© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Chapter 9 Alcohol

© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Alcohol  Alcohol is a psychoactive drug that is a CNS depressant  Alcohol is the second most widely used and abused of all psychoactive drugs  Q. What drug is the most widely used and abused drug?  A. Caffeine

© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Why Do Many People View Alcohol As A Non-drug?  Alcohol is legal  Advertising & media promote drinking as normal  Large distribution and sales of alcohol  Long history of alcohol use

© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Alcohol Use And “The Alcohol Problem”  The Temperance Movement ( )  Benjamin Rush  Temperance societies  Prohibition Era ( )  State by state  Federal  Repealed  Still around today  Regulation after 1933  Taxation

© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Who Drinks and Why?  Cultural influences on drinking  Trends in U.S. alcohol consumption  Regional Differences  Gender Differences  College and University Students and Alcohol Use:  Binge Drinking  Gender and Collegiate Alcohol Use  Gender and Collegiate Alcohol Use

© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Figure 9.1 Per capita ethanol consumption by beverage type for the US,

© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Figure 9.2 Total estimated US per capita ethanol consumption in gallons per year by state, 2000 based on sales.

© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Figure 9.3 The relationship between blood alcohol concentration and alcohol intake.

© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Physical Effects of Alcohol   BAC produced depends on the:   Presence of food in the stomach   Rate of alcohol consumption   Concentration of alcohol   Drinker’s body composition   Alcohol beverages have almost no vitamins, minerals, protein, or fat -- just large amount of carbohydrates

© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Short-term Effects of Alcohol  Low to moderate doses  Disinhibition  Social setting and mental state  Euphoric, friendly, talkative  Aggressive and hostile  Interfere with motor activity, reflexes and coordination

© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Short-term Effects of Alcohol  Moderate quantities  Slightly increases in heart rate  Slightly dilates blood vessels in arms, legs, skin  Moderately lowers blood pressure  Stimulate appetite  Increases production of gastric secretions  Increases urine output

© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Acute Effects of Alcohol  At higher doses  Difficulty in walking, talking, and thinking  Induces drowsiness and causes sleep  In large amounts -- severe depression of the brain systems and motor control area of the brain  Lack of coordination, confusion, & disorientation  Stupor, anesthesia, coma, and even death  Lethal level of alcohol is between 0.4 and 0.6% by volume in the blood

© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Chronic Effects of Alcohol  Light or moderate drinking does little permanent harm (exception - FAS)  Heavy drinking  Seriously damages the heart  Kidney and liver damage  Mental disorders, irreversible damage to the brain and peripheral nervous system  Lowered resistance to pneumonia and other infectious diseases  Irritation of the gastrointestinal tract

© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome  A collection of physical and behavioral abnormalities caused by the presence of alcohol during fetal development

© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved. Alcohol Dependence  Withdrawal  Detoxification  Stage 1  Stage 2  Stage 3  Dependent behaviors  Alcoholics Anonymous  12 steps