Alcohol Primer

Alcohol Primer: Four Questions about Alcohol Brian A. Primack, MD, EdM, MS March 2010 Drug Free Pennsylvania

1. How Does It Work?

Phineas Gage

Some Neurotransmitters “ Gas” + Aspartate “ Gas” + Glutamate “ Brakes” - Glycine “ Brakes” - GABA Reward, pleasure + Dopamine Mood, sleep + Serotonin (5HT) Fight, flight + NE Memory + Acetylcholine

GABA and Chloride

GABA, Chloride, and Alcohol

Effect of Alcohol
Depress brain activity in general
Decrease reflexes
Depress brain’s control of body
Depress speech
Depress respiratory and cardiac centers
Decrease normal social inhibition
Decrease emotional and muscular tension

Alcohol Withdrawal
Rapid heartbeat and respiratory rate
Increased emotional and physical tension
Increase in certain body processes causes headache, nausea
Irritability
Need for more drug

2. What’s the Big Deal?

Leading Causes of Death in 1-24 Year Olds 25 Suicide 30 Homicide 10-90 Other Accidents 40 Motor Vehicle Accidents % Related to Alcohol Cause

Alcohol Is the Leading Cause of Death Those Under 25

Alcohol and injuries
Death from falls: 21-77% involve alcohol
Nonfatal falls: 18-53% involve alcohol
Drowning deaths: 21-47% involve alcohol
Burn deaths: 9-86% involve alcohol
Hingson, 1993

The Liver
Cleans up waste products in your blood

Liver Damage: Cirrhosis

Liver Damage
Waste builds up and can damage the:
Brain
Testicles
Skin
Blood
Abdomen
Many more

Effects of Alcohol (Netter)

Ascites

Jaundice

Gynecomastia

FAS
Growth deficiencies
Vision, hearing, dental problems
Facial abnormalities
Mental retardation, developmental delays, neurological problems
Epilepsy
Behavioral problems
Organ and body dysfunction (muscle problems, bone and joint problems, genital defects, heart defects, kidney defects )

Alcohol is the leading cause of child and spousal abuse

Alcohol and sex
Teenagers who drink are:
7x as likely to have sex
2x as likely to have sex with 4 or more partners
Increases the risk of HIV, other STDs, and teen pregnancy
CASA, 2002

Alcohol and college campuses
Alcohol is implicated in date rape, sexual harassment, racial disturbances, drop outs, overdose deaths, and suicides
CASA, 2002

High school dropouts
High school students who drink are 5x as likely to drop out of school
CASA, 2002

Alcohol, the Gateway Drug
Young drinkers are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than non-drinkers
Young drinkers are 7.5 times more likely to use other illicit drugs
Greydanus, 1991

Brain Damage, Poor Nutrition, Obesity

Cost
Alcohol represents a financial burden on our society of about $185 billion each year
National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2000

Summary
Brain
Damage
Inhibition causing accidents, social problems, other drug use, sexual issues, rape, abuse
Liver
Cirrhosis
Toxin buildup
Unborn Child

3. Why Do We Drink?

History, Culture

Religion

Other Reasons
Financial (beer, wine, liquor industries)
Positive effects
Mass media

Underage drinkers
Kids less than 21 drink 25% of the alcohol sold in the US
Kids less than 21 see 45% more beer ads and 27% more hard liquor ads than people of legal drinking age
Those who start to drink at age 15 are 4x more likely to become an alcoholic (than starting at age 21)

In 1996, the Budweiser frogs were more recognizable to children aged 9-11 than the Power Rangers, Tony the Tiger, or Smokey the Bear

Reaching youth better than school
8-12 year olds could name more brands of beer than they could US presidents
Taylor, 1990

Longitudinal Studies
Longitudinal studies bear out the relationship between initial television, music video, and advertisement exposure and subsequent onset of or increase in drinking
Robinson, 1998, Connolly, 1994

Econometric Studies
In Sweden in the 1970’s, a ban on alcohol advertising resulted in a 20% decrease in the consumption of alcohol
Romelsjo, 1987

Targeting minorities
Minority neighborhoods in Chicago have on average seven times the number of billboards advertising alcohol as do Caucasian neighborhoods
Hackbarth, 1994

Fantasy

Reality

Media Exposure (8-18) Rideout, 2010

Daily exposure to substances in music (ages 8-18):
Tobacco: 1.8
Alcohol: 34.3
Marijuana: 28.5
Other: 28.5
Any substance: 88.0
Primack, et al., Arch Ped Adol Med , 2008

Primack et al., Addiction , 2010

4. What Can Be Done?

Solutions
Bans/laws?
Public service announcements?
Media literacy
Fun, creative
Better for more rebellious
Difference between representation and reality, analysis

Thank You [email_address]

Alcohol Primer

by Renee Hobbs on Mar 27, 2010

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Alcohol Primer — Presentation Transcript