Alcohol and Its Effects

by | Feb 18, 2007 | Addiction

Alcohol PowerPoint

Alcohol

Many people who drink alcohol also have issues with other types of substance abuse, anger, anxiety, behavioral addictions, eating disorders, bulimia, binge eating, depression, grief, parenting, relationships, self-esteem, time management. Counseling, education and support groups are often helpful. Alcohol is a drug that produces a dual effect on the body: a depressant or relaxing effect that lasts a relatively short time, and a weaker exciting or stimulating effect that persists about six times as long as the depressant effect. In a quiet, nonsocial environment people often easily feel the sedation and drowsiness produced by alcohol. In a social or exciting environment or situation the depressant effect often helps people “relax” and lose their inhibitions and stimulant influence often leads to impulsive and sometimes aggressive behavior. The drinker may be excited, talkative, vivacious, self-confident, and general loss of self restraint. As the person drinks more, and during chronic intoxication, the alcohol produces more of the same effects. There may be slurred speech, staggering, loss of emotional control, stupor from which arousal is difficult, severe respiratory depression, coma, and death.

Since the stimulant effects last longer than the depressant effects, the alcohol is also responsible for causing the jittery, anxious feeling most people get (That they usually tame with another drink). People prone to panic attacks of high anxiety often have “episodes” after heavy drinking. Alcohol affects the serotonin (happy chemicals) in your brain as well. A very simple explanation is that when you drink, your body uses more happy chemicals than usual, causing you to feel good in the moment. Unfortunately, when the alcohol wears off, you have used up too much of those chemicals and feel depressed. It takes your body a couple of days to replenish the supply from even one night of heavy drinking.

¼ oz. of alcohol is metabolized every hour. The legal limit is .08, but impairment is seen at .02 in nonalcoholics As it is broken down by the body, alcohol and its by-products are toxic or irritating to cells and tissues and disrupts body chemistry putting people at greater risk for diseases.

Things that affect alcohol’s effects:

    How much you drink
    How much you weigh
    Body composition
    Gender
    Dehydration
    What is in your stomach
    Other drugs/medications you are on
    Type of mixer used
    Type of alcohol drank
    Temperature of the drink
    Personal expectations
    Tolerance

Withdrawal symptoms include restlessness, shakiness, confusion, increased blood pressure, hyperventilation, hallucination, and convulsions. Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal are usually far more dangerous than those of other drugs. Severity of the symptoms depends on the length of alcohol abuse and the degree of intoxication. Typically, symptoms begin within the first 24 hours after the last drink, reach their peak intensity within two or three days, and disappear within one or two weeks. During the first day of withdrawal, there may be headaches, anxiety, involuntary twitching of muscles, tremor of hands, weakness, insomnia, and nausea.
Alcohol detoxification can be life threatening. There may be a fall in blood pressure; fever; delirium characterized by disorientation, delusions, and visual hallucinations; and convulsions. The fever, delirium, and convulsions are the most serious symptoms and have proved fatal in a number of instances. Early alcoholic drinking may produce the following specific medical conditions:

    Loss of control of eye muscles
    Hypoglycemia
    Gastritis
    Increased susceptibility to infections
    Cardiac arrhythmia
    Anemia
    Constant flushing of facial edema
    Peripheral
    Neuritis
    Pancreatitis
    Increase in blood alcohol level
    Withdrawal signs
    Fatty liver
    Increase in blood pressure

 
Chronic alcohol drinking produces even more severe conditions, some of which may be irreversible, such as:

    Liver damage
    Korsokoff Syndrome (vitamin B deficiency)
    Brain damage
    Cardiomyopathy
    Cancer of the tongue, mouth, or pharynx, hypopharynx, esophagus, and liver

In fact, the brains of some alcoholics after death are so soft, pulpy, and deteriorated that they are not suitable for dissection by medical students who need to study brain structure.

Treatment
Depending upon the severity of the symptoms, complications due to use, co-occurring mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia, the level of motivation for change and the health/supportiveness of the recovery environment/support system, treatment may be able to be accomplished with a combination of self-help groups and outpatient therapy (online or face-to-face) or may require more intensive treatment up to and including long-term residential.

Helpful Links

http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/ Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Addictions Treatment Information. Contains excellent free videos/webcasts for classroom use as well.

http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugpages.htmlInformation on all types of drugs

http://teens.drugabuse.gov/parents/index.asp  Site designed for Teens

Elementary School

Middle & High School

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