Chapter 10: Alcohol Flashcards
What is alcohol?
Intoxicating ingredient in fermented or distilled beverages, a colorless, pungent liquid
What are the three types of alcohol? Which two can cause serious illness or death?
Ethyl alcohol, methanol, isopropyl alcohol. Methanol and isopropyl alcohol can cause serious illness or death
What is beer brewed from?
Mixture of grains
What percentage of alcohol is in beer?
3%-6%
What are ales and malt liquors brewed from?
Mixture of grains
What percentage of alcohol is in ales and malt liquors?
6%-8%
What are wines brewed from?
Grapes and other fruits
What percentage of alcohol is in wine?
9%-14%
What is fortified wine? What percentage of alcohol is in fortified wines?
Extra alcohol is added during the making of it. 20%
What is hard liquor brewed out of?
Grains and other plants
What are some examples of hard liquor?
Gin, whiskey, rum, tequila, vodka
What percentage of alcohol is in hard liquor?
35%-50%, but can be much stronger
What does the term ‘one drink’ or ‘standard drink’ refer to?
A beverage that contains 13.6g of alcohol
How many calories per gram does alcohol contain?
7 calories per gram
How does absorption work when alcohol is first consumed?
About 20% is rapidly absorbed from the stomach into the blood stream and about 75% is absorbed through the small intestine. Any remaining alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream along the gastrointestinal path
Where is the main site of alcohol metabolism?
The liver
What is metabolism?
The chemical transformation of food and other substances in the body into energy and wastes
How is alcohol metabolized?
It is first converted into acetaldehyde and then into acetate where is it burned for energy or stored as fat
Where is alcohol secreted?
Urine, the sweat glands, lungs
How does alcohol effect the brain?
It crosses the layer of cells that protects the brain and effects neurotransmitters that disrupt the communications in the brain
What is blood alcohol concentration (BAC)?
The amount of alcohol in the blood in terms of weight per unit volume, used a measure for intoxication (more alcohol consumed than metabolised)
What factors contribute to blood alcohol concentration (BAC)?
Body weight, percentage of body fat, sex (Women’s stomach enzyme that metabolizes alcohol is 4x slower than that of men), rate of consumption, water content in the body
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. True or False?
True
What are the effects of low concentrations of alcohol?
Light-headedness, relaxation, release of inhibitions, mild euphoria and become more social
At what BAC percentage do people usually feel the effects of low concentrations of alcohol?
0.03%-0.05%
What are the effects of high concentrations of alcohol?
Interference with motor coordination, verbal skills, and intellectual function, can make you sleepy
What physical changes occur when high concentrations of alcohol are consumed?
Blood vessels near the skin dilate causing the drinker to feel warm, their skin flushes, increased sweat production, internal body temperature falls
At what BAC percentage do people usually feel the effects of high concentrations of alcohol?
0.1%
What occurs in a person that has a BAC percentage of 0.2%?
Person is unable to function, because of the depression to their nervous system
What occurs in a person that has a BAC percentage of 0.35%?
Coma, any higher can be death
List the symptoms of a hangover.
Head ache, nausea, shakiness, diarrhea, fatigue and impaired mental functioning
What causes a hangover?
Toxic productions of alcohol breakdown, dehydration and hormonal effects
What causes alcohol poisoning? What are its effects?
Drinking large amount of alcohol in a short time frame. Depresses the nervous system and respiratory system, and can cause inhalation of fluid or vomit into the lungs, causing death, will also cause blackouts
What are the effects of mixing alcohol and drugs?
Can cause serious illness, overdose, or death
Why does alcohol consumption lead to injuries and fatalities?
The loss of control of motor and brain functioning caused by alcohol mixed with normal activities (driving, boating, even walking) can cause injury and death
Alcohol makes people aggressive more than any other legal or illegal drug. True or False?
True
Alcohol does not effect our ability to make sexual decisions
False, alcohol does effect our ability to make sexual decisions
What is the largest criminal cause of death?
Drunk driving
What are the effects of chronic abuse of drinking on the liver?
By altering the function of the liver, fat begins to accumulate in liver cells and is called ‘fatty liver’, continued drinking causes damage and eventually destruction of the liver cells
What is alcoholic hepatitis?
Inflammation of the liver that can cause death
What is cirrhosis?
A disease in which the liver is severely damaged by alcohol and scar tissue replaces the liver tissue.
What are the effects of chronic abuse of drinking on the digestive system?
Inflammation of the pancreas, nausea, vomiting, abnormal digestion, severe pain, liver damage, bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract
What are the effects of high doses of chronic abuse of drinking on the cardiovascular system?
Elevation of blood pressure, increased chance of stroke and heart attack, weakening of the heart
What are the effects of moderate doses of alcohol on the cardiovascular system?
May reduce the risk of heart disease and heart attack in some people
What is cardiac myopathy?
Weakening of the heart muscle
Alcohol is a risk factor for developing many types of cancers. True or False?
True
What can heavy drinking during early pregnancy do to the fetus?
Cause miscarriage or spontaneous abortion
What is fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)?
A range of disabilities in the fetus caused from drinking during pregnancy
What is fetus alcohol syndrome (FAS)?
A group of birth defects caused by alcohol consumption by the mother, this includes facial deformities, heart defects, physical/mental disabilities
What is alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND)?
Appear to be normal but have severe learning and behavior disorders due to the mother drinking while they were pregnant with that child
List the possible health benefits of drinking moderately.
Lowers rates of coronary heart disease, raises blood levels of HDL, reduces inflammation of blood by thinning it, decreases risk of heart attack, may help manage diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes, cognitive decline
What is alcohol abuse?
The recurrent use of alcohol that causes physical damage, results in harmful behaviors or gets in the way of responsibility (basically negative effects)
What is alcohol dependence?
Use of alcohol that is leads to tolerance, withdrawal symptoms
What is alcoholism?
A chronic psychological disorder that includes excessive and compulsive drinking
What are the four characteristic patterns of alcoholism/alcohol dependence?
- Regular daily intake of large amounts
- Regular heavy drinking limited to weekends
- Long periods of sobriety with times of binge drinking that lasts for weeks or months
- Heavy drinking limited to periods of stress
What is binge drinking?
Periodically drinking alcohol to the point of severe intoxication
What health effects can occur when an alcoholic stops drinking suddenly.
Anxiety, nightmares, insomnia, gastrointestinal upset, seizures, hallucinations, delirium tremens
What is delirium tremens (DT’s)?
State of confusion brought on by extreme reduction of alcohol consumption in addicts, symptoms include hallucinations, anxiety, seizures etc.
What can cause alcoholism?
Genetics, abuse, troubled household, imitating role models that abuse alcohol
List some ways to treat alcoholism.
AA, medical treatment, self help
What types of medications are used to help alcoholism?
Naltrexone (ReVia) - binds to brain pleasure center and reduces craving and positive reinforcement from alcohol
Acamprosate (Campral) - Helps people maintain abstinence from alcohol
List Canada’s five Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines.
- Reduce long term health issues by drinking no more than 10 drinks a week, 2 drinks a day for women and 15 drinks a week, 3 drinks a day for men
- Reduce your risk of injury by drinking no more than 3 drinks for women and 4 drinks for men on a single occasion
- Do not drink if you have mental problems, are going to consider dangerous behavior, taking drugs, making important decisions, or have alcohol dependence
- Do not drink if pregnant, planning to become pregnant or before breastfeeding
- Do not drink as a youth, save drinking for the later teen years
Why do older adults need to be careful with consuming alcohol?
They are more sensitive to alcohol and are more likely to be taking medication
What is the legal BAC for driving?
0.05-0.08
What does chronic alcohol use do to life expectancy?
Decreases by 10-12 years
Alcohol use combines what two factors?
Alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse
How does the grading system work with DSM-5 for alcohol problems?
2-3 symptoms - mild
4-5 symptoms - moderate
6+ symptoms - severe
What percentage of people aged 15+ drink? What percentage of youth under 15 drink?
78%, 70%
What percentage of males and females ages 18-19 binge drink?
Males - 40%
Females - 30%
Through automobile crashes and other injuries, alcohol is the leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 24. True or False?
True
What percentage of youth exceeded the guidelines?
25%
What percentage of youth exceeded the first and second guideline respectively?
18%
Roughly how much of a drink can the body metabolize in an hour?
Between 1/2 and 3/4
List the 11 symptoms of alcohol use disorder according to DSM-5.
- Alcohol is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than was intended.
- There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down
- A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain alcohol, use alcohol, or recover from its effects.
- Craving, or a strong desire or urge to use alcohol.
- Recurrent alcohol use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home.
- Continued alcohol use despite having persistent social problems
- Giving up or reducing important social, school, work, or recreational activities because of alcohol use.
- Recurrent alcohol use in situations in which it is hazardous.
- Alcohol use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent problem that is likely to have been caused or worsened by alcohol.
- Developing tolerance to alcohol
- Experiencing alcohol withdrawal
