Alcohol Flashcards
Alcohol
Most popular psychoactive drug in Western world
Alcohol In moderation
Increases relaxation, loosens inhibitions, impairs judgement/reaction time, possibly some health benefits
Alcohol In excess
Impaired functioning, devastating consequences, addiction, debilitation or death
What is moderate drinking?
= max 1 drink/day women, 2 drinks/day men
Types of Alcohol
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
NEW Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines (2023)
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.
What happens to the alcohol?
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
Blood alcohol concentration [BAC]
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
All alcohol consumed…
…is eventually absorbed!
factors of alcohol absorbtion
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)
How many drinks?
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.
Driver with BAC 0.10% is 50 times as likely to be involved in a fatal crash as a driver with
a BAC of zero.
Drinking & Driving
Leading criminal cause of death in Canada
2021: 391 Canadians killed in road crashes involving drunk driver – 1 in 4 road deaths.
Age 16-25 have a what percentace in driving
33% of alcohol-related traffic deaths
Which province has the highest rates of impaired driving
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.
Costs financial of acholal
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.
Costs of human with alcohol
Human
Those killed, injured, families & friends
impossible to quantify loss and grief
Chronic Abuse of Alcohol in digestive system
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
Chronic abuse of alcohol on Brain Damage
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)
Chronic abuse of alcohol on Mortality
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
alcohol and Pregnancy
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
Health Benefits?? of alcohol
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)
