Alcohol |
1)  Information on Alcohol
Drug Facts: Alcohol is classified under
the drug category as a depressant that affects people in a variety of ways.
Some people are pleasantly relaxed by the drug, others lose their inhibitions,
while many make decisions they come to regret. As such, its use causes effects
and changes in the body and brain. Alcohol use slows down many of the functions
of the body, including blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. If a person
has put a large amount of alcohol in his or her system, the "slowing down" can
lead to "passing out" and unconsciousness. In addition, the vital organs, heart
and lungs, can be slowed to the point of stopping.
Some research has
shown that as people age they become more sensitive to alcohol's effects. In
other words, the same amount of alcohol can have a greater effect on an older
person than on someone who is younger.
Some medical
conditions, such as high blood pressure, ulcers, and diabetes, can worsen with
alcohol use.
Many
medicines-prescription, over-the-counter, or herbal remedies-can be dangerous
or even deadly when mixed with alcohol. This is a special worry for older
people because the average person over age 65 takes at least two medicines a
day. If you take any medicines, ask your doctor or pharmacist if you can safely
drink alcohol. Here are some examples:
-Aspirin can cause
bleeding in the stomach and intestines; the risk of bleeding is higher if you
take aspirin while drinking alcohol.
-Cold and allergy
medicines (antihistamines) often make people sleepy; when combined with alcohol
this drowsiness can be worse.
-Alcohol used with
large doses of the pain killer acetaminophen can raise the risk of liver
damage.
-Some medicine, such as cough syrups and laxatives,
have a high alcohol content.
Effects: Even drinking a small amount of
alcohol can impair judgment, coordination, and reaction time. It can increase
the risk of work and household accidents, including falls and hip fractures. It
also adds to the risk of car crashes.
Heavy drinking over
time also can cause certain cancers, liver cirrhosis, immune system disorders,
and brain damage. Alcohol can make some medical concerns hard for doctors to
find and treat. For example, alcohol causes changes in the heart and blood
vessels. These changes can dull pain that might be a warning sign of a heart
attack. Drinking also can make older people forgetful and confused. These
symptoms could be mistaken for signs of Alzheimer's disease. For people with
diabetes, drinking affects blood sugar levels.
People who abuse
alcohol also may be putting themselves at risk for serious conflicts with
family, friends, and coworkers. The more heavily they drink, the greater the
chance for trouble at home, at work, with friends, and even with strangers.
Signs of Abuse: Alcohol addiction or dependence, is
defined as having at least 3 of the following signs: a tolerance for alcohol
(needing increased amounts to achieve the same effect), withdrawal symptoms,
taking alcohol in larger amounts that was intended or over a longer period of
time than was intended, having a persistent desire to decrease or the inability
to decrease the amount of alcohol consumed, spending a great deal of time
attempting to acquire alcohol, and finally, continuing to use alcohol even
though the person knows there are reoccurring physical or psychological
problems being caused by the alcohol.
A cluster of
physiological, behavioral, and cognitive phenomena in which the use of alcohol
takes on a much higher priority for a given individual than other behaviors
that once had greater value. A central descriptive characteristic of the
dependence syndrome is the desire (often strong, sometimes overpowering) to
take alcohol. There may be evidence that return to alcohol use after a period
of abstinence leads to a more rapid reappearance of other features of the
syndrome than occurs with nondependent individuals.
Blackouts are another sign the once social drinker has become
alcoholic. Blackouts are situations where the alcoholic can not account for
periods of time. During this time, the alcoholic can not remember what they do,
what they say or where they have been. To the average person, they may seem
coherent, but the person in the blackout has no memory as to what has
transpired.
Not everyone who drinks regularly has a drinking
problem, and not all problem drinkers drink every day. You might want to get
help if you or a loved one:
-Drink to calm your
nerves, forget your worries or reduce depression.
-Gulp down drinks.
-Lie about or try to hide drinking habits.
-Hurt yourself or someone else while
drinking.
-Need more alcohol to get
high.
-Feel irritable, resentful,
or unreasonable when not drinking.
-Have medical, social or financial worries caused by drinking.
-Frequently have more than one
drink a day. (A standard drink is one 12-ounce bottle or can of beer or a wine
cooler, one 5 ounce glass of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled
spirits.)
Excessive alcohol use is generally considered the equivalent of
2 - 6 pints of beer (or 4 oz. of "hard" alcohol) per day for 1 week, or
habitual use of alcohol that disrupts a person's life and
routines.
The more heavily a person had been drinking every
day, the more likely that person will develop alcohol withdrawal symptoms when
they stop. The likelihood of developing severe withdrawal symptoms also
increases if a person has other medical problems.
Alcohol Withdrawal:
Alcohol withdrawal usually occurs in adults, but it may happen in teenagers or
children as well. It can occur when a person who uses alcohol excessively
suddenly stops drinking alcohol. The withdrawal usually occurs within 5 - 10
hours after the last drink, but it may occur up to 7 - 10 days
later.
Mild-to-moderate psychological
symptoms:
- Jumpiness or nervousness
-
Shakiness
- Irritability or easy
excitability
- Rapid emotional
changes
- Difficulty thinking
clearly
- Bad dreams
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Fatigue
Mild-to-moderate
physical symptoms:
- Headache
- general, pulsating
- Sweating
- especially the palms of the hands or the face
- Nausea and vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Insomnia (sleeping difficulty)
- Pallor
- Rapid heartbeat rate
- Eye pupils enlarged(dilated
pupils)
- Clammy
skin
- Tremor of the
hands
- Involuntary, abnormal
movements of the eyelids
Severe symptoms:
- Delirium tremens -- a state of
confusion and visual hallucinations
- Agitation
-
Fever
- Convulsions
- Black outs -- when the person
forgets what happened during the drinking episode
Rehabilitation: Successful rehabilitation
includes a calm, stress free environment, plenty of liquids, and replenishing
of vitamins that have been burned out of the body. Use of a mild sedative to
help sleep is often helpful, as the lack of sleep is what can cause the
hallucinations. After feeling physically better, proper rehabilitation therapy
can commence that deals with relapse prevention, dealing with the reasons the
addict turned to drugs in the first place, and any personal failings that need
strengthening. It is highly recommended that a daily routine of proper
exercise, nutrition, and rest be followed as effective relapse and craving
prevention. Ideally a cleansing program would be also administered to help rid
the body of the residual toxins that can impair health in the future and cause
cravings.
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