Alcohol

Question 1

Alcohol

Answer 1

Most popular psychoactive drug in Western world

Question 2

Alcohol In moderation

Answer 2

Increases relaxation, loosens inhibitions, impairs judgement/reaction time, possibly some health benefits

Question 3

Alcohol In excess

Answer 3

Impaired functioning, devastating consequences, addiction, debilitation or death

Question 4

What is moderate drinking?

Answer 4

= max 1 drink/day women, 2 drinks/day men

Question 5

Types of Alcohol

Answer 5

Beer: 3-8% alcohol, brewed from mixture of grains
Wine: 9-14%, fermented juices of grapes/fruits  sugars react with yeast to create alcohol
Hard liquor: 30-50%+, distilled brewed or fermented grains/plants
“One drink” = 13.6 g alcohol
Calories = 95.2

Question 6

NEW Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines (2023)

Answer 6

Continuum of Risk
0 drinks / week: Benefits include better health, better sleep.
2 drinks or less / week: You are likely to avoid alcohol-related consequences for yourself or others.
3–6 drinks / week: Your risk for several types of cancer, including breast and colon cancer, increases.
7 drinks or more / week: Your risk of heart disease/stroke increases significantly.
Each additional drink radically increases your risk of alcohol-related consequences.

Question 7

What happens to the alcohol?

Answer 7

20% rapidly absorbed from stomach into bloodstream, 75% absorbed through upper small intestine (remainder later along GI tract)
 feelings of intoxication
Rapidly distributed through body tissues, metabolized mostly by liver – differences in metabolism
Sex, Ethnicity (e.g. female, Asian, African, Jewish)
Crosses blood-brain barrier, disrupts brain networks
Chronic heavy use  permanent damage

Question 8

Blood alcohol concentration [BAC]

Answer 8

0.04% 1st offence for experienced driver: Vehicle seized/impounded, 4 pts, impaired driving course, $500-$1500).
 0.08% criminal charges  age ≤ 21 = 0 tolerance

Question 9

All alcohol consumed…

Answer 9

…is eventually absorbed!

Question 10

factors of alcohol absorbtion

Answer 10

Amount of alcohol consumed in a given time
Body weight (amount of body tissue)
% body fat (higher BAC)
% water in body (female has less)
Carbonation, artificial sweeteners: ↑ rate
Water intake during, Food in stomach: ↓ rate
Genetics (rate of alcohol metabolism)
Behaviour (frequency)

Question 11

How many drinks?

Answer 11

1-2 drinks  0.05  more relaxed and judgment, inhibition, alertness and reaction time decrease.
3-4 drinks  0.05 to 0.10  clumsy, exaggerated behaviour
Criminal charges after BAC of 0.08.
5-7 drinks  0.10 to 0.15  vision, emotional.
8-10 drinks  0.15 to 0.30  slurring, staggering.
> 10 drinks  > 0.30  lethargic, unaware of surroundings, trouble breathing.
> 0.35  Coma…. > 0.40  Death.

Question 12

Driver with BAC 0.10% is 50 times as likely to be involved in a fatal crash as a driver with

Answer 12

a BAC of zero.

Question 13

Drinking & Driving

Answer 13

Leading criminal cause of death in Canada
2021: 391 Canadians killed in road crashes involving drunk driver – 1 in 4 road deaths.

Question 14

Age 16-25 have a what percentace in driving

Answer 14

33% of alcohol-related traffic deaths

Question 15

Which province has the highest rates of impaired driving

Answer 15

SK: Highest rates of impaired driving of all provinces in Canada  4 out of every 10 fatal collisions involve a drinking driver.
2021: 87 deaths. 4851 drivers suspended, including 3579 impaired driving criminal code convictions.

Question 16

Costs financial of acholal

Answer 16

2010: Impairment-related crashes = 1,082 fatalities, 63,821 injuries, damage to 210,932 vehicles in property damage only (PDO) crashes.
Total of 181,911 crashes = estimated $20.62 billion
 fatalities, injuries, property damage, traffic delays, out-of-pocket expenses, hospital/health costs and police, fire and ambulance costs.

Question 17

Costs of human with alcohol

Answer 17

Human
Those killed, injured, families & friends
 impossible to quantify loss and grief

Question 18

Chronic Abuse of Alcohol in digestive system

Answer 18

Fat accumulates in liver cells  fatty liver
 Inflammation  alcoholic hepatitis
Reversible?
Destroyed cells  fibrous scar tissue  Cirrhosis and/or Liver Cancer
Continued drinking: 50% chance of 5-yr survival

Also: acute alcoholic pancreatitis in binge drinkers (nausea, abnormal digestion, severe pain) FATAL

Question 19

Chronic abuse of alcohol on Brain Damage

Answer 19

Alcohol interferes with production of new brain cells, especially < age 21.
Shrinkage, reduced blood flow, slowed metabolism
Some reversal possible with abstinence
Cognitive impairments (mild  severe)

Question 20

Chronic abuse of alcohol on Mortality

Answer 20

6% of deaths globally (8% deaths age 0-64 in Canada)
Alcoholics: Average life expectancy is 15 yrs less
Half deaths due to cirrhosis and cancer; half due to motor vehicle accidents, falls, suicide.
150,000 years of life lost prematurely each year in Canada

Question 21

alcohol and Pregnancy

Answer 21

Alcohol + its metabolic products cross the placenta
Alcohol = Teratogen  Agent that can cause malformations to fetus
In early pregnancy  Spontaneous abortion or M/C
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)  Small head, abnormal facial structure, heart defects, physical abnormalities + slower physical/mental growth + mental disability.
3000 babies per year in Canada; 119,000 children globally
Getting drunk just once can damage fetal brain cells  leading to learning & behavioural disorders.
10% of women report consuming alcohol during pregnancy
There is no safe level of alcohol consumption in pregnancy
Alcohol also enters breast milk

Question 22

Health Benefits?? of alcohol

Answer 22

Light to moderate drinkers live longer
Best evidence: Lower rates of CVD
 Possible mechanisms: Increased HDL in blood, thinning blood, reduced inflammation, reduced risk of blood clots
Some evidence: Less likely to develop/better able to manage Diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cognitive decline/Alzheimers
BUT… Social Determinants of Health?
Increases mortality < age 35,
reduces mortality > age 35)