Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism

Question 1

Is defined by one of the following symptoms: a) Consumption of large quantities of alcohol over an extended period. B) Physiological evidence of ethanol addiction; c) Abnormal and chronic loss of control over drinking once the first drink has been consumed; d) Damage to social or economic status

Answer 1

Alcoholism

Question 2

Alcohol acts as generalized CNS depressant. It begins by depressing the areas of the brain that are associated with inhibition of emotion and behavior. At high doses, alcohol depresses the motor centers of the brain thereby inhibiting coordination. At highest, alcohol suppresses the brains excitatory synapses thereby causing drowsiness, sleep, and even death.

Answer 2

These are the short term effects of alcohol. They are related to blood alcohol level (BAL).

Question 3

Cirrhosis of the liver, cerebral atrophy, cardiovascular damage, cancer, gastrointestinal ulcers, dementia, Korsakoff syndrome

Answer 3

Chronic heavy alcohol usage can result in a variety of long-term mental and physical effects.

Question 4

Tolerance, physiological dependence and physical dependence have all been linked to regular use of alcohol.

Answer 4

Alcoholism

Question 5

Delirium tremens, alcohol hallucinosis, and alcohol amnestic disorder

Answer 5

Psychoactive substance induced organic mental disorders is as delineated by DSM-IV. All are associated with chronic heavy alcohol usage.

Question 6

There are three etiologoes of alcoholism that yield inconclusive results.

Answer 6

Biological theories, the psychological theories and sociocultural factors

Question 7

ALCOHOLISM

Includes the disease model which reduces the moralistic stigma that is associated with the disease; and theories on genetic predisposition and the effects of biological mechanisms.

Answer 7

Biological theory

Question 8

ALCOHOLISM

Propose the psychological factors may act as antecedents to alcoholism while concurrently playing a larger role as a consequence of heavy drinking

Answer 8

Psychological theory

Question 9

ALCOHOLISM

The belief that alcohol consumption is related to societal attitudes toward drinking

Answer 9

Sociocultural theorist

Question 10

ALCOHOLISM

Characterized by maladaptive behaviors due to the recent ingestion of alcohol

Answer 10

Alcohol intoxication

Question 11

ALCOHOLISM

Occurs when heavy consumption is suddenly stopped or reduced

Answer 11

Alcohol idiosyncratic intoxication

Question 12

ALCOHOLISM

Is a persistent visual auditory hallucination following the reduction cessation of chronic heavy alcohol consumption

Answer 12

Alcohol hallucinosis

Question 13

ALCOHOLISM

Follows the cessation or reduction of chronic, heavy alcohol consumption. It is characterized by marked autonomic disturbance and delirium.

Answer 13

Alcohol withdrawal delirium

Question 14

Drug use is generally considered to be a problem when drug use is so heavy that it interferes with or impairs the users physical health or psychological functioning. Defining drug abuse is a difficult task because a wide variety of drugs are used in many ways, by many different people, for many reasons. There are some commonalities among addicts however. Certain risk factors appear to pre-dispose some people too heavy drug use. They are as follows:

Answer 14

• a family history of alcoholism
• a family history of criminality or antisocial behavior
• Problems in parental direction or discipline
• Parental drug use or parental attitudes improving use
• School failure in mid to late elementary school
• Antisocial behavior during early adolescence

Question 15

There also a number of common characteristics among drug abusers:

Answer 15

• Using drugs to facilitate coping with sexual, communication and assertiveness problems
• in lower socioeconomic classes drugs may be used to achieve an exciting life
• in higher socioeconomic classes drugs may be used to compensate for lack of meaning in life
• The less consistent the drug use is with a users background, the more likely it is that the user is suffering from a severe underlying mental disturbance
• The user frequently identifies with older,”quasi-parenting” delinquent peers or siblings

Question 16

The most commonly abused drugs are:

Answer 16

Marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine or freebase cocaine

Question 17

Can produce tolerance, does not appear to cause dependence; a clinician may see initial talkativeness; later the user may become introspective, tired or moody; physiological changes include increased heart rate, dry mouth, red eyes; at high doses hallucinations and distorted sense of time and space may occur

Answer 17

Marijuana

Question 18

Addictive; a clinician may see euphoria, grandiosity, psychomotor agitation, impaired judgment, fighting behavior, hypervigilance, impaired social or occupational functioning, elevated blood pressure, perspiration, chills nausea vomiting pupillary dilation. Higher doses may cause transient ideas of reference, paranoid ideation, a subjective sense of profound thoughts, increase sexual interest, ringing in the ears, hearing one’s name being called, the sensation of insects crawling on the skin, seeing insects, increased curiosity and bizarre behavior. Stereotyped movement of tongue and mouth may also be present. Physiological changes may include weight-loss, depression, irritability, anhedonia, anergia, social isolation, sexual dysfunction, paranoid ideation,attentional disturbances, muscular problems and memory problems.

Answer 18

Cocaine

Question 19

It is in a alkaloid form. It is smoked rather than snorted. This produces an efficient and rapid absorption of the drug. It increases the psychoactive effects of the drug and potential for addiction.

Answer 19

Crack cocaine or freebase cocaine