Dr Aric Sigman

Presentation Details

The Facts about Alcohol

The Chief Medical Officer has just announced that nobody younger than 15 years old should be allowed to drink alcohol. Sir Liam Donaldson said even a small amount can be dangerous for children, as it can damage their brains while they're still growing...but, in our drinking culture, how can we change things?

• It is suspected that early exposure to alcohol may "prime" the brain to enjoy alcohol by creating a link between alcohol and pleasurable reward. The younger that children drink, the more likely they are to have alcohol-related problems later in life. It is now commonplace to see men and women in their twenties with end-stage alcoholic liver damage.
• One-third of teenage cyclists killed in accidents have alcohol in their blood.
• Alcohol consumption is now directly linked to academic achievement.
• Recent comparative studies are finding that British children are more likely to get drunk than those of any other country. In the past 5 years the number of teenagers hospitalised for alcohol poisoning has doubled. Girls now outnumber boys 3 to 1.
• Child alcoholics are a growing problem, with an increasing number being treated in hospital every day for alcohol-related illnesses, including mental disorders and liver disease.
• Alcohol is also contributing to the obesity epidemic among children and adults, yet few people are aware of the connection.
• A new paper in the British Journal of Psychiatry reports that urgent action is needed to prevent "an under-recognised, alcohol-related, dementia time bomb" facing young drinkers.
• A myth persists that introducing children to alcohol prevents heavy drinking and alcoholism later. However, it is now thought that exposure to alcohol at an early age is more likely to increase a child’s likelihood of becoming a heavy drinker.
• Another myth involves the ‘continental approach’ to drinking being healthier than Britain’s. In fact, France’s death rate from cirrhosis of the liver is twice that of the UK.
• A new approach to alcohol education is needed for a new generation.

Presentations vary according to the age and sex of the pupils, and the nature of the school, and may include:

• Why do people drink?
• How early drinking primes the brain for later heavy drinking.
• What are the short-term/long-term risks of drinking?
• Effects of blood alcohol content on thinking, feeling and behaviour.
• For girls: how does alcohol change a boy’s behaviour?
  For boys: How does alcohol change a girl’s behaviour?
• How alcohol can damage your friendships.
• Gender differences in alcohol tolerance and why women are more susceptible to long-term alcohol-induced damage.
• Reaction times and judgment: why boys who have been drinking are far more likely to be beaten up or even stabbed. And if they get into a fight with someone sober - they’re more likely to lose.
• Why alcohol reduces your academic achievement and grades.
• Body fat: your body actually metabolizes alcohol as if it were a fat. So, your body will treat those alcohol calories in a pint of beer or a shot of vodka like a couple of teaspoons of butter.
• What is the difference between a blackout and passing out?
• Date rape: Assault prevention including the basic facts about "date rape drugs" Rohypnol and GHB.
• Is it dangerous to mix alcohol and other drugs?
• How do you know if someone is an alcoholic and how can you help them?
• Know Your Family History - First-degree relatives (children, siblings or parents) of alcoholics have been estimated to have a seven times greater chance of developing alcoholism.

Electronic Media

With advice from experts from a technology-cum-education consultancy perspective, schools and parents have focussed on Internet safety. Yet they are not fully aware of a growing body of formidable scientific evidence concerning the way computers, TV and other electronic media affect educational performance, outcome, and ultimately league table results.

Dr Aric Sigman has published empirical research, a highly regarded book and has given talks at a conference at the Houses of Parliament and the Institute of Biology on this subject. He has recently appeared on Radio 4’s Today Programme and BBC2’s Newsnight to discuss his publications.

This presentation will explain:

• How does electronic media affect cognitive skills, attention, brain development, literacy and academic achievement?
• Why is even non-violent media linked to antisocial behaviour?
• How much and what type of electronic media should schools and children be using during the school day and after hours? And at what ages?
• What does ‘multi-tasking’ do to children’s minds and brains?
• How does electronic entertainment out of school impact on learning?
• What should parents know and do?
• What should schools and parents do together in deciding how much and what type of electronic media children should be using?

This presentation will be adapted for sex and age as well as for staff and parents.

The Pressures of Physical Appearance and Body Image

Both girls and boys are feeling increasingly dissatisfied with the way they look. The problem is starting at younger and younger ages and is having a significant impact on their mental and physical health along with their social viability. But how can we relieve these pressures or prevent them from developing in the first place?

• New research shows a direct link between pupils’ exposure to idealised media images and dissatisfaction with the way they look, accompanied by actual changes in the brain.
• Body dissatisfaction is a major risk factor for low self-esteem, depression, self-harm, substance abuse, obesity, and eating disorders.
• The effect is increasing: studies conducted in the 2000s show a larger influence of the media on body image than do those from the 1990s.
• Use of diet pills among 15-17 year olds has doubled in five years.
• Body dissatisfaction increasingly affects boys who now want to be more unrealistically muscular while at the same much leaner.
• The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has voiced grave concerns about the growing abuse of anabolic steroids by boys as young as 12.
• Studies find that British teenagers of both sexes are increasingly fixated with their weight as a combination of low self-esteem and concern about image drives them into unnecessary dieting.
• Two thirds of 14-year-old girls think they are fat and should lose weight.
• Between 25% and 50% of girls are on a diet at any given time by the age of 15, even though many of them are not overweight.

This presentation will help to inoculate pupils against some of the negative influence of media images and will also overturn common misconceptions about physical appearance and the feelings associated with it.

Pupils will be helped to understand:

• How idealised media images really do affect the way you feel about yourself – even if you’re not aware of it.
• What is a healthy weight and body shape?
• The facts about skin appearance, spots and acne.
• Why celebrities and sporting heroes may be entertaining but are not necessarily healthy, well-balanced role models.