Alcohol Flashcards
1
Q
types of alcohol
A
- ethanol: alcoholic beverages, solvent, antibacterial gel
- isopropyl alcohol / propanol: rubbing alcohol
- methyl alcohol / methanol: wood alcohol, highly toxic to humans (destroys optic nerve)
2
Q
ethanol
A
- C2H5OH
- C2H5: hydrophobic
- OH: hydrophilic
- duality helps dissolve
3
Q
fermentation
A
- yeast metabolizes the dissolved sugars
- C6H206: sugar
- sugar broken down by enzymes into alcohol
4
Q
alcoholic beverages
A
- wine: grape juice
- beer: grain
- spirits (brandy, whiskey, vodka): distil wine or beer: concentrate alcohol from wine and beer, evaporate off to separate alcohol from water
- only difference is the source of sugar
5
Q
alcohol origin
A
- natural fermentation (yeast)
- ancient civilizations: rotten fruit
- 6000BC egypt
- distillation: china, 1000AD
- western europe: trade, war, travel (800AD)
- americas: pilgrim fathers
6
Q
gin law
A
- 1730’s in UK because gin caused such a mess in the society
7
Q
alcohol in america
A
- colonial america: heavy drinking (5 drinks a day)
- problems created negative attitudes toward alcohol
- temperance movement lead to prohibition (1920): mostly by bis companies because workers would be drunk and unproductive
- difficult limiting alcohol consumption: people go to other drugs (weed)
- prohibition might have contributed to great depression in 1920’s
- alcohol consumption in US falling
- heavy use: men, white, 18-25
- considered “heavy” when related to negative impact on daily life
- about 5% between 18-25 have alcohol use substance disorder
8
Q
college students and alcohol
A
- 80% students drank alcohol last year
- binge drinking: 41% women, 49% men
- binge drinking: men 5 or more drinks an hour, women 4 or more
- heaviest drinking: first year, whites, members of fraternity, sorority, athletes (team pressure)
- changing attitudes: more abstainers, increased alcohol prevention efforts
9
Q
standard drink
A
- 0.5 ounce of alcohol
- 15 grams
- 3 tsp of ethanol
10
Q
pharmocokinetics: absorption
A
- oral administration: small intestine
- peak plasma concentration: 30-90 mins (lots of variation)
- food slows absorption
- increased absorption rate: empty stomach, faster drinking, higher concentrations of alcohol, carbon dioxide (bubbles: more surface area, faster absorbed)
11
Q
pharmacokinetics: distribution
A
enters all body tissues, proportional to water content of the organ
12
Q
pharmacokinetics: metabolization
A
- liver
- enzyme: alcohol dehydrogenase
- broken down in liver at steady rate: 1 unit/hour
- liver damage: more toxic effects
13
Q
pharmacokinetics: elimination
A
- kidneys
- damages in kidney: more toxic effects
14
Q
blood alcohol concentration
A
- BAC
- used as measure of intoxication
- measured by: blood test, breath (breathalyzer), urine
- mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood
15
Q
alcohol legal limit
A
0.08%
16
Q
variations in BAC
A
- number and type of drinks in time
- body weight
- body fat: more body fat, higher BAC, less diluted
- gender: female, less enzymes and more fat
- rate of absorption
- fasted or fed-state
- level of hydration: more water, more diluted
- metabolism of alcohol: depends on number of enzymes and liver functioning
17
Q
average american male
A
- 180 pounds
- 2-3 drinks: driving might be impaired
- 4-5 drinks: legally intoxicated
- abrupt change in mood as you go over 0.1%
18
Q
average american female
A
- 160 pounds
- 2 drinks: driving may be impaired
- 3 drinks: legally intoxicated
- more body fat, less body weight
- less alcohol dehydrogenase
19
Q
pharmacology: alcohol
A
- CNS depressant: biphasic effect (initially mood elevating)
- initially good mood and elation
- subsequently CN depression: sleepy > coma > death
20
Q
alcohol mechanism of action
A
- non-specific effects on cell membrane
- unusual among drugs: usually lock and key effect
- floods membranes and disrupts the phospholipids and proteins
- very soluble: washes proteins out and disrupts membranes (similar to anaesthetics)
- disrupts neural transmission: CNS depression
21
Q
alcohol effects on neurotransmitters
A
- agonist at inhibitory GABA receptors
- chloride ions come in: negative charge (hyperpolarization)
- post synaptic neuron becomes fore negative: stops post synaptic neurons firing
- enhances serotonin and dopamine transmission (particularly in limbic system)
22
Q
summary of acute effects of alcohol
A
- initially: good mood and euphoria
- as dose increase: lethargy, confusion, coma, death
23
Q
low doses
A
- good mood (0.1%)
- relaxation and less anxiety at 0.05%
- alone consumption: sleepy (environment effect)
- social setting: reduced social inhibition, talkative, confident (anti-anxiety effect related to this): 1 or 2 drinks
- CNS depression: fine movements, impaired judging, short attention span, decreased sensitivity to pain
24
Q
lethargy
A
- 0.2%
- sleepy: depends on environment
- change of mood: environment, social customs
- memory deficit
- motor impairment: ataxia (related to effects on cerebellum
- sensory impairment: blurred vision, numbness
25
BAC switching from friendly to hostile
0.1%
26
confusion
- 0.3%
- profound confusion
- severe sensory and motor impairment
- dose dependent respiratory depression
- nausea and vomiting: body recognizing toxicity
- gag reflex depressed due to CNS depression: risk of chocking to death (food/vomit going down the air tube)
27
stages of intoxication
1. low dose
2. lethargy
3. confusion
4. stupor
5 coma > death
28
stupor
- 0.4%
- movements severely impaired: fatal dimensions
- slow and shallow breathing
- lapses in and out of consciousness
- loss of bodily functions: decreased blood pressure: cardiac arrest
- risk of death, seizures (low blood sugar), hypothermia (body cannot regulate own temperature anymore)
29
coma and death
- unconsciousness
- depressed reflexes: pupil reflex test
- very slow and shallow breathing
- heart rate slows/stops
- death
30
alcohol and behavior (psy effects)
- good mood and elation: low BACs
- change at 0.1% BAC
- antisocial behavior, aggression, violence, sexual activity
31
alcohol and aggression (psy effects)
- associated with violent crimes
- alc involved in about 50% of all crimes: more than any other drug
- murder, suicide, domestic violence, rape, abuse
- 18-30 year old males
- sporting events and fraternities
- 90% of all campus crimes related to alcohol use
32
alcohol disinhibition theory (psy effects)
- weakens brain mechanisms that normally restrain impulsive behaviors: prefrontal cortex
- behavior that is normally inhibited by the society
- lack of restraint: reckless, dangerous, overly sexual, aggression, misjudge situations (overjudging)
- simplified model: needs to take expectations and believes into account
33
study for aggression and alcohol (psy effects)
- divided in two groups
- one group got sweppes, the other one alcohol
- another further split: half of the group thinking they would get alcohol, actually got sweppes. other half got alcohol
- outcome: increased aggressive behavior in the group thinking they got alcohol but got tonic water. also more aggressiveness in those expecting alcohol and getting alcohol
34
alcohol and sex (psy effects)
- expectancies may increase sexual arousal
- placebos can increase sexual arousal
- BAC's over 0.1%: physiological responses are reduced or eliminated
- perception that intoxicated women as sexually receptive and less able to defend themselves
35
complex effects of alcohol
- psychopharmacological triad: drug, user, environment
- complex
- drug expectations and beliefs
36
acute physiological effect (physio effects)
- diuretic: dehydration (inhibit ADH: hormon to conserve water)
- increases body fat: liver to busy breaking down alcohol, other nutrients get stored as fat
- stimulates appetite at low doses: increase in acids lead to stimulation of metabolism
- releases stress hormones: long term drinking, increase blood pressure, high glucose, may lead to diabetes
- suppressed REM sleep: alcohol messes with sleep cycle
- blackouts: anterograde amnesia (serious heavy drinking)
- hangover: head ache, nausea, dizzy, vomit, dehydration
- dose dependent respiratory depression: interaction with other depressants
37
hangovers
- acetadehyde: very toxic, but broken down fast by liver enzymes
- built up of acetadehyde
- disrupted sleep
- "mini" withdrawal symptoms
- loss of salt
- no cure: only time
- as getting older: more body fat, lower enzyme activity, lower tolerance since drinking less, brain damage (heavy drinking)
38
heavy drinking
- brain: poor decision making (affects frontal lobe), memory and cognitive functioning (acute effects), memory, learning and problem solving (long-term effects)
- Wernicke-Kosakoff Syndrome
- liver: cirrhosis
- cardiovascular: increased heart rate
- reproductive: development of breast tissue in males, gynaecomastia (reduced performance in M and F)
- fetal alcohol syndrome: drinking during pregnancy, leading cause to mental retardation
- anemia: lack of vit B12
- vasodilator: opening of blood vessels: red faces, noses
39
Wernicke-Kosakoff Syndrome
- alcohol induced dementia due to lack of vit B1 that has decreased because of heavy drinling
- damage in wernicke can be reversed
- damage in kosakoff cannot be reversed
40
heavy drinking limit females
11 drinks / week
41
heavy drinking limit males
14 drinks / week
42
impacts on liver
1. fatty liver: reversible
2. hepatitis: inflammation of the liver: reversible
3. cirrhosis: tissue replaced by scar tissue, very severe point reached: irreversible
- amonia: damage to the brain, eventually deadly
43
fetal alcohol syndrome: diagnostic triad
- small eyes
- mouth philtrum
- thin upper lip
44
fetal alcohol syndrome
- more than 4 drinks a day
- probably alcohol in combination with other drugs
- small heads, below avrg. weight, short attention span, developmental delays
- 3 in 1000 cases
45
positive effects of drinking
- moderate drinking (1-2 drinks a day): associated with lower risk of heart disease: red wine, high in flavonoids (lower cholesterol)
- beneficial in women at much lower levels of alcohol: 1 drink/week
- social benefits
46
tolerance
- acute and protracted
- BAC levels do not indicate tolerance
- cross-tolerance with other CNS depressants: anaesthetics (structurally similar)
47
types of tolerance
1. dispositional tolerance: increase of enzyme levels (enzymes increase at the beginning of tolerance, but over time actually decrease)
2. cell-adaptation homeostasis: down regulation of receptors
3. behavioral tolerance: learned behavior ("functioning alcoholics)
48
withdrawal symptoms
- three phases
1. a few hours after drinking stops: shakes, sweats, headache, weakness, nausea
2. within 24 hours: seizures (this phase may be skipped)
3. 30 hours to 4 days: agitation, disorientation, tachycardia (high heart rate), hallucinations, delusions
- can result in death
- treatment with benzodiazepines
49
development of abuse and dependence
- alcoholism
- biological approaches: genetic factors
- psychological approaches: personality factors
- sociological approaches: cultural factors
- biopsychological approach
