Final Exam Alcohol Flashcards
From a chemical standpoint, an alcohol is…
any organic substance with a hydroxyl functional group (-OH), bound to a saturated carbon atom (a carbon atom or chain of carbon atoms linked by a single bond)
4 types of Alc
Ethanol, 2-Propanol (isopropyl), Methanol, Butanol
alcohol can be found in all ___ substances
glucose-containing
only __ is suitable for drinking
ethanol (ethyl alcohol)
fermentation:
occurs when glucose and water are converted to ethanol and CO2 in the presence of yeast
fermentation requires (5)
- sugar or starch (to form glucose)
- water
- heat
- ferment (yeast)
- air
fermentation is a common reaction in nature (fruit over-ripening), and can yield liquid with up to __
12% alcohol
distillation:
is required to yield more concentrated levels of alcohol
when distilling, a fermented mixture is heated, and ___, which boil off at a lower temperature (78 degrees C) than water (100 degrees C), are trapped and condensed
ethanol vapors
different beverages are derived from using different __ for fermentation and distillation
plant sources of glucose
alcohol use and dependence rates in the US are similar to those observed many European nations. however, we tend to do much more __
binge drinking
Audit=Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Scores ≥ __ suggest dependence
20
notably, recent data from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions show that alcohol use, high-risk drinking (weekly use of ___ standard drinks on any single day for women; __ for men), and alcohol use disorder has increased substantially in the years spanning 2001-2013 across nearly ___in the US
4 or more
5 or more
all demographic groups
True or False? Alcohol is the single most abused substance in Western culture, and causes more harm to individuals and families than any other substance
True
excessive drinking is a __ annual drag on the US economy
$250 billion
excessive drinking is a $250 billion annual drag on the US economy broken down (4):
- $180 billion in workplace productivity
- $28 billion in health care costs
- $25 billion in law enforcement costs
- $13 billion in motor vehicle accidents ($44 billion when associated health care and law enforcement costs are included)
__% of males and __% of females have experienced one or more alcohol-related adverse events (car accident, arrest, interpersonal violence, sexual assault, etc.)
60
30
alcohol is involved in __% of cases of intimate partner violence in the US
55
__% of women are sexually assaulted or raped by adulthood; __ of these incidents involve alcohol use by male perpetrators
25
half
alcohol is involved in __ of all traffic fatalities–the leading cause of death among 8-34-year-olds in the US
1/3
alcohol is an unusual substance because it has BOTH __ and __ properties
stimulant (reward)
sedative (anxiolytic)
__ are more likely to drink for the reward properties
__ are more likely to drink for the anxiolytic effects
males
females
behavioral effects are __
dose-dependent
alcohol readily crosses cell membranes in __
most parts of the body
__% absorption by the stomach
__% absorption by the small intestine
80-90% absorption in __
20
80
30-60min
absorption is __ if food is in the stomach:
delayed
blood alcohol levels depend on both __ and __ (more of women’s body weight is __)
body weight
sex
water
in the absence of tolerance, we metabolize about __ drink per hour
1/2
In the absence of tolerance, we metabolize about 1/2 drink per hour. Those with alcoholism metabolize at __ this rate
twice
The metabolization of Alc when tolerance is present occurs through 400-1,000% increases in the __ CYP2E1, which metabolizes drugs and other foreign compounds in the body
liver enzyme
Those with alc tolerance will find that alcohol ___ may increase as well
dehydrogenase activity
alcohol is metabolized in several ways: __% excreted by the lungs and urine. Almost all of the rest is metabolized by the __
5-10
liver
Breathalyzer test: breath concentration x ___ = BAL
2,100
ALDH2^1/ALDH2^1:
fastest alcohol metabolism, highest vulnerability
ALDH2^1/ALDH2^2:
intermediate alcohol metabolism, partial vulnerability or protection (depending on how one views it)
ALDH2^2/ALDH2^2:
slowest alcohol metabolism, complete protection from alcoholism
Why does ALDH2^2/ALDH2^2 have the slowest alcohol metabolism, complete protection from alcoholism
Disulfiram (Antabuse) mimics the ALDH2^2/ALDH2^2 genotype by blocking conversion of acetaldehyde to acetate
True or false: Alcohol use disorder (alcoholism) is defined by standard criteria for addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
True
alcoholism is highly __
heritable
Having an alcoholic parent increases the risk for alcoholism by __%
This does not change when offspring of alcoholics are reared in __
Having two alcoholic parents increases the risk for alcoholism by over __%
400
non-alcoholic homes
600
Males who later become alcoholic, and males with alcoholic fathers show a ___to alcohol on first exposure–> this should be distinguished from __
low level of response
tolerance
__ identified in a recent genome-wide association study of drinking among 112,117 individuals in the UK
14 alleles
Alcohol withdrawal produces___
hyper-excitability—a “rebound” effect of a chronically sedated CNS
Withdrawal after chronic abuse can be __ if __ are not used for acute symptoms
life-threatening
benzodiazepines
tolerance occurs when
more alcohol is needed to attain effects that used to be felt at lower doses
Dispositional tolerance:
Dispositional tolerance can double in only __ days of heavy drinking
increased ability to metabolize alcohol through alcohol dehydrogenase and other liver enzymes (e.g., P4502E1)
3-14
functional tolerance:
the need for higher blood levels to achieve intoxication via neuroadaptive changes to the CNS
functional tolerance: the need for higher blood levels to achieve intoxication via neuroadaptive changes to the CNS
acute:
chronic:
behavioral:
- greater intoxication is observed on the ascending limb of the BAL curve than at the same dose on the descending limb
- increase in intake needed to produce intoxication; heavy drinkers are less impaired on motor coordination tasks than light drinkers at the same BAL
- better performance on behavioral tasks by performing them repeatedly while intoxicated
alcohol is extremely toxic at high doses, whether through binging or chronic use
in 2009, there were ___ alcohol-related ER visits in the US
200,000 ER visits for people ___ years
_% of college students drive with BALs above the legal limit
___ college students are injured every year in an alcohol-related accident
___ are assaulted by someone who has been drinking
650,000 under age 21 25 500,000 100,000
alcohol contributes to disease burden for multiple conditions (8)
- liver damage (fatty liver disease, hepatitis, cirrhosis)
- heart disease
- neurological disorders
- type II diabetes
- certain cancers
- erectile dysfunction
- Korsakoff syndrome (permanent brain damage caused by thiamine [vitamin B1] deficiency)
- fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
alcohol is a powerful teratogen and a teratogen is
an agent that causes birth defects
_% of 18-44 year-old pregnant women in the US report drinking in the past month and __ of these women report binge drinking
10%
1/3
although fetal alcohol syndrome is well characterized, fetal alcohol effects may occur and persist __, with no outward indication of exposure
throughout the lifespan
fetal alcohol syndrome 3 problems:
many problems with social skills are lifelong
adult substance abuse is common among affected children
alterations in brain function are widespread
sites of action:
unlike all other drugs discussed in this course, alcohol does not bind to a given receptor class
alcohol interacts at the molecular level with specific __. These are called
“neuronal elements”
ethanol-receptive elements
True or false? pathways and receptor systems implicated in acute reinforcing effects of alcohol
true
Among its many effects, alcohol decreases spontaneous __ release (an inhibitory neurotransmitter) in the VTA, which may indirectly elevate __ levels
GABA
DA
__, a byproduct of alcohol metabolism also increases DA levels in the VTA
acetaldehyde
DA receptor antagonists, __, and GABAA receptor antagonists partially reduce self-administration in animals. This has led to much hope for developing drugs for the treatment of alcoholism, but the results to date are disappointing
opioid receptor antagonists
True or false? it is common for drugs that are developed in animals to be largely ineffective in humans
True
True or false? alcohol has widespread and diverse effects throughout the body (including the CNS) that are not fully understood in 2022
True
As with opioids, acute alcohol withdrawal activates the ___—the primary stress response system
limbic-hypothalamic-adrenal axis
acute alcohol withdrawal and ___ (CRF-IR) in the rat amygdala
corticotropin-releasing factor immunoreactivity
at the same time (during acute alc withdrawl), norepinephrine (NE) levels rise, and neuropeptide Y levels decline
↑ NE is associated with
↓ neuropeptide Y (which has anti-stress effects) is associated
anxiety—especially social anxiety
with increased anxiety and emotional reactivity
