Cha. 4: An Introduction to Alcohol Flashcards
Alcohol is a _____ depressant.
CNS
Define confabulation.
When memory loss occurs, the patient attempts to fill in the blank spots with items that aren’t true (the patient knows there is memory loss)
Define ataxia.
Staggering, lack of coordinated muscle movements
Define palsy.
Shaking or paralysis
What occurs during detox for alcoholics?
Goal is to physically stabilize patient
- No therapy in detox
- Will receive anxiolytic (valium, anti-depressant)
- Vitamins, good diet
Although inpatient-detox takes about _____ days, but literature is saying that isn’t possible if they’ve been a very heavy user, and should be about _____.
10 days; 2 weeks
Among those who use and abuse alcohol, the largest amount of alcohol is consumed by a _____ number of people.
Fairly small
Alcohol is primarily absorbed by the _____
Intestinal walls
* Can cause the stomach to produce mucus; which is what causes a person to throw up
Alcohol increases the amount of _____ in the system
GABA (a neurochemical transmitter)
Gaba has an _____ relationship with anxiety
Inverse
Define acute confusional state.
The proper name for being drunk.
How long does it take your body to biotransform alcohol?
Generally: 1 ounce of pure alcohol per hour, irrespective of how much you drink
As you drink increasingly more alcohol in a short period of time, your blood alcohol level _____.
Increases
External factors that affect biotransformation:
Medication
Food (slows down absorption)
Gender (ladies get drunker more quickly)
What is the legal blood alcohol level to drive?
<.08
Most people are considered impaired at _____ BAL.
.05
What can be done to dilute BAL or make it go away more quickly?
Nothing
Even if a person tolerates alcohol well, they still have an _____ BAL after consuming alcohol.
Increased
Define alcohol flush syndrome.
Some groups that seem to have a negative reaction to drinking (nausea, dizziness, heart palpitations)
* Asians and Asian-heritage, Native-Americans are more susceptible
_____ have an effect on the reasons behind alcohol consumption.
Personal expectations (subjective interpretation).
The ability to drink without having a hangover is a sign of a _____ risk of alcohol dependency.
Serious
Define binge-drinking.
More than approximately 5 drinks in one hour. Some evidence shows that binge-drinking regularly for a short period of time can cause permanent damage.
Most people pass out at a BAL of _____.
.25-.3
A lethal amount of alcohol occurs around a BAL of _____.
.35-.4
* Most people pass out prior to this, but in some cases, tolerance has built to the point where they can stay awake and continue drinking until they die.
