Alcohol Flashcards
history of alcohol
alcohol has the longest history before
profound influence on society and culture
several forms- we are generally talking about ethanol
3 most common psychoactive drugs
alcohol, nicotine, caffeine
generally 3 forms of alcohol
wine, beer, hard liquor
depends on process of fermentation
fermentation
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
hard liquor also requires
distillation
heating fermented mixture to increase alcohol content
alcohol contents of a beverage
in the US- denoted by volume- 16 oz beverage containing 50% alcohol=8 oz alcohol
proof
used primarily in distilled spirits
=2xs the percentage of alcohol/volume
ex. 90 proof vodka = 45% alcohol
determined in part by England
where 57% alcohol/volume poured over gun powder=ignition in an open flame
English refer to alcohol as “under proof” (<57%)
humans have used alcohol for thousands of years
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)
the double edged sword
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
devastated many lives
consumed in excess by many
ruins lives, causes death, makes domestic violence more likely
puritans and alcohol use
drunkenness=sin
alcohol= no problem
tavern in colonial america
the tavern was the center of town
location for discussing- politics, business, trade, gossip & pleasure, male comradery
the drinker’s dictionary
Ben Franklin
included more than 235 terms for a drunk person
history of alcohol in the US
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
alcohol as it moved West in the US
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
prohibition
1920-1933
directly responsible for the rise of organized crime in the US
most people drank illegally
once repealed- many different state laws emerged
state laws for Prohibition
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
consumption of alcohol in the US
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
pharmacology of alcohol
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
pharmacokinetics of alcohol
usually absorbed from stomach and small intestine- can also be absorbed as vapor
absorption can be influenced by
food
rate of drinking
concentration of alcohol- on the rocks vs neat
carbonated beverages are absorbed faster than noncarbonated
pylorospasm
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
what happened on the last day of class
strange noice in the back of class
distribution of alcohol after absorption
blood distributed to all of the body’s tissues
tissues w/ lots of blood have higher concentration
blood-brain barrier
because alcohol passes through the blood-brain barrier- the concentration in the brain is approximately the same as the blood
proportion of human tissue
proportion of human tissue = across people
it is possible to estimate the concentration of alcohol in the body from its concentration in the blood
BAC
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
if a healthy 160 lb man consumes 1 standard drink
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
tolerance
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
BAC and tolerance
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%
cross dependence
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
physical dependence
occurs with chronic drinking
3 phases of withdrawal
stage 1 of withdrawal
as soon as a few hours after drinking
shakes, sweating, weakness, agitation, headache, nausea & vomiting
high heart rate
*visual and auditory hallucinations
stage 2 of withdrawal
within 24 hours of cessation
grand mal seizures
range from 1 to severe with several in a row
which of the drugs can create vivid hallucinations?
opioids, alcohol, hallucinogens
all of the above
stage 3 of withdrawal
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
end of withdrawal
5-7 days after stopping
exhaustion & severe dehydration
physiological effects at low doses
inhibits secretion of antidiuretic hormone (need to pee)
reduces the amount of body fat that is oxidized
peripheral dilator
disrupted sleep
impairs memory
hangover
reduces the amount of body fat that is oxidized
not breaking down fat as efficiently
this can cause weight gain over time
beer belly
peripheral dilator
can cause red appearance and rapid loss of body fat
disrupted sleep
can suppress REM
impairs memory
blackouts
hangover
4-12 hours after peak alcohol
nausea, headaches, dizziness, thirst
hair of the dog- drinking more to alleviate symptoms of hangover
