Drugs of Abuse: Alcohol

Alcohol Week 3 Reading Assignments: Chapter 9

Objectives

To provide information about alcohol

To assist students in understanding consequences of alcohol use

To assist students in understanding drug interactions

To educate students about the symptoms of toxicity, overdose and withdrawal

To motivate students to make informed choices about alcohol use

Overview

Review the following website and the links at the bottom to find out about how alcohol affects everything from energy, to memory and sleep and even sex.

Comprehensive Alcohol Information Resource

Origins

Primer on alcohol history, manufacture and effects

Surf this site thoroughly to get a general overview of alcohol.

Alcohol and the College Student

Multimedia College Alcohol Information

Review all 6 lessons on the above site thoroughly

First year students

Athletes

Greek Life

DUI

Virtual Bar

The Brain

Descriptions

Alcohol Proof vs. Percent Click here and review the chart

Beer 8-12 proof

Wine 14-30 proof

Champagne 16-28 proof

Coolers 4-8Proof

Rum 80-160 proof

Vodka usually 80-160 proof

Everclear 151-190 proof

How Much Alcohol Is In A Drink

Demographics

Pages 210-12 and 242

College Drinking Thoroughly read this website for information about college drinking, consequences and prevention of drinking problems

Effects

Emotional

Initial feelings of calm and relaxation followed later by the longer lasting stimulant/jittery effects

Cognitive

Alcohol has been shown to impair memory and good judgment.

Effects cont…

Physical

Even though it relaxes you, alcohol interferes with getting quality sleep

It is also a diuretic

Social

Alcohol can make you feel more talkative, but whether this is due to the alcohol or your expectations has yet to be scientifically proven

Pharmacology

Alcohol is a system depressant with a longer-lasting stimulant effect.

It increases serotonin making you feel calmer

Combining alcohol with anti-anxiety medication or sleep aids will dangerously and unpredicatably increase its effects

Pharmacology cont…

Combining alcohol with caffeine produces an awake drunk

Alcohol can increase the effects of stimulants if they are taken as the “relaxing properties” are wearing off.

Persons with anxiety and/or panic disorders are more likely to have a panic attack when the alcohol is wearing off

Metabolism/Metabolic Tolerance

Blood-Alcohol Calculator

As your body gets used to the alcohol, more is required to give you the same “buzz” this is tolerance.

As the liver begins to break down, people will actually experience a sensitivity and get the same effects from drinking less.

Things Affecting Effects

Amount of food in your stomach

Your hydration level

Your expectations

Any other medications you are taking

Temperature of the drink

Carbonation

Your body fat composition

Your weight in general

Symptoms of Toxicity

Sometimes when a person drinks too much, they pass out. This is the body’s way of protecting itself by not allowing the person to drink more. But when someone drinks a lot of alcohol very quickly, they may not pass out in time, and may drink enough to cause them to slip into a coma and die (alcohol overdose).

Symptoms Of Alcohol Overdose

severe vomiting or vomiting while "sleeping" or passed out and not waking up after vomiting

not responding to being talked to or shouted at

not responding to being pinched, shaken, or poked

being unable to stand

not responding to efforts to be awoken

slow and labored breathing

turning a purplish color or having cold, clammy skin

having a rapid pulse rate

Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome

Detox article

Minor withdrawal symptoms: insomnia, tremulousness, mild anxiety, gastrointestinal upset, headache, diaphoresis, palpitations, anorexia: 6 to 12 hours

Alcoholic hallucinosis: visual, auditory, or tactile hallucinations: 12 to 24 hours

Withdrawal seizures: generalized tonic-clonic seizures: 24 to 48 hours

Alcohol withdrawal delirium (delirium tremens): hallucinations (predominately visual), disorientation, tachycardia, hypertension, low-grade fever, agitation, diaphoresis: 48 to 72 hours

Interaction with Other Drugs (Web Link)

Depressants (GHB,) pgs. 352-353

Barbiturates (Phenobarbital) pgs. 341-2

Benzodiazapines (Valium, Xanax, Rohypnol, Klonapin) pg. 349

Hallucinogens (LSD, PCP)

Marijuana

Opiates pg. 123

Interaction cont…

OTC

Antihistamines

Decongestants

Stimulants

Amphetamines

Aderall

Ecstasy/MDMA

Alternate drug interactions site

Legal Issues and Consequences

DUI/DWI

Think About It

http://wm.atlrec.com/simple_plan/video/untitled_450.wmv

Issues in Pregnancy

The effects of alcohol on an unborn baby are many times more severe than that of “illicit” drugs.

Alcohol-Related Birth Defects Include:

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) characterized by

central nervous system problems

low birth weight and height

typical facial features

Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) which result from maternal alcohol abuse but are found in the absence of the full-blown syndrome

The facial features of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome are:

Small eyelid openings (palpebral fissures)

Short, upturned nose

Long upper lip (from nose to mouth) with a thin red border and a deficient central groove (philtrum)

Reduced size of the head (microcephaly)

FAS

NORMAL

MATERNAL ALCOHOL ABUSE IS THE LEADING KNOWN CAUSE OF MENTAL RETARDATION IN THE WESTERN WORLD

Children with alcohol-related birth defects typically have:

attention deficits

language difficulties

learning disabilities

impulsive behavior

poor judgment

The amount and timing of maternal alcohol use determine the type and extent of resulting birth defects.

By the ninth week of development the human fetus is about 24mm. long. Damage caused by alcohol to the brain at this time and until birth can result in abnormal brain function.

Alcohol-related birth defects are expensive:

Monetarily — for treatment, care , and lost productivity. Costs are between $800,000 - $2 million over a lifetime for each individual with FAS.

Socially — relative to delinquency and to emotional drains on involved families.

Despite warnings, frequent drinking among pregnant women appears to be increasing. Frequent drinking is defined as 7 or more drinks per week or 5 or more drinks on at least one occasion.

Effects on Sports Performance