IN CASE YOU need convincing, consider the following: Alcohol accounts for 11 million accidental injuries each year. Alcohol plays a major role in 39% of the highway fatalities in the U.S., and in a recent year cost the lives of 16,250 persons (more than 6,000 of whom were teenagers). Alcoholism is the third-leading health problem in the U.S., right behind cancer and heart disease. Studies have shown that 70% of all adolescents drink, as do 62% of seventh graders, and 80% of twelfth graders. Between 50 and 68% of drowning victims had been drinking. Skid row alcoholics comprise only 3-5% of the U.S. alcoholic population. Can you guess where the rest come from?ETHYL ALCOHOL (or grain alcohol, or ethanol, or simply "alcohol") is found in beer (about 4.5% by volume), in whiskey (about 43%), in table wines (10-14%), tequila (40%), gin (40%). Since the "proof" is twice the percentage, most whiskies are about 86 proof.
THE PHARMACOLOGY OF ETHYL ALCOHOL. Alcohol is a CNS (central nervous system, or brain and spinal cord) depressant. Repeat: it is a depressant, not a stimulant. The highest centers of the brain - speech, thought, cognition, restraint, judgment - are depressed first. We can see a remarkable correlation between BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION (BAC), and CNS depression. BAC is measured in percentages, with 0.1% meaning 100 mg of ethanol per 100 mL of blood. A BAC of only 0.03% can give powerful changes in mental and physical behavior. At 0.05% normal inhibitions are almost eliminated. Most U.S. states consider 0.08% legal evidence of DUI.A BAC of 0.1% correlates to loud singing, staggering, drowsiness, rapid breathing. Death from acute alcohol intoxication typically is due to depression of respiration or the person drowning in his or her own vomit. Alcohol dilates blood vessels in the skin, producing a skin flush and feelings of warmth, as body heat is lost. Alcohol can irritate the stomach, producing nausea and vomiting. Alcohol is a strong diuretic.
ALCOHOLISM, i.e., tolerance to and dependnce on alcohol can develop after lengthy use. Progressively larger doses are required to give the same effect. Consuming a fifth of whiskey a day is not rare. Remarkably, because of tolerance, some alcoholics can accomplish difficult tasks even when their BACs are above 0.2%. More than a few drivers have been pulled over who have BACs exceeding 0.4%! In the addict, abrupt withdrawal from alcohol can lead to a serious withdrawal syndrome (shaking, profuse sweating, nausea, anxiety, diarrhea, hallucinations, disorientation).
ALCOHOL IS METABOLIZED (broken down chemically) in the liver to acetaldehyde and then to acetate, with the production of heat and energy.Roughly, a 150-lb person can metabolize two-thirds of an ounce of straight whiskey or 8 ounces of beer per hour. Comsumption of fatty foods before drinking can slow down absorption of alcohol into the blood stream. Heavy binge drinking can be fatal. A just-turned-21-year-old drank 10 shots of a 175-proof alcoholic beverage in quick succession to celebrate his "coming of age". He died.
THE FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME (FAS) is caused by the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy and consists of a characteristic pattern of possibly severe mental and physical body defects. An embryo or fetus exposed to alcohol in utero can develop into a baby born with a too small head, joint or limb defects, facial irregularities, heart and genital defects, mental retardation, and hyperactivity. If you are pregnant and want to be absolutely safe,don't drink a drop for 9 months. And remember, the risk of FAS increases with the BAC.
ALCOHOL - DRUG INTERACTIONS are many and well known. They occur when alcohol either interferes with the desired action of a drug, or potentiates the action of another drug. Some of these interactions are potentially fatal. For example, if you are taking a CNS depressant to get to sleep, and ingest significant alcohol simultaneously, the alcohol can potentiate the drug's CNS depressant action to a dangerous degree.Dozens more examples are known.
THE CHAPTER ON ALCOHOL in my book, "Drugs and the Human Body" is 36 pages long and offers a wealth of additional information on alcohol, including alcohol and the law, breath analysis, theories of alcoholism, treatment with Antabuse, alcohol and advertising, plus a 42-question self test. It is sold on the Internet. ISBN 0-13-040172-2, Prentice Hall publishers.