Ch. 8 Alcohol Flashcards
Physiological dependence
A condition in which the drug user’s body comes to depend on a steady supply of the substance.
Psychological dependence
Compulsive use of a substance to meet a psychological need.
Alcohol
Alcohol is the most widely abused substance in the liver United Sates and worldwide
Korsakoff’s syndrome
Characterized by glaring confusion, disorientation, and
memory loss for recent events.
Barbiturates
About 1% of adult Americans develop a substance abuse or dependence disorder involving the use of barbiturates, sleep medication (hypnotics), or antianxiety agents at some point in their lives.
Pathways to Addiction
- Experimentation
- Routine use
- Addiction or dependence
Alcohol as a depressant
- Has biochemical effects similar to those of a class of antianxiety agents or minor tranquilizers, the benzodiazepines (e.g. Valium and Librium)
- Heightens activity of GABA ->produces feelings of relaxation
3.
Alcoholism & Society: effects & statistics
- Personal and social costs exceed those of all illicit drugs combined.
- Plays a role in many violent crimes, more than 180,000 rapes and sexual attacks annually.
- 85,000 people in the U.S. die from alcohol-related causes each year
Alcoholism behavior patterns
- No single drinking pattern is exclusively associated with alcoholism
- Colleges students tend to drink more than their peers who do not attend college
Risk factors for Alcoholism
- Gender: Men are more than twice as likely to develop alcoholism. Women absorb more alcohol in their bloodstream than men do
- Age: Occurs mostly in young adulthood (20-40 years old)
- Antisocial personality disorder: increases risk in adolescence or adulthood
- Family history: best predictor
- Sociodemographic: generally more common among low level
Ethnicity & Alcoholism
- Jews, Italians, Greeks, and Asian have relatively low rates
- Asian Americans drink less heavily than other groups
- Asian Americans are more likely to show flushing
- Hispanic American and non-Hispanic whites have similar rates
- Hispanic women lower rate of consumption and problems than non-Hispanic white women.
- Cirrhosis is twice as high in African Americans than non-Hispanic Whites
- Native Americans have the most alcohol related problems of any ethnic group
Binge Drinking in College
- Defined as consuming five or more drinks (men) or four or more (women) on a single occasion.
- More than 2 in 5 college students report binge drinking in the last month (1 in 4 high school students and 1 in 5 American adults)
- More than 1,000 college-age students die each year
- 1/3 of men and 1/4 of women drink at least 21 drinks on 21st bday
Signs of Alcohol overdose
- Nonresponsive when talked to or shouted at
- Nonresponsive to being pinched, shaken, or poked
- Unable to stand on own
- Failure to wake up or gain consciousness
- Purplish color or clammy-feeling skin
- Rapid pulse rate or irregular heart rhythms, low blood pressure, or difficulty breathing
Alcohol & Health Problems
- Liver diseases: Cirrhosis and Alcoholic hepatitis
- Malnutrition: cirrhosis (protein deficiency); Korsakoff’s syndrome (Vitamin B deficiency);
- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome affects 1 to 3 of every 1,000 live births
Healthy drinking
1 drink (women) and 2 drinks (men) linked to lower risks of heart attacks and strokes, and lower death rates overall
