In today’s society, alcohol is a popular ingredient in numerous products and beverages. And for better or worse, alcohol has shaped our civilization for many centuries. Alcohol is any organic compound, which the hydroxyl functional group is bound to a saturated carbon atom. It is classed as a depressant, which is an ingredient that slows down vital functions resulting in slurred speech, unsteady movement, disturbed perceptions and an inability to react quickly. As for how it affects the mind, alcohol is best understood as a drug that reduces a person’s ability to think rationally and distorts our judgment. The term alcohol is originally referred to the primary alcohol ethyl alcohol, the predominant alcohol in alcoholic beverages. Ethanol is thought to cause harm partly as a result of direct damage to DNA caused by its metabolites. Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream via small blood vessels in the walls of the stomach and small intestine. Within minutes of drinking alcohol, it travels from the stomach to the brain, where it quickly produces its effects, slowing the action of nerve cells. Some people should not drink at all, including alcoholics, children, pregnant women, people taking certain medicines, and people with certain medical conditions. Anything more than moderate drinking can be risky. Heavy drinking can lead to alcoholism and alcohol abuse, as well as injuries, liver disease, heart disease, cancer, and other health problems. It can also cause problems at
The inverse effects between the consumption of stimulant like caffeine and depressant like alcohol has been well established over the years. Alcohol has a paradoxical effect that makes it first appear as a stimulant (American heart association, 2015). The two faced nature is due to ethanol the most active ingredient in alcohol. Alcohol slows down the nervous system by acting on the brain’s inhibitory neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid. Studies have shown Bradycardia (slow or decreased heart rate) in people who consume too much alcohol (ehealthMe, 2015). Drinking alcohol can completely alter a person’s concentration, mood, and coordination (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2013). Too much consumption of alcohol could
This study will examine the harmful effects of alcohol poisoning caused by excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages in a short period of time. Men, women and underage drinkers are affected by this deadly disease that kills thousands each year. According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention, there are 2,221 alcohol poisoning deaths or six deaths per day in the U.S. each year” (Stahre, Roeber, Kanny, Brewer, & Zhang, 2014). This number is high for a disease that is self-inflicted. On the other hand what makes alcohol poisoning extremely dangerous is, it not only affects the users but the people around them. There are many people killed from negligence or car accidents because the person intellectual was impaired due to the excess amount of alcohol consumed. Alcohol poisoning is tremendously hazardous for the consumer and the people impacted by the consumer. It is important to educate and make people aware of the devastating affects alcohol poisoning can have on their bodies and the people around them. The purpose of this research is to understand the cause and the effect of alcohol poisoning but also the symptoms and treatment for this disease. This research will emphasize on what leads to alcohol poisoning and the consequences behind excess or “binge” drinking that contributes to this disease and the damaging effects associated with
The pathophysiology of alcoholism begins after alcohol the ingestion of alcohol. It is absorbed and unaltered through the stomach and intestines. Next it is distributed throughout the body through the blood and absorbed by all tissues and fluids (Huether, 2012, p. 72). Furthermore, in the liver the alcohol blood content is metabolized into acetaldehyde by the enzymes process of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), the microsomal ethanol oxidizing system (MEOS), and catalase (Huether & McCance, 2012). Next, the metabolizing effects the central nervous system (CNS) and exhibits a depressant action. It is first expressed in the subcortical structures of the brain. This has an effect of disorientation of motor skills and intellect. With an increase in blood alcohol concentration, the medullary centers become depressed and as a result affects respiration (Huether & McCance, 2012). In addition, the effects of alcoholism encourage hepatic and gastric changes. The hepatic effect is caused by acetaldehyde, in which, induces inflammation, fatty deposits and enlargement of the liver (Huether & McCance, 2012).
Alcohol use has spanned history. In fact, there is speculation that alcohol use actually preceded the formation of societies (Doweiko, 2015, p. 30). Thus, alcohol has long been a part of mankind’s life. The function of alcohol has unarguably changed throughout the course of history, as it was first used for nutritional purposes and then later on for religious purposes (Doweiko, 2015, p. 32). Today, alcohol serves a social purpose. In the United States, the prevalence of use is quite high, with just over 50% of the population partaking monthly (Doweiko, 2015, p. 34). This statistic is somewhat alarming considering alcohol use comes with a number of potential adverse consequences. Case in point, even
The use of alcohol has been dated back thousands of years past the Egyptians and Greeks, drinking wine or beer was not an uncommon sight to see thousands of years ago and although times have changed its still not uncommon to see someone drinking today. Fermenting grains or fruits simplifies the processes of making the substance we call “booze”. Drug-Free World’s “The Truth about Alcohol” provides information to anyone free on the Internet about alcohol, the drug, we commonly consume today. It not only tells us that alcohol is a depressant but explains to us a depressant is a drug that slows down our bodily function systems. Drug-Free World also explains why people drink, the reactions that happens to these people, and tells us that
As a college student, alcohol is a very real and prevalent temptation. It is a normal occurrence for a Friday night to be filled with friends, a bonfire, and alcohol out on the lake. Unfortunately, not many students know the effects of alcohol on their brain. I took a personal interest in this subject because alcoholism runs deep in my family. I want to know what effects my personal consumption of alcohol have on my brain and how they will affect my life if I continue to drink or choose to stop.
Many adults can enjoy a drink or two from time to time without any issues, but just one drink can cause over seventeen million Americans’ lives to spiral out of control. Though most people do not have issues with drinking alcoholic beverages, many have a condition which causes their brain to function differently when they consume alcohol. This disease can be deadly for both the alcoholic and those around them. Alcoholism can control someone’s life, and even though it is a societal issue that is still being addressed, more people are seeking treatment to better themselves. Alcoholism, excessive consumption of alcohol that results in dependence, is caused by genetics and environmental factors that result in harmful effects on the body of the drinker and the safety of society; however, therapy and support groups are helping alcoholics recover today, and medications undergoing trial could allow them to live normal lives in the future.
At the beginning of the 21st century, it was estimated that the annual number of deaths related to excessive drinking exceeded 100,000 in the United States alone (“Alcoholism”). In fact, in 1995, 140 million Americans were using alcohol is an abusing way (Ammerman, Ott, and Tarter). “It is a chronic and progressive illness that involves the excessive inappropriate ingestion of ethyl alcohol” (“Alcoholism”). Equally, it can be characterized as an emotional and many times, physical dependence on alcohol. It is thought to come from a combination of a wide range of physiological, social, and genetic factors (“Alcoholism”). Even
Alcohol is one of the most toxic drugs ("Marijuana Is Safer Than Alcohol: It's Time To Treat It That Way"). Alcohol is generally classified with similar drugs such as barbiturates, minor tranquilizers and general anesthetics (Uschah). Alcohol is linked to more than 37,000 annual U.S. deaths("Marijuana Is Safer Than Alcohol: It's Time To Treat It That Way"). Alcohol can harm the heart, brain and nervous system. Within minutes of having a drink alcohol has reached the brain, muscles, nerves, and other parts of the body. Five to ten percent of alcohol is transferred to the bloodstream directly through the lining of the mouth; this affects the brain because the heart pumps blood directly to the brain (Uschah). This information helps understand how badly alcohol can
Alcohol is a drug that is classified as a central nervous system depressant. There are three forms of alcohol, beer, wine and distilled spirits. Alcohol is one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States and has more adverse effects that most other drugs combined. There are many aspects to consider when thinking about alcohol as a drug. There are many myths surrounding alcohol, including who uses it, what its effects are on users, social and sexual situations and the amounts people drink. The vast majority of the American population uses alcohol and in many various ways and this also causes different effects. Alcohol is also has a great causation in crimes committed by users, social, medical, and educational problems as a result
Alcohol results in unstable movement, and it changes an individual’s awareness and doesn’t let them think clearly and distorts their judgment, black outs and impairs their vision and hearing. Depressants, back in the day were used as a sleep aid. An overconsumption of alcohol can lead to the substance becoming a depressant. There are many different forms and types of alcohol but the ethanol is what causes an individual to become addicted to drinking. The effects that alcohol has on the central nervous system starts When alcohol arrives in the brain it binds with the GABA receptors that are in charge of transmitting information from each synapse so it prevents the GABA from following through with transmitting information. And it also fixes itself with glutamate, thus causing the glutamate to not recycle through the cell. This slows everything down leading the individual to react slowly to things and causes decreased cognitive function, decreased reflexes, and decreased coordination. Which then causes the individual to have impaired judgment and decision making due the brains receptor sites being blocked by the alcohol (Sullivan, Harris, & Pfefferbaum, 2010). The larger the dose of alcohol the more extreme the effects are. With a larger dose of alcohol, the individual has very poor fine motor skills and is emotional and seizures are likely. The rest of the alcohol goes through the liver and metabolizes breaking down the toxicity within your body but the more alcohol that the individual drinks the harder it is on their liver which can also cause liver failure (Capuzzi & Stauffer,
In chemistry terms, alcohol is any organic compound where a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom, which is has single bonds to three other atoms. The type of alcohol that can be consumed is called Ethanol which is a liquid and psychoactive recreational drugs. If a person drinks Ethanol, or alcohol, it affects the central nervous system, which causes decrease in activity, anxiety, tensions, concentration, and judgement. There are also several cases of memory loss due to heavy drinking that cuts off the supply of oxygen to the brain.
Alcoholism is perhaps the most common form of drug abuse in North America today. Scientists report that the reason alcohol is so popular to people is because it is pleasant, relaxing, and is considered a "social beverage." But what individuals often do not take in to consideration is the fact that alcohol dulls the brain and confuses physical reactions. This can lead to numerous injuries, accidents, and death. Alcohol affects every part of an alcoholic's life: their body, their mind and their family life. The body has a natural chemical that gives a feeling of a "natural high". It happens in the presence of a life-endangering situation. This chemical is adrenaline, which is meant to prepare the body for defense in
Alcohol is one of many dangerous substances that effects our bodies. The effects of this drug can be very harmful. Alcohol is a potent non-prescription drug sold to anyone over the national legal drinking age, 21. Unlike other deadly drugs it is easy to access. This makes it easy to over-consume and create a tragic accident, even death. It can damage a person not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. Many people each year become more and more addicted to alcohol and soon experience all of it?s dangerous effects. Even if alcohol use is discontinued, some of these damages can not be cured, because the scars have been left on those that drink and those that surround them. The only hope
Ethyl alcohol, which is the type of alcohol found in alcoholic drinks, enters the bloodstream through the walls of the gastrointestinal tract, mostly from the walls of the stomach and of the small intestines. Once ethyl alcohol enters the bloodstream, it passes through the brain and bathes the brain cells. This is how alcohol "kill" brain cells and damages the brain. (5) Different levels of alcohol in the blood have different effects on the behavior of a person; however, these effects are not predictable. At low levels, the inhibitory centers are usually suppressed and there is a "false sense of increased confidence and a feeling of well being." The depressing effects of alcohol on the brain may relax a person but equally likely, may make a person irritable, mistrusting, and very sensitive. (3) (4) (5) (6) While feeling relaxed is generally good for a person, it carries negative effects when a person gets in trouble from being overly relaxed. For example, there are cases in which women are raped as a result of being too comfortable with the men they drink with. Studies show that a substantial percentage of victims of violent crimes were intoxicated at the time of their assault (2). Offenders may