Alcohol

Question 1

history of alcohol

Answer 1

alcohol has the longest history before
profound influence on society and culture
several forms- we are generally talking about ethanol

Question 2

3 most common psychoactive drugs

Answer 2

alcohol, nicotine, caffeine

Question 3

generally 3 forms of alcohol

Answer 3

wine, beer, hard liquor
depends on process of fermentation

Question 4

fermentation

Answer 4

sugar is dissolved in water & exposed to air
creates an environment for living microorganisms (yeast)
as yeasts grow- so does % of alcohol
most fermented beverages do not exceed 15% alcohol content

Question 5

hard liquor also requires

Answer 5

distillation
heating fermented mixture to increase alcohol content

Question 6

alcohol contents of a beverage

Answer 6

in the US- denoted by volume- 16 oz beverage containing 50% alcohol=8 oz alcohol

Question 7

proof

Answer 7

used primarily in distilled spirits
=2xs the percentage of alcohol/volume
ex. 90 proof vodka = 45% alcohol

Question 8

determined in part by England

Answer 8

where 57% alcohol/volume poured over gun powder=ignition in an open flame
English refer to alcohol as “under proof” (<57%)

Question 9

humans have used alcohol for thousands of years

Answer 9

first wines were probably made from fruit juice
first beers are thought to have been produced in Egypt (6000-5000 years ago)
earliest reference to distilled spirits - China (~1000 years ago)

Question 10

the double edged sword

Answer 10

played an important role in numerous cultures
religions, births, marriages, funerals
in some cultures- part of the truce process after war
way of sterilizing the water in unhealthy conditions

Question 11

devastated many lives

Answer 11

consumed in excess by many
ruins lives, causes death, makes domestic violence more likely

Question 12

puritans and alcohol use

Answer 12

drunkenness=sin
alcohol= no problem

Question 13

tavern in colonial america

Answer 13

the tavern was the center of town
location for discussing- politics, business, trade, gossip & pleasure, male comradery

Question 14

the drinker’s dictionary

Answer 14

Ben Franklin
included more than 235 terms for a drunk person

Question 15

history of alcohol in the US

Answer 15

by 1790 the average adult citizen in the US drank 6 gallons of alcohol/capita
by 1830= 7 gallons
5 drinks/day of alcohol
people started to become aware of problems associated with drinking- especially as society became more urban & industrial- temperance movement started to gain strength

Question 16

alcohol as it moved West in the US

Answer 16

the saloon
overtime- associated with aggressive men with no home/family connections- trappers, settlers, cowboys
consumption of large quantities of whiskey=manliness
also- thievery, gambling, prostitution & political corruption
led to emergence of Temperance movement - but they now advocated for full abstinence from all alcohol

Question 17

prohibition

Answer 17

1920-1933
directly responsible for the rise of organized crime in the US
most people drank illegally
once repealed- many different state laws emerged

Question 18

state laws for Prohibition

Answer 18

Indiana- Blue Laws sales are illegal on Sundays
Alabama- beer must be sold at room temperature
Hawaii- you cannot order more than 1 drink at a time
Illinois- happy hours are illegal

Question 19

consumption of alcohol in the US

Answer 19

small increase in drinking 1933-1940
considerable increase in drinking 1960-70- social trends
Gen X (born 1965-1980)
HEAVY drinkers
college culture (culture of alcohol)
watched their parents drink a LOT
were more likely to drink little sips when young
currently- 9% of adults age 35-44 (includes elder millennials) continue to drink even though it has negatively impacted their life

Question 20

pharmacology of alcohol

Answer 20

sites of action- depressant of the CNS
alcohol alters the cell membranes’ anatomy by entering their internal structure
results- reduced efficiency of conduction of neural impulses along axons
NT release of impulses across the synapse is inhibited
GABA- benzodiazepine receptors- enhances serotonergic and dopaminergic activity

Question 21

pharmacokinetics of alcohol

Answer 21

usually absorbed from stomach and small intestine- can also be absorbed as vapor

Question 22

absorption can be influenced by

Answer 22

food
rate of drinking
concentration of alcohol- on the rocks vs neat
carbonated beverages are absorbed faster than noncarbonated

Question 23

pylorospasm

Answer 23

when large quantities are drunk
the shutting down of the pylorus (valve between stomach & intestine)
only about 10-20% of alcohol is absorbed in the stomach- slows absorption

Question 24

what happened on the last day of class

Answer 24

strange noice in the back of class

Question 25

distribution of alcohol after absorption

Answer 25

blood distributed to all of the body’s tissues
tissues w/ lots of blood have higher concentration

Question 26

blood-brain barrier

Answer 26

because alcohol passes through the blood-brain barrier- the concentration in the brain is approximately the same as the blood

Question 27

proportion of human tissue

Answer 27

proportion of human tissue = across people
it is possible to estimate the concentration of alcohol in the body from its concentration in the blood

Question 28

BAC

Answer 28

blood alcohol concentration
percentage of weight of alcohol/100 units of blood volume
mg of alcohol/100 mL of blood
legal BAC in the US= 0.08
lethal/toxic dose=BAC 0.45-0.5

Question 29

if a healthy 160 lb man consumes 1 standard drink

Answer 29

BAC rises 0.02% within 45-60 minutes
amount of muscle mass influences (along with other factors)
more fat=higher BAC (1 drink results in lower BAC for leaner person)
alcohol is water soluble so it gets stored in fat

Question 30

tolerance

Answer 30

increases relatively quickly with regular drinking- decreases after periods of abstinence
functional tolerance is better as alcohol is working its way out of your system

Question 31

BAC and tolerance

Answer 31

BAC is the same regardless of tolerance
this can put you at risk of an overdose
chronic drinkers may not feel drunk, but will blow well over 0.08%

Question 32

cross dependence

Answer 32

with other depressants is also common
alcohol and benzodiazepines like Valium show cross tolerance and cross dependence
you can stave off the effects of withdrawal from one drug by taking the other

Question 33

physical dependence

Answer 33

occurs with chronic drinking
3 phases of withdrawal

Question 34

stage 1 of withdrawal

Answer 34

as soon as a few hours after drinking
shakes, sweating, weakness, agitation, headache, nausea & vomiting
high heart rate
*visual and auditory hallucinations

Question 35

stage 2 of withdrawal

Answer 35

within 24 hours of cessation
grand mal seizures
range from 1 to severe with several in a row

Question 36

which of the drugs can create vivid hallucinations?
opioids, alcohol, hallucinogens

Answer 36

all of the above

Question 37

stage 3 of withdrawal

Answer 37

after 30 hrs (may last 3-4 days)
agitation & confusion
high body temperature, rapid heart rate, terrifying hallucinations (visual, auditory, tactical)
delusions- with potential for violence
deaths during this stage occur due to cardiovascular collapse

Question 38

end of withdrawal

Answer 38

5-7 days after stopping
exhaustion & severe dehydration

Question 39

physiological effects at low doses

Answer 39

inhibits secretion of antidiuretic hormone (need to pee)
reduces the amount of body fat that is oxidized
peripheral dilator
disrupted sleep
impairs memory
hangover

Question 40

reduces the amount of body fat that is oxidized

Answer 40

not breaking down fat as efficiently
this can cause weight gain over time
beer belly

Question 41

peripheral dilator

Answer 41

can cause red appearance and rapid loss of body fat

Question 42

disrupted sleep

Answer 42

can suppress REM

Question 43

impairs memory

Answer 43

blackouts

Question 44

hangover

Answer 44

4-12 hours after peak alcohol
nausea, headaches, dizziness, thirst
hair of the dog- drinking more to alleviate symptoms of hangover