Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects Quiz

Study Notes

Whitney Bruce is a UCSB alum who works in the alcohol and drug program at Student Health, providing counseling and education for students since 2006.
Student Health offers telehealth counseling, recovery support, and education through Zoom and telephone, focusing on harm reduction to help young adults make healthier choices regarding substance use.
Harm reduction involves helping individuals recognize negative consequences of their substance use and taking steps to reduce risks, supporting both abstinence and moderation.
Moderate drinking is defined as having two or fewer drinks, five or fewer times a week, but college students often binge drink on weekends, impacting their health.
Alcohol is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, with the liver breaking down about one drink per hour, leading to increased blood alcohol content and related effects on organs like the mouth, throat, stomach, and circulatory system.
Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to chronic health issues like gastritis, ulcers, heart problems, and cancers in the esophagus.
Alcohol affects brain function, impairing reasoning, motor skills, and attention, particularly in young adults under 25 whose brains are still developing.
Alcohol consumption can result in mood changes, initially causing mild euphoria but leading to depressive effects with increased consumption.
Alcohol impairs sexual functioning by dilating blood vessels, reducing blood flow to sex organs, affecting erectile function, and interfering with climax.
Hangovers involve inflammatory responses, dehydration, blood sugar fluctuations, and disrupted sleep patterns, leading to symptoms like headaches, nausea, fatigue, and anxiety the next day.- Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach to balance out calories can lead to nutrient deficiencies and interfere with nutrient absorption due to alcohol's effect on the liver enzymes.
Alcohol dehydrogenase breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde, a toxic metabolite, and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase breaks it down into acetate, which is non-toxic.
Antabuse is a medication that blocks normal alcohol metabolism, causing severe hangover symptoms when combined with alcohol consumption.
Tolerance to alcohol increases with frequent drinking, leading to potential dependence, organ damage, and increased risk of liver diseases like cirrhosis.
Asian descent individuals and Ashkenazi Jews may lack the ADH2 enzyme, leading to alcohol flush reactions and quicker hangover symptoms.
Long-term heavy drinking can lead to fatty liver disease, inflammation, scarring, hepatitis, and cirrhosis, which may not be reversible.
Mixing alcohol with substances like acetaminophen or stimulants can have synergistic effects, increasing the risk of overdose and death.
Excessive alcohol use can weaken the immune system, making the body more susceptible to various cancers and diseases affecting organs like the liver, kidneys, pancreas, and lungs.
Brain scans show decreased neuronal activity when intoxicated, which improves with sobriety, highlighting the brain's recovery process after quitting alcohol.
Strategies to cut down or quit drinking include avoiding triggers, socializing without alcohol, staying busy, seeking peer support groups like AA, exploring medication-assisted therapy, and considering individual therapy.

Description

Test your knowledge about alcohol consumption, its effects on physical and mental health, harm reduction strategies, and long-term consequences. Learn about moderation, binge drinking, liver metabolism of alcohol, organ damage, tolerance, and strategies to cut down or quit drinking.