0:00:17 > 0:00:20My name is Alan and when I was 14 I had a really bad experience
0:00:20 > 0:00:22due to alcohol.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31I like playing on the Xbox, watching DVDs
0:00:31 > 0:00:33and I enjoy listening to music.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36I like playing football as well, with my mates.
0:00:36 > 0:00:42I've played for two, three football teams and I won a cup with them.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47Although most under-16s never drink alcohol, Alan is one who did.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52At 14, his drinking led to him being rushed into A&E.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57About two years ago, on a Saturday, as usual we went to town.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Me and a group of friends.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02And for the first two hours we were just skateboarding,
0:01:02 > 0:01:06having a laugh, messing around, it was quite fun.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10And then we got bored a little bit.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16And one of my friends went off and he came back saying, "I've got
0:01:16 > 0:01:19"someone who can get served for us.
0:01:19 > 0:01:20"Shall we get something to drink?"
0:01:27 > 0:01:30In the end, we got some beers.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32One of my friends got some cider
0:01:32 > 0:01:35and I went halves with a mate for some vodka.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39We just really wanted to get drunk because that's
0:01:39 > 0:01:41when all the fun begins.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Even though it's not true, but that's what you think.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49We probably drank the whole bottle of vodka quite quickly.
0:01:49 > 0:01:56And then after half an hour, it hits you and you're like, "Oh, crap, oh!"
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Once inside the body, alcohol moves from the stomach to the small
0:02:00 > 0:02:04intestine, where it's absorbed into the bloodstream.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07The faster it's absorbed, the sooner you feel drunk.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Alcohol then interacts with the nervous system,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14slowing down the messages sent from your ears and eyes to the brain.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18As your body's reactions slow down, you become less aware
0:02:18 > 0:02:22of your surroundings and more likely to cause yourself harm.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27After about half an hour, we were thinking that, "Yeah, we're fine."
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Stood up, went to have a go with a skateboard,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33and wasn't really that fine at all.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36And just probably got about ten yards and then flew off.
0:02:38 > 0:02:39Inside the brain,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42the motor cortex initiates the body's muscle movements.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46The cerebellum coordinates these movements, allowing the body
0:02:46 > 0:02:50to move smoothly, but excess alcohol disrupts this functioning,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54so you become uncoordinated and find it difficult to balance.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Everyone who was around us, they were just laughing at me.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03I wasn't taking it the wrong way, I was laughing my head off as well,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05cos it was funny.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08That's what you do when you're drunk, you act like an idiot.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11But then, as it drags on, you start to get,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14your head starts hurting a little bit.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16You just want to sit down.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21You start to get a little bit more, you know, sulky.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23A little bit more agitated at anything.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27And people just start angering you when they're really just being nice.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29You say, like, "Shut up, leave me alone."
0:03:29 > 0:03:34I'd probably finished off the vodka and had a few beers.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Two of my friends said they wanted to go to the shop.
0:03:38 > 0:03:39So I went with them,
0:03:39 > 0:03:43didn't go in, I stayed outside with one of them at a bus stop.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46It was me, one of my mates and then a girl who my mate knew anyway,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48I didn't know her.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51That was the worse I'd felt all day.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54My head was spinning and it'd stop and I'd feel fine
0:03:54 > 0:03:55and then it would spin again.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57And my stomach felt like it was upside down.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00And I was just sitting there with my head in my hands, just trying
0:04:00 > 0:04:05to wait for it to all just wear off so I could just go home.
0:04:05 > 0:04:11And I started to hear like a group of men shouting as they were
0:04:11 > 0:04:15walking up on the same side of the road as me.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18And then one of them must have banged on the window.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22And then they shouted something aimed at the girl I was with.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24I'm not usually aggressive.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28If someone I think has done something wrong, I won't argue,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31start shouting abuse at them. I jumped up and started arguing
0:04:31 > 0:04:34with them, definitely to do with the fact that I was drunk.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Alcohol affects the largest part of the brain, the cerebrum,
0:04:39 > 0:04:43which controls anxieties and inhibitions.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47Drinking too much can lead to overconfidence.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Excess alcohol also affects the limbic system,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53which controls your emotions,
0:04:53 > 0:04:54inducing sadness,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57tearfulness or, as with Alan, aggression.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03Eventually they came over, we started squaring up to each other.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07And then it looked like one of them was going to like, swing for me
0:05:07 > 0:05:09so I swang for him.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13He just blocked it, picked me up by the throat and threw me
0:05:13 > 0:05:15against the bus stop.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29For a few minutes I didn't really know what had happened.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32And didn't really feel, you know, that I knew where I was.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37And then I went to twist my arm round and it was hurting
0:05:37 > 0:05:40a little a bit until one of my mates lifted my top up and had a look.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43He went, "You've broke your collarbone."
0:05:43 > 0:05:45And the bone was like that, sticking upwards.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48And that was when it started hurting properly.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51I felt a little bit stupid in front of my mates
0:05:51 > 0:05:55because obviously I'd just been "done in" by a group of people.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57And that's obviously not cool.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02One of my friends called 999.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05And I got took to the hospital.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08In the hospital, they had to ring for my mum.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13They put me in a sling which was really,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15really painful to get my arm into place.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17It was like two bones rubbing against each other.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20It was excruciatingly painful.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26My mum was quite shocked because she'd never known me
0:06:26 > 0:06:27to be a drinker.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31She'd just gone from...her son's not a drinker, to...he's in hospital
0:06:31 > 0:06:34because of alcohol abuse.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Even now, in the morning ,I wake up
0:06:43 > 0:06:46and there's a real ache on all the muscles surrounding
0:06:46 > 0:06:49the collarbone and I have to roll my shoulder for ages
0:06:49 > 0:06:53and sometimes throughout the entire day before it starts feeling OK again.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00Due to the drinking underage, it definitely affected my education
0:07:00 > 0:07:03cos I was off for three weeks, maybe four weeks.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08I can't really play as much sport as I used to.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11I can't play in goal. I can't play rugby.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Then I was out of PE for six months.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18Had I not been drinking that night, I wouldn't have ended up into a fight.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21I wouldn't have been as aggressive as I was.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23I wouldn't have lost three weeks of school.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25I wouldn't have lost six months of PE.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28And I wouldn't have lost countless nights without sleep.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42My name's Anna.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45I'm 17 and this year I've ruined a friendship due to alcohol.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54I was just like in the normal crowd at school.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57I'm quite awkward with boys,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00like, just talking to them, in case I say the wrong thing.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03I don't mind being a bit quiet and sitting in the corner
0:08:03 > 0:08:05and, like, taking a back seat occasionally.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Anna lives in the north-west of England.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11This is the story of how a night of drinking alcohol has damaged
0:08:11 > 0:08:14her relationships with her friends.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17It was the first weekend after starting school,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19so everyone was sort of stressed.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23There was a party, all my friends from my social group were there.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28I took some cider. It was quite a big bottle.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33As the alcohol hit me I was a bit more confident,
0:08:33 > 0:08:37so I was milling around talking to people I don't know.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41I was more social than I'd normally be if I hadn't been drinking.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Once inside the body, alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream
0:08:46 > 0:08:48through the stomach wall
0:08:48 > 0:08:50and small intestine.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Drinking on an empty stomach is more dangerous, as without food,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57alcohol enters the bloodstream a lot faster.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01The liver is put under extra pressure and cannot break down all
0:09:01 > 0:09:05the alcohol in the system, leaving it to circulate around vital organs.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08I sat down with my friends from school.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10We just had a drink together.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14As we drank more, we started talking about boys a bit more.
0:09:14 > 0:09:20And usually you don't want to say, "I like him," but once you've had
0:09:20 > 0:09:23a drink, you don't care what people think as much.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27And then with a bit of encouragement from one of my best friends,
0:09:27 > 0:09:32I went over and talked to a guy that I liked.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36He had been dating one of my close friends.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39And she was at that party as well.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42I was flirting with him.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45And I was doing it quite openly, as well.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49I was so much less self-conscious, even after only, like, one drink.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53As alcohol circulates around the bloodstream
0:09:53 > 0:09:56and enters the body's organs, it disrupts the chemistry
0:09:56 > 0:10:00of the cells, changing the way they, and you, behave.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05In the brain, alcohol represses the areas that control your inhibitions,
0:10:05 > 0:10:11making you feel temporarily more outgoing, extroverted and confident.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15I went into the kitchen. I got a bottle of alcopops.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19I got chatting to this other guy I'm sort of friends with from school.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21I don't know him that well.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24I probably wouldn't usually talk to him at school.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26He was flirting with me
0:10:26 > 0:10:28and I wouldn't usually have been interested.
0:10:28 > 0:10:35But after a bit of quite open flirting, he leaned in for a kiss,
0:10:35 > 0:10:40and I kissed him back. Probably, I wouldn't...if I wasn't drunk.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45Alcohol interferes with a hormone called testosterone that
0:10:45 > 0:10:50affects the reproductive system and also sexual attraction.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52It can make females feel more confident
0:10:52 > 0:10:54and increase their sexual desire.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57Recent research suggests alcohol may
0:10:57 > 0:11:01also impede the brain's judgement on the attractiveness of potential
0:11:01 > 0:11:05partners, encouraging decisions that might later be regretted.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08At this point, I'd had, like, the big thing of cider.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12probably about three glasses, I think, equivalent to.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15And then I was on my second alcopop.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20And then I went to find my friends.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24There was a load of us in this bedroom, including the guy who
0:11:24 > 0:11:26I did actually quite like.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31His ex, one of my close friends, was there.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34And I was just flirting with him
0:11:34 > 0:11:37even though she was in the same room.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39We were still having a good time.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42There was, like, a camera going round.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Me and him were, like, taking pictures of ourselves.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50My close friend left the room, and when everyone had kind of left,
0:11:50 > 0:11:56we started kissing, me and the boy who I quite liked.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01I wouldn't have done that if I was sober, even though him
0:12:01 > 0:12:04and my friend had broken up.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07After we finished kissing,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10I think maybe we did say, "This isn't a good idea.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13"You're good friends with my ex."
0:12:15 > 0:12:17I don't really remember a great deal of it.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22An area of the brain known as the hippocampus
0:12:22 > 0:12:25is responsible for recording new memories.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Alcohol can prevent this process,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29leading to the brain blacking out events,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32so they can't be remembered.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37The regret did kick in, you know, waking up the next day.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39The more I thought about it,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42the more I was like, "Oh, no, what have I done?"
0:12:42 > 0:12:46And I just kept, like, closing my eyes
0:12:46 > 0:12:49and just wishing that I could go back and not do it.
0:12:49 > 0:12:54And then, you know, got a notification on social media.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57His ex, my close friend, has put these pictures up of you.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01There were a few nice group shots of us all,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04there were pictures of us kissing each other's cheeks.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12And I just had this in the back of my mind.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15"What if there's photos of us actually kissing?"
0:13:15 > 0:13:20My main concern was, "His ex is going to find out
0:13:20 > 0:13:23"and it's going to affect our friendship, and it's going to
0:13:23 > 0:13:27"affect my friendship with all our mutual friends."
0:13:27 > 0:13:30I thought, "OK, maybe I should tell her, you know.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35"I was drunk, so she'll understand that I didn't mean it.
0:13:35 > 0:13:40"I'll just pass it off as, whatever, a drunken mistake."
0:13:40 > 0:13:42So I told her. Um...
0:13:44 > 0:13:47At first, she was fine.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Like at first, she was just like, "Whatever, I'm over him."
0:13:50 > 0:13:54And then, after a few days, she's like, "I'm really hurt,
0:13:54 > 0:13:58"I'm really angry, I feel betrayed. You should have thought of this."
0:14:00 > 0:14:07But I just, I hadn't thought of it... Like...I was...
0:14:09 > 0:14:12If I hadn't drank, then I wouldn't have got into this mess.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15She's still angry at me for what happened
0:14:15 > 0:14:17and she's still not talking to me now.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30My name is Jordan and when I was 16, drinking caused me
0:14:30 > 0:14:33to be publicly humiliated in front of all of my friends.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42I enjoy reading and writing poetry.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45I can be assertive, but sometimes stubborn.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50When I'm in my room, I don't have a TV, so I'm usually playing music.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52I'm very inquisitive as well.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Jordan lives in London.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58His experience with alcohol put his life at serious risk.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01I was 16 and I was working at the time.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05One of my friends was having a big party for his birthday
0:15:05 > 0:15:10and I thought, "Yeah, tonight I'm going to get some brandy," cos
0:15:10 > 0:15:13I just got paid and that's what the big boys drink, apparently.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18We went over to the shop and bought two bottles of brandy.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22We had every intention of getting drunk that night.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34It was the first time I'd actually ever bought drink.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38So, yeah, it was a big moment, but it was crazy,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40because it was £70-worth of drink.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42I wanted to have a wild night, I guess,
0:15:42 > 0:15:46because I'd never been drunk before.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47I had money now
0:15:47 > 0:15:52and I didn't really have a care in the world for that one night.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Then we made our way to the party drinking a bit on the way,
0:15:55 > 0:16:00to get a bit, not drunk, but tipsy, so we were in a nice place
0:16:00 > 0:16:02when we get to the party.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06Alcohol is measured in units which vary, depending on the size
0:16:06 > 0:16:07and strength of the drink.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12A small bottle of medium-strength beer is roughly one unit.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15A small glass of wine is around 1.6 units,
0:16:15 > 0:16:20whilst Jordan's bottle of brandy contained at least 28 units.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24For adults aged 18 or over, it's recommended that men
0:16:24 > 0:16:27shouldn't regularly drink more than three to four units per day
0:16:27 > 0:16:29and women shouldn't regularly drink
0:16:29 > 0:16:32more than two to three units per day.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36We got to the party with the two brandies
0:16:36 > 0:16:39and everyone was like, "Oh, they've brought brandy."
0:16:39 > 0:16:44I wouldn't say we felt like kings, but we felt very powerful, I guess.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Thought, "Yeah, we're big guys," so we sat at the table,
0:16:46 > 0:16:49put our bottles of brandy down.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51We didn't think about pacing ourselves at all.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Most of the time I was swigging it from the bottle
0:16:54 > 0:16:58and I didn't know how much I had been drinking...
0:16:58 > 0:17:01and I was drinking it like it's juice.
0:17:01 > 0:17:06We were just drinking, drinking, drinking.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08When you're drunk, you feel a bit more confident in yourself.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12So we was ordering people about, telling them to put on my music.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Telling them to go shop and get some more drink.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Telling them to get me some chicken and chips.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20I was having a really good time and then I went to sit down
0:17:20 > 0:17:22and I missed the chair.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25And I was like, "Oh." And then my head started.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28It all happened in the space of about two minutes.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30My head started spinning. I felt sick.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34I was like, "Oh, no." I looked at the bottle, it was empty.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37I was like, "Oh, no, I've had too much to drink."
0:17:37 > 0:17:40It was like everything you imagine it to be like
0:17:40 > 0:17:43when you're absolutely drunk, off your face.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45And it's not a nice thing at all.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49It was a nightmare because the whole party was just spinning around my head.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54As alcohol reaches the liver, it's broken down into water and
0:17:54 > 0:17:59carbon dioxide, which is expelled through sweat, urine and breath.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02But the liver can only break down one unit per hour,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06whereas Jordan had drunk over 15 units.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Highly dangerous amounts of alcohol and toxins were building up
0:18:09 > 0:18:13in his bloodstream, putting his body at serious risk.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Then I started being sick.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21After I was sick for the first time, no-one really knew what to do, to be honest.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Everyone was hanging about like, "Oh, Jordan's been sick."
0:18:24 > 0:18:26And I was just lying there.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29I remember people getting annoyed.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31I just wanted the ground to swallow me up.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34I just wanted to be home and for it to all be over.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38The friend I came with and another friend they said, "No, take him
0:18:38 > 0:18:41"outside to the drive."
0:18:41 > 0:18:46So they've taken me out on the drive and I'm just lying on the floor.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50It was quite messy. I was lying in my own sick a bit.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54I was trying to fall asleep, I think, but I can't really remember.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Alcohol irritates the stomach
0:18:56 > 0:19:00and can cause it to discharge or vomit its contents.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04Large amounts of alcohol can disrupt the gag-reflex system
0:19:04 > 0:19:08triggered in the throat, which prevents sick entering the lungs.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10If the airways are blocked by vomit,
0:19:10 > 0:19:16breathing can become disrupted, leading to choking, and even death.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20In this state, an individual should never be laid out on their back,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23left alone or allowed to fall asleep.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Medical advice should be sought immediately.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28No-one knew what to do,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30so they just called my parents to come pick me up.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32I just felt humiliated.
0:19:32 > 0:19:37Throughout the night you don't think about any of the medical effects.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41You just think about how fun it's going to be when you get drunk.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44You don't think about any side effects of what could poss...
0:19:44 > 0:19:46You don't think about possibly being sick.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49But back then, it was like, "Nah, it's never going to happen."
0:19:56 > 0:20:01I woke up the next day without any memory of what had happened.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06I stood up. And as soon as I stood up, the whole room started spinning
0:20:06 > 0:20:08and I had the most banging headache.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10It was a nightmare. My stomach was doing somersaults.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14It was the worse possible thing that could ever happen
0:20:14 > 0:20:16after a night of drinking, I guess.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18I remember I went through stages.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22I felt like I was ill, but I knew what made me ill.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25It was really humiliating, I guess.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Alcohol is a diuretic, making the body urinate and sweat more.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34Dehydration from loss of water makes the body feel thirsty and weak,
0:20:34 > 0:20:39and increases the heart rate, all of which occur during a hangover.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42The throbbing headache associated with a hangover is thought
0:20:42 > 0:20:46also to be partly caused by alcohol opening up the blood vessels
0:20:46 > 0:20:49to the brain, putting pressure on its protective layers.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53It wasn't worth it at all.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57It sounds a bit extreme, but I could have died that night.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I didn't really realise
0:21:04 > 0:21:08until probably a few days later how serious it could have been.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11And it's something that you don't think about
0:21:11 > 0:21:14while you're drinking or even probably while you're being sick.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16But it can happen.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29This is Emily and when she was 16,
0:21:29 > 0:21:34alcohol made her vulnerable to a traumatic experience.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Harry Potter books, I'm like a massive geek about.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Drawing. I never stop drawing.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Been told that I'm good at giving advice,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43but not taking my own advice at the same time.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47The following is what Emily remembers of the incident.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58I'd had a bad week, sort of personal problems,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01and I was having a really bad day.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03I was already out with a few mates, we were just in town.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05And one of them was 18 already.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Everyone was just chilled and having a laugh.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10I was like, "It will cheer me up a bit after the week that I'd had."
0:22:10 > 0:22:14So that was my general idea for going out drinking.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24My mate then went to the shop, bought everyone beer.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27I'd given them money to buy me a bottle of vodka.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31So everyone was just chilled on this field, just all having a drink.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34When I first started drinking, I still felt down
0:22:34 > 0:22:36about having my bad week.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Then the more I was drinking, the more tipsy, I started having a laugh.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42I could assume I was probably slurring my words.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45I was giggling at everything. Couldn't walk in a straight line.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47I felt better in myself.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50I felt like, "Yeah, I've cheered up a lot now."
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Alcohol affects the brain's chemical messengers,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56called neurotransmitters, which control our thoughts,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58behaviour, movement and emotions.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03Alcohol increases the concentration of two neurotransmitters
0:23:03 > 0:23:05called GABA and dopamine.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07This reduces our inhibitions and
0:23:07 > 0:23:10makes us feel temporarily happier.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13We finished the few of the drinks off
0:23:13 > 0:23:16and we started walking back in towards the town centre.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19I saw a few of my other mates.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22And a couple of them who were 18, 19, said they were going round town
0:23:22 > 0:23:24and asked did I want to go with them.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29So I went with them to a bar not far from where we were.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32I started by getting my friends to buy my drinks at the bar, just
0:23:32 > 0:23:35so I didn't get, like, run the risk of getting ID'd at the bar.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47I was drinking pints. I had a few shots.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49I was drinking quite a lot.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53After a while, I started thinking about how bad my week had been.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56I started getting down. I was like, "I'll have another drink to cheer me up."
0:23:56 > 0:24:01And it wasn't, I just kept feeling worse and worse and started crying.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04And I went outside for some fresh air
0:24:04 > 0:24:06and the minute the fresh air hit me, I felt even more drunk.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09My head was spinning all over the place.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12And I was sick outside.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16I was just, like, crying, being sick.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19I wasn't really aware of what was going on around me.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25The inner ear helps the body stay balanced.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Alcohol can change the inner ear's sensitivity to gravity,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31making it hard to coordinate your movements,
0:24:31 > 0:24:36and making you feel dizzy, as if everything is spinning around you.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Alcohol also irritates the stomach where it's
0:24:39 > 0:24:41absorbed into the bloodstream.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45This makes the stomach vomit out its contents.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48So my friends who I was with were saying,
0:24:48 > 0:24:52"Right, well, which one of us are going to get her home?"
0:24:52 > 0:24:53And they were both drunk as well.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57And just as everyone was deciding, who was all sitting in front,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59a lad who we all knew walked past.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02And he came over talking to us and he was like, "Is she OK?"
0:25:02 > 0:25:05They were like, "Yeah, she's just a bit drunk and upset."
0:25:05 > 0:25:08And he was like, "Well, I've not had a drink, so do you want me
0:25:08 > 0:25:09"to get her home and yous can stay in the bar?"
0:25:09 > 0:25:12And my mates were like, "Yeah, OK."
0:25:13 > 0:25:16And he said he was going to walk me to a taxi office.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18So I just left with him.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20And I could not see where I was walking at all.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23I was following him, trusting him to take me somewhere.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28After I'd say about, what felt to me
0:25:28 > 0:25:33about ten or 15 minutes of walking, I realised that we was on a field.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38And my legs buckled underneath me sort of near a ditch.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41And I was laying there.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44I tried to get myself back up and realised that I couldn't move.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47And I tried saying something to him and I couldn't speak.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50And I remember thinking to myself, "Why isn't he helping me back up?"
0:25:50 > 0:25:54And he came to, like, in front of me.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58And he pulled my legs straight and he pulled my dress up.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00I was thinking to myself, "What's he's doing?"
0:26:00 > 0:26:04I was trying to say to myself, "Just push him off, push him off."
0:26:04 > 0:26:06I was proper willing myself and I just couldn't move at all.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10I was like, "Why can't I move?" And I wanted to scream and cry.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12And he lay on top of me and started kissing me.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14And I wasn't responding at all.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20All I wanted to do was get him off me and just scream at him and hit him.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22I wasn't doing anything, he was kissing me.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25He was like, running his hands all over my body.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29And he just carried on and wouldn't get off.
0:26:29 > 0:26:30He tried to do other things.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34He put his hands up my dress and on my legs and everything else.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36He tried doing other stuff.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38I remember, like in my head, screaming as loud as I could,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41just willing myself to actually make a noise.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44And I just couldn't do anything.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46And I don't know how long it had been,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48but to me it felt like for ever.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52He just got up, pulled my dress down, kissed me again
0:26:52 > 0:26:53and just left me in the ditch.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56And I just blacked out at that point.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Inside Emily's body,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03alcohol was flowing around her bloodstream
0:27:03 > 0:27:05and into her vital organs.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07She eventually lost consciousness,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11and passed out, as her brain shut down.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19Because of what actually happened that night, it ended up
0:27:19 > 0:27:22affecting my mental health more than anything.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24I couldn't sleep in my own bed for a few weeks after that.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26I spent most nights sleeping on the couch.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28I would be crying most nights.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30I'd wake up in the middle of the night and I could feel
0:27:30 > 0:27:33the weight of him on top of me. I could hear his voice in my head.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36If I'd been a bit more sober that night, I wouldn't have said,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38"Oh, yeah, I'm just going to leave with him."
0:27:38 > 0:27:41I'd have asked one of my friends who I knew closer,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45would they come with me? Instead of just going off with some lad
0:27:45 > 0:27:47who I knew the name of and I'd spoke to him a couple of times.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53A lot of my friends were saying, "It wasn't your fault, "it wasn't your fault."
0:27:53 > 0:27:55I blamed myself a lot for a long time.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59And it made me really depressed for a long time as well.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13When I was in school, there was the popular group.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16You'd hear the stories of how good their night was after having
0:28:16 > 0:28:17a few drinks.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19You think, "Yeah, that sounds dead good,"
0:28:19 > 0:28:22but you never heard how ill they were the next day.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24But no-one ever discusses the worst stuff.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27It's just always, "Yeah, it was a fun night."
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd