact digital alcohol tester with folding mouthpiece.  This model has increased accuracy over the Slim Alcohawk.
• Alcohawk Precision – This model meets DOT standards with 4 digit LED display.
• Alcohawk ABI – This model meets DOT standards with 3 digit LED display.
• Alcohawk PRO – Dot standard breathalyzer with state of the art semiconductor oxide sensor.  The PRO has a sensor to check that the breath ws sufficient for accurate measurement of alcohol.
• Alcohawk Elite – Similar to the PRO but with a temperature sensor and blue-lit LCD screen.

Alcohawk PT Series alcohol detectors, which utilize fuel-cell technology for increased accuracy.  These units are recommended for professional use to test for the presence of alcohol at threshold blood alcohol levels like 0.02% or 0.08%.  These units come in a variety of models called:

• Alcohawk PT400 – the basic fuel-cell sensor breathalyzer model.
• Alcohawk PT500 – All the features of the Alcohawk PT400, but with pressure sensor to test for adequate pressure during the test.  This meets DOT standards.
• Alcohawk PT500P – Similar to the Alcohawk PT500 but with wireless printing.
• Alcohawk PT750 – Similar features to the others in the Alcohawk PT series, but with 1000 test memory, password protection, air blank tests, USB port, etc.

Things to look for when choosing a breath alcohol detector:

1. DOT (Department of Transport) approval.
2. FDA 510k clearnace for personal testing.

You can find some reviews of these breathalyzers by clicking the links to the individual models listed above.  We’ll try to provide more information on each unit as well as an indication of price and shipping.