Chapter 18 Using Responsibly

1. Chapter 18Using Responsibly

2. Using Alcohol Responsibly • Learning Objectives • Discuss the prevalence of drinking, types of drinking, reasons for drinking, and attitudes toward drinking among college students. • Explain the effects of alcohol on the body. • Describe how alcohol is absorbed into the body and how this absorption relates to blood alcohol concentration. • Discuss the effects of alcohol on behavior, including sexual behavior.

3. Using Alcohol Responsibly • Learning Objectives (continued) • Describe the long-term effects of alcohol overconsumption. • Define alcohol abuse, alcohol addiction, and alcoholism. • Explain the phases of alcoholism. • Describe how alcohol affects one’s significant others and the help that is available for both the family and the alcoholic.

4. Using Alcohol Responsibly • Drinking on Campus • How Alcohol Affects the Body • The Effects of Alcohol on Behavior • Other Effects of Alcohol • Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism • Responsible Drinking

5. History of Alcohol Use • Humans have probably been drinking alcohol since someone noticed the psychological effects of drinking berry juice that had fermented. • 1919—the U.S. government tried to legislate alcohol use; prohibition of selling or consuming. • 1933—attempt to control alcohol use failed, and Prohibition was repealed. • Alcohol Use in the United States • 61% of adults have at least one drink per year. • 14% are former drinkers. • 25% are lifetime abstainers.

6. History of Alcohol Use • Alcohol use and abuse are among the most significant health-related problems in the United States. • About 50% of all adults have more than 12 drinks a year. • 80,000 people die each year from alcohol-related diseases. • 25% of all high school seniors have had 5+ drinks at one time in the last 2 weeks. • In a 1-week span, 49% of college students have had some sort of alcohol, and 35% have had 5+ drinks at one time.

7. History of Alcohol Use • Alcohol use and abuse (continued) • 11,000 Americans die from alcohol-related traffic collisions. • 1.4 million drivers are arrested for driving intoxicated every year. • Do these numbers surprise you? Why or why not?

8. What is Alcohol? Alcohol is a depressant drug that slows down the brain and nervous system. Alcohol Short term effects • relax • feel good • dizzy • react slowly • have blurred vision • slur your words • get angry • vomit • lose your balance • do or say things you normally wouldn't • have trouble controlling how you move (poor coordination) Long term effects • liver and brain damage • poor diet • stomach problems • frequent infections • skin problems • damage to reproductive organs • memory loss/confusion • heart and blood disorders • depression • relationship problems • work problems • money or legal troubles

10. Drinking on Campus • One of the most dangerous things about college drinking is alcohol poisoning. • 80% of American college students drink alcohol. • Most drink during parties. • 56% of students have 1–4 drinks while partying. • 23% of students have 5+ drinks while partying.

11. Drinking on Campus • Although the majority of college students drink responsibly, some engage in drinking behaviors that are dangerous. • Some students engage in binge drinking. • College athletes are nearly twice as likely as other students to engage in heavy and binge drinking. • Why do you think this is? • How does this affect others’ drinking habits?

12. Drinking on Campus • Binge drinkers are more likely to: • Miss class. • Not use protection when engaging in sex. • Engage in unplanned sexual activity. • Get into trouble with campus police. • Damage property. • Get injured. • Engage in dangerous driving behaviors. • Disturb, insult, quarrel with, or assault others. • Require care from others while being sick from drunkenness.

13. Drinking on Campus • Secondhand Binge Effects • Being interrupted while studying. • Being awakened at night. • Having to take care of a drunken fellow student. • Being insulted or humiliated by a drunken student. • Being pushed, hit, or assaulted by a drunken student. • Being the victim of sexual assault.

14. Drinking on Campus • 25% of college students abuse alcohol to a degree that it adversely affects their academic progress, personal relationships, and health. • 20% of college students meet the criteria for alcohol dependence.

15. How Alcohol Affects the Body • Alcohol in beverages is ethyl alcohol. • Most types of alcohol are poisonous if ingested in small amounts. • Amount of alcohol in beer and wine is usually described as a percentage of the total volume. • Amount of alcohol in distilled liquors is given in terms of proof, which is twice the percentage of alcohol in the product.

16. How Alcohol Affects the Body • Alcohol in Different Drinks • Beer, 4% • Wine, 12% • Liquors, proof (twice the alcohol percentage) • Example: 80 proof = 40%

17. How Alcohol Affects the Body

18. How Alcohol Affects the Body • How Alcohol is Absorbed, Excreted, and Metabolized • Alcohol is absorbed into the body through the gastrointestinal tract (stomach and intestines). • 7 cal/gram • Several factors affect the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into the body tissues: • Food in the stomach, which slows absorption. • Presence of carbon dioxide in beverages, which increases absorption. • Alcohol content (more = faster absorption).

19. How Alcohol Affects the Body • How Alcohol is Absorbed, Excreted, and Metabolized (continued) • BAC is the concentration of alcohol in the blood. • Simplest way to calculate BAC: • Assume that one standard drink per hour, which has about 0.5 ounces of ethyl alcohol, produces a BAC of 0.02 in a 150-pound male.

20. How Alcohol Affects the Body • How Alcohol is Absorbed, Excreted, and Metabolized (continued) • Women tend to have a higher BAC than men who have had the same amount to drink because: • They generally weigh less. • They have proportionately more body fat. • Their sex hormones increase the rate of absorption. • They tend to absorb more alcohol from the stomach.

21. How Alcohol Affects the Body • How Alcohol is Absorbed, Excreted, and Metabolized (continued) • Metabolism and Excretion • 10% is excreted unchanged through sweat, urine, or exhalation. • 90% is metabolized primarily by the liver, ultimately winding up as carbon dioxide and water. • The liver detoxifies alcohol at a rate of about 0.5 ounces per hour. • There is no way to speed up this process.

22. How Alcohol Affects the Body • The Hangover • A hangover is an occasional consequence of drinking and may result in a headache, vomiting, upset stomach, fatigue, or weakness. • Possible reasons for hangovers include: • Liver functions slowing down to metabolize alcohol. • Alcohol inhibiting REM sleep. • Congeners, chemicals in alcoholic beverages. • Acetaldehyde, a toxic substance produced when the liver breaks down alcohol.

23. The Effects of Alcohol on Behavior • Alcohol acts as a central nervous system depressant, which means it slows certain functions of the brain. • BAC of 0.02 manifests as “loosening-up” effects of alcohol. • At a BAC of 0.10, the depressant effects of alcohol become pronounced. • Sleepiness, lack of motor coordination, slurred speech, noticeable postural instability.

24. The Effects of Alcohol on Behavior

25. The Effects of Alcohol on Behavior • About 32% of nearly 34,000 annual highway fatalities involve people who are intoxicated. • Alcohol’s effects on motor skills, judgment, and reaction times make driving after drinking extremely dangerous, even after just one or two drinks. • Each year, there are more than 170 million episodes of alcohol-impaired driving in the United States.

26. The Effects of Alcohol on Behavior • Sexual Behavior • Sexual behavior changes vary according to the BAC and from person to person. • Small amounts of alcohol may make individuals lose their sexual inhibitions. • Larger amounts of alcohol may: • Cause a man to have difficulties maintaining an erection or ejaculating. • Cause a woman to have difficulty being aroused to the point of vaginal lubrication or reaching an orgasm.

27. Other Effects of Alcohol • Other effects of alcohol are: • Irritation of the GI tract • Bloodshot eyes • Dilation of arteries • Decreases blood pressure and body heat. • Alcohol should not be ingested simultaneously with other central nervous system depressants.

29. Other Effects of Alcohol • Long-Term Effects • Affecting the immune, endocrine, and reproductive systems • Neurological damages, including dementia, blackouts, seizures, and hallucinations. • Cancer • Hepatitis • Chronic gastritis • Hypertension • Cirrhosis of the liver • Coronary heart disease

30. Other Effects of Alcohol • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome • The fetus can be affected by the alcohol ingested by a pregnant woman. • A child born with defects caused from alcohol ingestion during pregnancy has fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). • FAS is the third leading cause of birth defects and mental retardation among newborns. • The level of alcohol in the fetus’ blood is 10 times greater than the BAC of the mom.

31. Other Effects of Alcohol • Health Benefits of Alcohol • One drink per day lowers heart disease and stroke risk. • The enzyme that detoxifies alcohol in the body is alcohol dehydrogenase. • It comes in three forms; only those with the slow oxidizing form experience the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption

32. Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism • About 61% of Americans have alcohol problems with alcohol. • Alcohol use disorders are medical conditions that doctors can diagnose when a patient’s drinking causes distress or harm. • Several million American teenagers between ages 14 and 17 years have drinking problems. • More than one-third of suicides involve alcohol.

33. Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism • Alcoholism is characterized by an intense craving for alcohol, compulsive drinking behavior, an inability to control one’s drinking, and physical dependence on alcohol. • People who are unable to control their drinking may experience withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, stress, and delirium tremens (DTs). • The causes of problem drinking and alcoholism are complex and are the subject of considerable scientific research.

34. Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism • Some people do not refer to alcoholism as a disease because they think it diminishes the aspect of personal responsibility.

35. Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism • Alcohol dependence displays three distinct patterns. • Young adults, who rarely seek help for drinking problems, and who have moderately high levels of periodic heavy drinking, relatively low rates of coexisting mental and physical illness, and a low rate of alcohol dependence in their families.

36. Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism • Alcohol dependence displays three distinct patterns. (continued) • Adults with considerable alcohol dependence in their families, coexisting mental illness, other drug use disorders, low levels of psychosocial functioning, and high degrees of help-seeking.

37. Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism • Alcohol dependence displays three distinct patterns. (continued) • Adults who develop alcohol dependence late in life and have low rates of periodic heavy drinking, medium/low levels of mental or physical illness, moderate levels of mental or physical illness, moderate levels of help-seeking, and high psychosocial functioning.

38. Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism • Phases of Alcoholism • Prealcoholic stage: drinking to relieve tensions and stress. • Warning phase: increased tolerance and more preoccupation with drinking. • Crucial phase: loss of control of consumption and rationalizations for drinking behavior. • Chronic phase: completely dependent on alcohol, and drinking consumes all aspects of the alcoholic’s life.

39. Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism • The Effects of Alcoholism on the Family • Alcohol can greatly disrupt family relationships. • Family members may deny the problem and may actually enable, or protect, the problem drinker. • Al-Anon is an organization that helps spouses, families, and friends of alcoholics. • Alateen is an organization that helps children of alcoholics.

40. Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism • Children of alcoholics tend to: • Deny a parent’s problem and the emotional pain associated with it. • Have a negative self-image. • Believe themselves to be the cause of the problem. • Fall into codependency. • Try to control situations.

41. Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism • Seeking Help:Treatment Options • Requires strong motivation. • AA • Worldwide, nonprofit, self-help organization that assists people on the road back to wellness and healthy lives. • Aims for total sobriety, anonymity and offers a step-by-step program of recovery. • Emphasizes that sobriety is a state of mind, which means that becoming sober changes personal values, attitudes, and lifestyles.

42. Responsible Drinking • Alcohol should improve social interactions, not harm or destroy them. • Drink slowly and don’t mix alcohol with other drugs. • Be sure alcohol enhances your general sense of well-being and does not make either you or other people feel disgusted with your actions. • If you plan to drink at a party, plan ahead and designate someone who will not be drinking alcohol to drive you home.

43. Using Alcohol Responsibly • How do you hold yourself accountable when you drink? • What are ways that you suggest colleges help to keep students safe while drinking? Advertising, support, complete banning of alcohol?