Pick Your Poison: Alcohol

http://www.hypnoticliquors.com/alcoholic-drinks-recipes

What is Alcohol?

     -Alcohol is drug, made from fermented fruits and grains, more specifically classified as a depressant. This means it slows down normal function which results in slurred speech, unsteady movements, disturbed perceptions and an inability to react quickly ("Alcohol, A Short History," 2013). It is also the most commonly used and abused drug among adolescents in America (“Alcohol and Public Health: Fact Sheets,” 2012). Below you can see the different alcoholic beverages and the corresponding percentages of alcohol.

                   

http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/alcohol.html

http://activistsjourneytolife.blogspot.com/2012/06/day-62-marijuana-is-illegal-but-not.html

Beer 2–6% alcohol

Cider 4–8% alcohol
Wine 8–20% alcohol
Tequila 40% alcohol
Rum 40% or more alcohol
Brandy 40% or more alcohol
Gin 40–47% alcohol
Whiskey 40–50% alcohol
Vodka 40–50% alcohol
Liqueurs 15–60% alcohol

                 More Specific Side Effects:

                 -Brain: interferes with the brain’s communication system; 
                 inability to think clearly, changes in mood and behavior

                 -Heart: cardiomyopathy (stretching or drooping of the heart), 

                 arrhythmias (irregular heart beat), stroke, high blood   

                 pressure

                 -Liver: Liver inflammations including: steatosis, alcoholic

                 hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis

                 -Pancreas: pancreatitis

                 -Cancer: mouth, esophagus, throat, liver, and breast 

                 -Immune system: weakened; heavy drinkers are more
                 liable to pneumonia and tuberculosis

                 (“Alcohol’s Effect on the Body,” 2012).

   -             
                 Alcohol should not be taken with medications as it is very 

                 dangerous to mix to the two changing the medication to be  

                 less effective or toxic to the body. It can cause nausea, 

                 vomiting, headaches, drowsiness, fainting, and loss of 

                 coordination. It can also put individuals at risk for heart  

                 problems, internal bleeding, and breathing problems.  

                (“Harmful Interactions: Mixing alcohol with medicines,” 2007)

Below is a video showing the many negative long term side effects.

Prevalence:  

     -51.5% of adults 18 years of age and over were current regular drinkers (at least 12 drinks   

     in the past year) ("Alcohol Use," 2013).

     -13.6% of adults 18 years of age and over were current infrequent drinkers (1-11 drinks in 

     the past year) (2013).
     -The U.S. government funded a study on alcohol conditions and found:
          -42% of men and 19% of women reported a history of abuse or alcoholism at some 
          point in their lives (Acquilano, 2009).
          -Whites and Native Americans were more likely than other ethnic groups (2009).
          -The study also estimates that about 30% of Americans report having an alcohol 
          disorder at some point in their lives and over half had alcohol abuse, the others 
          dependency (2009).
     -According to the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey:
          -39% drank some amount of alcohol
          -22% binge drank
          -32% drove after drinking or drove with a drunk driver 
          (“Alcohol and Public Health: Fact Sheets,” 2012)

Mortality:

     -Approximately 80,000 deaths each year in the U.S. are due to excessive alcohol use 

     (“Alcohol and Public Health: Fact Sheets,” 2012).

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Social/
Module1Epidemiology/Module1.html 

Alcohol Consumption Rates:         

     -According to the National Household Survey, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, among men, 70% to 83% reported consuming alcohol at least once during their lifetime. This is compared to women, who reported only 39% to 66%. As you can see from the chart to the right, Men have a higher percent than women across all ages of alcohol use, and the prevalence rate of lifetime alcohol use among men is at the highest ages 25 to 55 ("Module 1: Epidemiology of Alcohol Problems in the U.S.," 2005).

     -Similar trends were found for women, except it shows more of a decrease across the ages after the 25-35 age group. The largest gender difference was noted among the 55 years or older age group, with males drinking more, and the smallest difference in the rate of alcohol use was found among young adults 18 to 24 years old ("Module 1: Epidemiology of Alcohol Problems in the U.S.," 2005).

     -The chart below shows life-time dependency, and how it is more common among younger individuals (18-24) for men and 25-34 years old for females ("Module 1: Epidemiology of Alcohol Problems in the U.S.," 2005).

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Social/Module1Epidemiology/Module1.html 

The History of Alcohol:

8000 B.C.: A fermented drink was produced by early farmers from honey and wild yeasts

3000 B.C.: Beer and wine are produced in Egypt; production and trade began

800 B.C.: Barley and rice beer produced in India

625: Islamic Prophet Muhammad orders his followers to abstain from alcohol

1100: Alcohol distillation is documented in Italy; Alcohol is called “spirits”

1789: The American temperance society is formed, reducing alcohol consumption; other U.S. states follow

1791: “Whiskey Tax” in the U.S.

1802: “Whiskey Tax” repealed

1884: Laws enacted to make anti-alcohol teaching necessary in public schools in NY; other states followed.

1920: Passing of the 18^th Amendment (Prohibition)

1920-1933: Illicit alcohol trade booms in the U.S.

1933: Prohibition is repealed; must be 18 to consume alcohol

1935: Alcoholics Anonymous is established

1984: Minimum drinking age is 21 years old

2000: Illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent

("Alcohol, A Short History," 2013)

Medicinal use:

     -Research has shown that drinking moderate* amounts of alcohol may protect healthy adults from getting coronary heart disease,” (“Alcohol’s Effect on the Body,” 2012).

 (*Moderate entails: Men: no more than 4 drinks on any singly day and no more that 14 drinks per week; Women: no more than 3 drinks on any day and no more than 7 drinks per week) (2012).

     -Although this is not straight alcohol consumption, some medicines do contain 10% alcohol, such as laxatives and cough syrup (“Harmful Interactions: Mixing alcohol with medicines,” 2007).

Sanctions for use/misuse/abuse:

     -Drinking Under the Influence (DUI) is illegal and can change many peoples lives in an instant. According to a news article titled, "Penalties for Drunk Driving," all states have adopted the legal drinking age to be 21 years old, and two-thirds of the states have passed the Administrative License Revocation laws, which allows the arresting officer to take the license of drivers who fail or refuse a breathalyzer (2012). 

     -Also, any alcohol in the system of an individual who is underage is prohibited. In addition, penalties have increase for drinking and driving, especially for repeat offenders. Many states have passed laws requiring mandatory jail time for repeat DUI convictions, and fines have gotten larger, along with the length of license suspension increasing, and getting it back getting more difficult (2012).

Treatment:

     -Detoxification: This phase includes discontinuing alcohol use, which can result in withdrawal seizures, hallucinations, and confusion. Benzodiazepines, anti-anxiety medications are the most common drugs used to help cope with withdrawal symptoms during this detox phase ("Understanding alcohol Abuse," 2013).

     -Rehabilitation: This phase involves counseling and other medications that can be done or administered in an inpatient or outpatient facility. Disulfiram, a drug used once the detox phase is completed, interferes with alcohol metabolism so that drinking a small amount will cause nausea, vomiting, and confusion. As you could imagine, this is used as a deterrent. Another medicine used is naltrexone which reduces the cravings for alcohol (2013).

     -Maintenance of Sobriety: This phase frequently includes Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings (2013).

http://stop13stepinaa.wordpress.com/2012/03/18/financial-predators-in-alcoholics-anonymous-meetings-be-aware-who-you-trust-insider-trading-charges-center-on-aa-meetings/

Impact of Family, Communities, and Society:

     -Directly or indirectly, alcoholism affects everyone in the family, community, and society. It is the members of the family that are key in the recovery process, as they serve as motivators. In the video below, it is evidence how the family's interaction is so important from the eyes of the patient. When a family member is suffering from an addiction, the whole family feels bad and even embarrassed. As for the community and society, if an individual's primary occupation is drinking and getting intoxicated, they probably are not working, or at the least, contributing very little to the positive aspects of society. Lastly, it is not a beneficial image for society and the community and the people would not want others to misinterpret it as a good thing.

Sources:

Acquilano, Nelson. (2009). "Drinking Problems and Americans." Support 101. Retrieved 
     January 31, 2013 from "http://suite101.com/article/drinking-problems-and-americans-
     a91617

"Alcohol, a Short History." (2013). Foundation for a Drug-Free World. Retrieved January 29, 

     2013 from http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/alcohol/a-short-history.html

“Alcohol and Public Health: Fact Sheets.” (2012). Centers for Disease Control and 

     Prevention. Retrieved January 29, 2013 from http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-

     sheets/alcohol-use.htm

“Alcohol Use.” (2013). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 29, 

     2013 from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/alcohol.htm

“Alcohol’s Effect on the Body.” (2012). National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and       

      Alcoholism. Retrieved January 29, 2013 from http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol- 

     health/alcohols-effects-body

   

Buddy, T. "Penalties for Driving Drunk." (2012) About.com Health and Disease Condition. 

     Retrieved January 29, 2013 from http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/drive/a/aa082797.htm

Harmful Interactions: Mixing alcohol with medicines. (2007). National Institute on Alcohol  

     Abuse and Alcoholism. Retrieved January 29, 2013 from 

     http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Medicine/medicine.htm

   

"Module 1: Epidemiology of Alcohol Problems in the U.S." (2005). National Institute on  

     Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Retrieved January 29, 2013 from

     http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Social/Module1Epidemiology/Module1.html

"Understanding alcohol Abuse" (2013) WebMD. Retrieved January 29, 2013 from 

     http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/alcohol-abuse/understanding-alcohol-abuse-

     treatment