Chapter 9 - Alcohol Flashcards
True or False?
The media image of alcohol is acceptable, attractive, young, and will get you friends.
True
Students in America between what ages are killed every year because of alcohol consumption?
18-24
It changes brain chemistry and alters consciousness. It affects all aspects of thinking, emotions, and behaviors. This is what alcohol is.
Psychoactive drug
A result of drinking alcohol or ingesting other substances. Being impaired by a substance
intoxication
Drinking lower or the recommended amount. Less than moderate and heavy drinking.
low-risk drinking
“One drink” by the NIAAA is how many ounces?
0.5
Refers to the alcohol content of hard liquor. Defined as twice the actual percentage of alcohol in the beverage. Example: 80 proof is 40 percent alcohol by volume.
Proof
When are drinking patterns established?
Adolescence
True or False?
Amount of liquor stores located in African American communities are higher than the number in White communities.
True
Among what group is alcoholism recognized as the number one health problem?
Native Americans
Which group consumes less alcohol than white Americans?
Asian Americans
Half of Asian Americans have this. It a gene that impairs the metabolism of alcohol, causing facial flushing, sweating, and nausea.
Flushing effect
Defined as 2 drinks a day for men or 1 drink a day for women.
Moderate drinking
Drinking more than recommended amount and more than a couple drinks a day.
Heavy drinking
True or False?
College students under 21 drink less frequently than older students do. People under 21 are most likely to be injured or encounter trouble with law enforcement than older students who binge drink.
True
The consumption of 5 or more drinks within 2 hours for men and 4 or more drinks within 2 hours for women, at least once in the previous two-week period. When people drink that much, their blood alcohol concentration rises to 0.08% or more.
heavy episodic drinking
Goes well beyond binge drinking, to double or triple the amounts of alcohol consumption in a short period of time. 10-15 drinks a day for men an 8-12 a day for women.
extreme drinking
Due to binge drinking. Include serious arguments, physical assault, damaged property, interrupted sleep or studying, unwanted sexual advances, sexual assault, and the need to care for a drunk student.
“secondhand effect” of binge drinking
Why students drink:
- ease social inhibitions
-fit in with peers - reduce stress
-soothe negative emotions - cope with academic pressure
Excessive consumption of alcohol prior to attending an event or activity at which more alcohol will be consumed. Considered high risk because it consists of heavy consumption of alcohol in a short period of time. Can quickly move a college student from low risk to at-risk drinking.
Pregaming
True or False?
Most children who grow up in dysfunctional families do not develop alcohol problems.
True
Consumption of 5 or more drinks in a row by men and 4 or more by women at least once in the previous 2 week period. More likely to meet criteria for alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence 10 years after college and are less likely to work in prestigious occupations.
Binge drinkers
Consuming large amounts of alcohol can damage your heart by causing scar tissue formation which is a condition called what. Symptom is a racing heart
Alcohol cardiomyopathy
Large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time can cause abrupt alterations in the heart’s electrical system and abrupt changes in the blood’s adrenaline levels that lead to this.
Cardio arrhythmias
Response to dehydration that attempts to keep the heart’s electrical system stable.
racing heart
Available in diverse flavors. One pouch mixed with 6 ounces of liquid creates an alcoholic beverage equivalent to on standard drink. Marketed as convenient for people enjoying outdoor activities or wanting to travel light. More than half states BANNED this due to potential increase in underage drinking. Also concerns that users will snort the product.
Powdered alcohol
Alters brain chemistry and changes neurotransmitter functions. A chemical substance that slows down the activity of the brain and spinal cord.
Alcohol
Alcohol affects what part of the brain?
Cerebellum and prefrontal cortex
Controls the center of balance and motor functions
Cerebellum
The center for rational thinking and problem solving
prefrontal cortex
Some alcohol that is taken by someone isn’t metabolized and is excreted in breathe, urine, and pores of the skin. That’s why you can smell it off of people. Where is the rest of the alcohol metabolized in the body?
Liver
Implemented measures from colleges to reduce students consumption of alcohol:
- offer alcohol free options
-limit alcohol availability - restrict marketing of alcohol on campus and off
- promote social norms to degrade belief that you need to drink to be cool
- develop strong and enforcing policy to reduce alcoholism
Alcohol is this. A chemical substance that slows down the activity of the brain and spinal cord. While your body is absorbing alcohol and alcohol levels in the blood and brain are rising, you experience feelings of relaxation and well-being and a lowering of social inhibitions. At higher levels, and especially when blood levels are falling, you are more likely to feel depressed and withdrawn and to experience impairments in thinking, balance, and motor coordination. These effects last until all the alcohol is metabolized (broken down into energy and wastes) and excreted from the body.
central nervous system depessant
Factors that affect rate of alcohol absorption:
- Food in the stomach
-Gender (woman absorb alcohol quicker than men)
-Age( older people don’t tolerate alcohol as well as younger people)
-Body fat (more body fat=less alcohol that is absorbed) - Drug interaction can intensify alcohol reaction
- Cigarette smoke (increases the time alcohol is in the system)
- Mood
-Amount of alcohol consumed - Carbonation and soda
-Tolerance (how well body adapts to alcohol)
Measure of the grams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood, expressed as a percentage. Provides a good estimate of the alcohol concentration in the brain which is why it is used by law enforcement. Is influenced by the amount of alcohol consumed and the rate at which the alcohol has metabolized in the body.
Blood alcohol concentration (BAC)
What can dilute and lower a person’s BAC?
increased body water
What can make someone have a higher BAC?
increased body fat
More susceptible to alcohol. Have smaller bodies with higher body fat percentage. Metabolize alcohol less efficiently. Absorb alcohol more in the bloodstream. More likely to experience liver disease, heart disease, and brain damage from alcohol. More likely to die from alcohol related deaths than the other sex.
Women
A life threatening blood alcohol concentration caused by drinking heavily in a relatively short time. Can cause collapse of vital body functions like respiration and heart function leading to coma and/or death. Vomiting also occurs which can cause a person to choke to death if lying down in a way in which his or her airway can become obstructed.
Acute alcohol intoxication
A period of time during which a drinker is conscious but has impaired memory function; later, he or she has amnesia about events that occurred during this time.
Blackout
Results in inability to recall anything that happened during the intoxication period.
En-bloc blackout
Has the ability to recall some but not all events from the intoxication period.
Fragmentary blackout
Blackouts impacted which part of the brain that may result in temporary or permanent memory impairment?
Hippocampus
A long-term effect caused by changes in brain neurotransmitters used for transferring short-term memory from the frontal lobe to the hippocampus for long-term memory storage. Although alcohol blackouts are not a sign of alcoholism, they are a symptom of alcohol abuse. Frequent blackouts indicate the person is causing serious personal damage physically, mentally, and socially.
Alcohol induced anesthetic disorder
Popular way to achieve quicker intoxication. This is very dangerous as the alcohol enters the bloodstream, and by bypassing the mouth, the gag reflex is also bypassed. Effects the digestive system and delivers alcohol directly to the lungs. Increase infection. Similarly, college students are using alcohol enemas which bypasses any dilution or absorption. Example: inserting beer into anus. Both of these methods make alcohol poisoning much more likely.
Vaporizing alcohol
Characterized by headache, stomach upset, thirst, and fatigue. Excessive thirst and urination day after excessive drinking. Stomach lining is irritated resulting in nausea.
Hangover
A condition in infants that occurs when the mother has been drinking during pregnancy. It cause permanent physical and mental impairments.
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
Alcohol related liver disease has 3 phases:
- fatty liver
- alcoholic hepatitis
-cirrhosis
Occurs when the liver is flooded with more alcohol than it can metabolize, causing it to swell with fat globules. It can literally happen overnight as a result of binge drinking. In men, alcohol capacity of the liver is about 6 drinks and 3-4 for women. Drinking more than this in any one sitting can lead to this. Usually is not terribly serious because the process reversed by not drinking for about 30 days. If it continues, liver cells can begin to die.
Fatty liver
Includes both liver inflammation and liver function impairment. It occurs in parts of the liver where cells are dead or dying. It can occur even without fatty liver.
Alcoholic hepatitis
The final stage in which there is scarring of the liver tissue. Between 40 and 90% of people with this have a history of alcohol abuse. It takes at least 10 years of steady, heavy drinking to develop it. Liver cells are replaced by fibrous tissue called collagen which decreases blood flow to the liver. Liver cells die and liver function becomes impaired, leading to fluid accumulation in the body, jaundice, and the opportunity for infections or cancers to establish themselves. The death rate exceeds 60% over a 4 year period, with most death occurring in the first year.
Cirrhosis
What cancers is alcohol associated with?
Head and neck cancers and digestive tract
Long-term alcohol abuse can lead to this mental disorder.an overall decline in intellect. It may be partially reversible if someone abstains for a few months, but after age 40, there is little improvement even with abstinence.
Alcohol induced persisting dementia
Consumption of alcohol to the point where it causes physical, social, and moral harm to the drinker.
Alcohol misuse
A pattern of alcohol use that impairs the drinker’s life, causing problems for themselves and others
problem drinking
Is the continued use of alcohol despite negative consequences. It leads to impairment in the person’s ability to fulfill major obligations at home, work, school, or to legal or social problems.
Alcohol abuse
A strong craving for alcohol. Use alcohol compulsively and most experience physiological changes in brain and body chemistry as a result.
Alcohol dependence
Includes lack of control over drinking, preoccupation with alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably, denial. Spend their time anticipating their next drink, planning when and where to get it, and hiding their alcohol use from others.
Alcoholism
True or False?
Scientists speculate that moderate alcohol consumption can have some health benefits. Alcohol has an anticlotting effect on the blood, and it enhances the body’s sensitivity to insulin, which may lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Because alcohol is a depressant, it may help reduce stress. The high water content in beer and its diuretic effect may also help prevent the formation of kidney stones.
True
