Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

1. Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

2. Quick facts about Alcohol • It is the most misunderstood drug • Half as much alcohol to affect a teen brain than an adult brain • A teen become addicted to alcohol much easier than an adult • Over half the violent crimes is U.S. involve alcohol

3. Blood Alcohol level • A way to measure the level of alcohol in a person’s body • Intoxicated • Being affected by alcohol • Loss of sensation, loss of inhibitions, blurred vision, and slowed reflexes.

4. Standard Drinking Size 1 oz of Liquor 10 oz Wine Cooler 5 oz of Wine 12 oz of Beer

5. Alcohol content • Beers - 2-6% • Table wines – 10-15% • Hard liquors - 40-55% • Proof is twice the alcohol content • As proof increases so does calorie content

8. Specific Effects(related to the Blood Alcohol Concentration BAC) • The effects of alcohol intoxication are greatly influenced by individual variations among users. Some users may become intoxicated at a much lower Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level than is shown. • Amount of food in body, weight, gender

9. Short-term Effects • Impaired judgments, vision, balance, coordination • Alcohol poisoning, blackouts, coma or death • Change in behavior, emotions • Painful hangover symptoms – stomach pains, vomiting, and diarrhea

10. Long-term Effects • Increased chance of cancer in mouth, throat, pancreas, and liver • Stomach ulcers • Permanent brain damage • Kidney Failure • Hepatitis • Inflammation of the liver • Symptoms are high fever, weakness, yellowing of skin Cirrhosis • Liver cells are replaced by useless scar tissue • Liver can no longer metabolize food properly

11. BAC (BAL) • .02-.03: No loss of coordination, slight euphoria and loss of shyness. Depressant effects are not apparent. Drivers under 21, considered DUI. • .04-.06 BAC: Feeling of well-being, relaxation, lower inhibitions, sensation of warmth. Euphoria. Some minor impairment of reasoning and memory, lowering of caution, impulsive behavior. • .07-.09 BAC: Slight impairment of balance, speech, vision, reactiontime, and hearing. Euphoria. Judgment and self- control are reduced, and caution, reason and memory are impaired. Illegal to drive, .08

12. .10-.125 BAC: Significant impairment of motor coordination and loss of good judgment. Speech may be slurred; balance, vision, reaction time and hearing will be impaired. Euphoria. • .13-.15 BAC: Gross motor impairment and lack of physical control. Blurred vision and major loss of balance. Euphoria is reduced and dysphoria is beginning to appear. • .16-.20 BAC:Dysphoria (anxiety, restlessness) predominates, nausea may appear. The drinker has the appearance of a "sloppy drunk." • .25 BAC: Needs assistance in walking; total mental confusion. Dysphoria with nausea and some vomiting. • .30 BAC: Loss of consciousness. • .40 BAC and up: Onset of coma, possible death due to respiratory arrest.

13. FACT: • Alcohol is a Depressant and directly effects the Central Nervous System.

14. CONSEQUENCES OF UNDERAGE DRINKING Underage Drinker · Mandatory loss of Driving Privilege for 6 months (even if no car involved) · Minimum fine of $500.00 · Disorderly Persons record · Participation in alcohol treatment or rehabilitation program (at discretion of court) · Additional charges if false ID used (fine of not more than $300.00 or imprisonment for no more than 60 days} · Possible injury or death (excessive consumption or traffic accident)

15. Minor (Who Is Under 17 Years Old) • In addition to the above · Mandatory postponement of driving privilege for 6 months.

16. Alcohol’s Effect on the Brain • The more you drink, the more "depressed" your brain activity becomes.  • As you continue to drink and alcohol levels increase, specific parts of the brain are affected more significantly.

17. The cerebrum is the largest portion of the brain and located in the uppermost section of the brain. The cerebrum controls advanced functions like recognition, vision, reasoning, and emotion. As alcohol levels increase, vision, movement, and speech are impaired. This occurs at a blood alcohol level of .01% -.30%. CEREBRUM

18. CEREBELLUM • The cerebellum is the part of your brain that is involved with coordinating movement. • Alcohol consumption causes problems with coordination, reflexes, and balance. • This occurs at a blood alcohol level of .15-.35.

19. MEDULLA • The medulla is the part of your brain that controls basic survival functions such as breathing and heartbeat.  • When you've consumed so much alcohol that the medulla is affected, your brain's ability to control respiration and heart rate is severely diminished.  • Your heart rate can drop and breathing cease, causing death, at blood alcohol levels as low as .30 

20. The Path of Alcohol in the Body • Mouth: alcohol enters the body. • Stomach: some alcohol gets into the bloodstream in the stomach, but most goes on to the small intestine. • Small Intestine: alcohol enters the bloodstream through the walls of the small intestine. • Heart: pumps alcohol throughout the body. • Brain: alcohol reaches the brain. 6.Liver: alcohol is oxidized by the liver at a rate of about 0.2 oz per hour. Alcohol is converted into water, carbon dioxide and energy.

21. THE HANG OVER • Alcohol robs your brain cells of water and glucose (the brain's food), which is why you experience hangover symptoms such as headache, dehydration, and the shakes the day after a night of heavy drinking. • Though there are lots of so-called "hangover cures," the only real cure is time. The best thing to do the day after heavy drinking is down lots of water and try to rest if possible.

22. What Happens to Your Body When You Get Alcohol Poisoning? • It is common for someone who drank excessive alcohol to vomit since alcohol is an irritant to the stomach. There is then the danger of choking on vomit. • Alcohol depresses nerves that control involuntary actions such as breathing and the gag reflex (which prevents choking). A fatal dose of alcohol will eventually stop these functions. • The mixture of alcohol and marijuana are a deadly combination. Once someone’s body begins to reject the alcohol, the person’s natural reaction is to vomit. Marijuana inhibits the body’s reaction to the alcohol, keeping a person from being able to vomit.

23. What Happens to Your Body When You Get Alcohol Poisoning? • A person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) can continue to rise even while he or she is passed out. • Even after a person stops drinking, alcohol in the stomach and intestine continues to enter the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body. • Dangerous to assume the person will be fine by sleeping it off.

24. ALCOHOL POISONING Signs/Symptoms/Consequnces • Confusion, coma, or person cannot be aroused. (Unconscious or semi-consciousness) • Slow breathing (fewer than eight breaths per minute). • Irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths). • Hypothermia (low body temperature), pale or bluish skin color, paleness. • Vomiting, and choking on vomit • Seizures. • Strong odor of alcohol. • permanent brain damage, or death.

25. What Should I Do If I Suspect Someone Has Alcohol Poisoning? Appropriate Action • Do not wait for all symptoms to be present. • Be aware that a person who has passed out may die and could be suffering from alcohol poisoning • Any suspicion of an alcohol overdose, call 911 for help. • Don't try to guess the level of drunkenness.

26. Alcohol Metabolism • Most of the alcohol a person drinks is eventually broken down by the liver. • In addition, a group of metabolic products called free radicals can damage liver cells and promote inflammation, impairing vital functions such as energy production. • The body's natural defenses against free radicals (antioxidants) can be inhibited by alcohol consumption, leading to increased liver damage.

27. This fatty liver of a drinker is caused by accumulation of fatty acids. When drinking stops, the fat deposits usually disappear.

28. Cirrhosis of the liver takes 10 or more years of steady drinking. The toxic effects of alcohol cause scar tissue to replace healthy tissue. This condition remains permanent, even when drinking stops.

29. Binge Drinking in Adolescents and College Students • Binge drinking = Five or more drinks in a row for boys Four or more in a row for girls. • People under 21 still get alcohol easily with one goal - to get drunk. • Binge drinking, often beginning around age 13, tends to increase during adolescence, peak in young adulthood (ages 18 to 22), then gradually decrease

30. WHO BINGES? • 44% of U.S. college students engaged in binge drinking during the two weeks before the survey. • 51% of the MEN drank 5 or more drinks in a row. • 40% of the WOMEN drank 4 or more drinks in a row. • Students more likely to binge drink are white, age 23 or younger, and are residents of a fraternity or sorority.

31. What are the three stages of Alcoholism? • Abuse – Someone who cannot drink alcohol in moderation or at appropriate times. • Dependence – Someone who is psychologically dependent on alcohol. They feel the constant desire and need for alcohol. • Addiction – Someone who is both psychologically and physically dependent on alcohol. Alcohol is their number one priority and they suffer from withdrawal symptoms if they do not get their regular fix. • Alcoholism - The state of being psychologically and physically addicted to alcohol

32. You cannot control Genes Environment You can control Drinking before age 21 Associating with people who drink Bending to peer pressure Drinking beyond moderation Drinking at inappropriate times Drinking alone Risk Factors

33. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome • A highly variable group of birth defects including mental retardation, deficient growth, central nervous system dysfunction, and malformations of the skull and face that tend to occur in the offspring of women who consume large amounts of alcohol during pregnancy • No one knows exactly how much alcohol must reach the unborn child to cause such deformities. • Alcohol's effects are more harmful to a fetus than those of all other drugs, including cocaine. When a woman drinks alcohol, it reaches the placenta in a few moments and passes through the growing fetus. The mother's body can break down one drink in approximately three hours, but alcohol stays in the fetus for much longer.

34. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effects are PERMANENT and cannot be outgrown. • FAS/FAE babies and young children may have other specific distinguishable features: · short stature· small and thin· physical problems, including hearing defects, organ imperfections or bone problems· difficulty with eating· difficulty developing a regular sleeping schedule· difficulty learning how to walk· difficulty learning toilet training· impulsivity (i.e.. running out into the street, going off with a stranger)· hyperactivity • FAS/FAE children have learning disabilities, which can include difficulties in:· learning language and language use, especially receptive language· generalizing information· mastering new or recently learned skills· memory (i.e.. remembering something from a year ago but not from yesterday)· predicting outcomes or cause and effect· distinguishing fact from fantasy· distinguishing friends from strangers (i.e.. may think someone they met five minutes ago is a friend)· lack of learning from experience because they do not understand cause and effect, behavior and experience • FAS/FAE adults continue to have the same learning difficulties they had as youth, and also often have difficulty with:· the legal and court system, due to lack of understanding of cause and effect· controlling alcohol consumption· maintaining custody of their children· mental health issues

35. Alcoholism • Not only affects the person involved but it also has huge affects on family members. • Mental, physical and emotional abuse are all types of abusive behaviors that are typically suffered by family members of an alcoholic. • It is not uncommon for an alcoholic to resume drinking especially in response to a traumatic event such as a death of a loved one or loss of a job.

36. Recovery from Alcoholism • Withdrawal • Process of discontinuing a drug to which the body has become addicted • Suffer from extreme nervousness, headaches, tremors, or seizures. • Usually last a few days • Sometimes alcoholic needs medical supervision

37. Recovery from Alcoholism There is hope for alcoholics as there are many options available: • Inpatient and outpatient programs • Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) • 12 steps is their recovery method Programs designed to help family members of alcoholics: • Al-Anon • Help family members talk about problems of living with an alcoholic • Alateen • Specifically help teenagers with same situation • S.A.D.D. • Students Against Destructive Decisions, formerly Students Against Driving Drunk

38. Alcoholism Where can you find help? • The Phone Book • Online at www.alcoholics-anonymous.org • Local Church • Hospitals