Alcoholic Beverages and Their Effects on the Body

Alcoholic Beverages

• Wine is made from fermented grapes/fruits, with a typical serving of 5 oz containing 12% alcohol.
• Beer is made from fermented grains like barley/wheat, with a typical serving of 12 oz containing 5% alcohol.
• Liquor includes spirits like whiskey, vodka, brandy, and gin, made from fermented plants and processed to increase alcohol content.
• A typical serving of liquor is 1.5 oz and contains 40% alcohol.

Effects of Alcohol

• Alcohol affects the central nervous system (CNS) and its communication with the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
• It is classified as a depressant.
• It also impacts kidneys, liver, digestion, and the brain areas controlling behavior.
• BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) measures the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream.
• Increased BAC impairs thinking, memory, coordination, and judgment.
• Alcohol slows reaction time, blurs vision, reduces coordination, impairs memory, and affects judgment and concentration.
• The liver processes approximately two-thirds of an ounce of liquor or 8 ounces of beer per hour.
• Consuming more than one standard drink per hour raises BAC rapidly.
• Alcohol exits the body through time, perspiration, exhalation, and urination.

Factors Affecting Alcohol Reactions

• Amount, speed, and type of alcohol consumed
• Body weight
• Food in the stomach
• Genetic vulnerability
• Alcohol tolerance (drinking history)
• Gender
• Alcohol Dehydrogenase enzyme in stomach

Intoxication & Related Issues

• Intoxication includes physical and mental changes from drinking alcohol.
• Tolerance is the need for increased amounts of a drug to achieve the same effect.
• Binge drinking involves consuming large amounts of alcohol in a short time.
• Alcohol poisoning is physical damage caused by excessive alcohol consumption.
• Hangovers are uncomfortable physical effects of alcohol use (headache, nausea, etc.).
• Inhibitions are mental processes that restrain actions, emotions, and thoughts.
• Alcohol impairs risk recognition, potentially leading to unreasonable physical risks.
• Alcohol increases the likelihood of violence directed at the drinker, others, or property.
• Alcohol is not an excuse; individuals are responsible for their actions while under the influence.
• Excessive drinking can lead to conditions like ulcers, liver cancer, heartburn, and fatty liver.
• Cirrhosis replaces healthy liver tissue with scar tissue, often due to long-term alcohol exposure.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

• FAS can cause mental retardation, organ abnormalities, and learning/behavioral issues.
• Pregnant women should abstain from alcohol, as there is no known safe level during pregnancy.

Legal Aspects and Organizations

• The legal BAC limit in Minnesota is 0.08.
• DUI means Driving Under the Influence.
• DWI means Driving While Intoxicated.
• SADD is Students Against Destructive Decisions.
• MADD is Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Pressures and Decisions

• Internal pressures include curiosity or the perception of maturity.
• External pressures include peer influence, advertisements, and social situations.
• Deciding not to drink is always a personal choice, entailing responsibility for the decision and consequences.

Dependence and Alcoholism

• Physical dependence is the body's chemical need for a drug, leading to alcoholism.
• Psychological dependence is an emotional or mental need for a drug; drinking to cope.
• Alcoholism is a progressive, chronic disease with mental and physical components.
• Factors contributing to alcoholism include exposure, emotional pain, and genetics.
• Enablers are individuals who make excuses for bad behavior.
• An alcoholic is someone who suffers from alcoholism.
• Craving is a strong need or compulsion to drink.
• Withdrawal involves physical and psychological reactions upon stopping substance use.
• Denial is when a person does not believe they have an alcohol problem.

Intervention, Recovery, and Relapse

• Intervention involves family/friends convincing the problem drinker to seek help.
• Recovery is learning to live without alcohol, requiring abstinence.
• Relapse is returning to drug use after attempting to stop.
• A.A. (Alcoholics Anonymous) educates about the dangers of drunk driving.
• Stronger laws and public education have reduced crashes and fatalities.

Brain Function and Alcohol Effects

• Cerebral Cortex: thinking, decision making, emotions, senses. Alcohol impairs clear thinking, causing blurred vision and potential long-term damage.
• Hippocampus: controls memory. Alcohol can cause blackouts and long-term learning difficulties.
• Central Nervous System (CNS): Brain & Spinal Cord: controls the Brain, Spinal Cord and signals to your nerves. Alcohol slows thinking, speech, and movement.
• Medulla: controls involuntary processes. Alcohol can shut down the medulla, leading to a coma.
• Cerebellum: coordinates movement. Alcohol slows reflexes and impairs balance.
• Hypothalamus: controls heart rate and hunger/thirst. Alcohol slows heart rate and alters hunger/thirst sensations.