Key Concepts:
Vocabulary: blood alcohol concentration (BAC), fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), alcoholic recovery, sobriety
The Impact of Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol and Driving
Main Idea: Drinking and driving is very dangerous.
Driving after drinking can have disastrous and even deadly results. One-fifth of all teen drivers involved in fatal car accidents have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.01 percent. A person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is the amount of alcohol in a person’s blood, expressed as a percentage. BAC depends on the quantity and type of alcohol that was consumed, the rate of consumption, and body size and gender. Figure 21.9 illustrates how the alcohol content varies in common alcoholic beverages. Any amount of alcohol in the blood can cause the following:
Slow reflexes
Reduced ability to judge distances and speeds
Increase in risk-taking behaviors
Reduced concentration and increased forgetfulness
Driving While Intoxicated
Driving while intoxicated (DWI), or driving under the influence (DUI), is illegal. Adult drivers who have a BAC of 0.05 percent can be charged with drunk driving. For those under 21, there is no acceptable BAC, since it’s illegal to use alcohol. The consequences for DWI or DUI include
Riding in a vehicle with a driver who has been drinking is just as dangerous as if you were the one drinking and driving. If someone you’re with has been drinking, find a ride with someone who has not been drinking, or call home for a ride.
Alcohol and Pregnancy
Main Idea A female who drinks during pregnancy can harm her fetus.
When a pregnant female drinks, alcohol passes directly from her body into the bloodstream of the fetus. A fetus processes alcohol much more slowly than the mother does. As a result, there is more alcohol in the fetus’s system for a longer period of time. Infants born to mothers who drink during pregnancy are at risk of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), a group of alcohol-related birth defects that include physical and mental problems.
Effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
The effects of FAS are both severe and lasting. Infants born with FAS may have the following problems:
FAS is one of the leading preventable causes of mental retardation. Females who are trying to become pregnant or may be pregnant should not drink any alcohol.
Alcoholism
Main Idea: Alcoholism is a disease that affects the person who drinks and others around him or her.
Alcoholics are physically or psychologically dependent on alcohol. The symptoms of alcoholism include the following:
Craving-Feeling a strong need for alcohol to manage tension or stress, and a preoccupation with alcohol
Loss of control-Inability to limit alcohol consumption
Physical dependence- Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety
Tolerance- A need to drink increasingly more alcohol in order to feel its effects
Alcoholics
An alcoholic is an addict who is dependent on alcohol. The behavior of alcoholics varies; some are aggressive and violent, while others may become withdrawn. Alcoholism is not limited to any age, race, ethnic or socioeconomic group.
Growing scientific evidence suggests that alcoholism is partially due to genetics. One study shows that children of alcoholics are four times more likely to become alcoholics. Environmental factors such as family, friends, culture, peer pressure, availability of alcohol, and stress also contribute to alcoholism. The age at which a person starts drinking also influences the risk of alcoholism. Teens who start drinking are at a higher risk of becoming alcoholics during their life-time than people who begin drinking as adults.
Stages of Alcoholism
Alcoholism develops in three stages: abuse, dependence, and addiction. All alcoholics do not, however, experience each stage equally.
Stage 1-Abuse. Alcoholism may begin with social drinking. A physical and psychological dependence develops. The person may experience memory loss and blackouts, and may begin to lie or make excuses to justify his or her drinking.
Stage 2-Dependence. The person cannot stop drinking and is physically dependent on alcohol. The drinker tries to hide the problem, but performance on the job, at school, and at home suffers.
Stage 3-Addiction. In the final stage of alcoholism, the person is addicted. At this stage, the liver may be already damaged, and so less alcohol may be required to cause drunkenness. If the alcoholic stopped drinking, he or she would experience severe withdrawal symptoms.
Effects on Family and Society
Main Idea: Alcohol abuse plays a role in crimes and has negative effects on people who are around problem drinkers.
The United States is home to an estimated 17 million alcoholics and problem drinkers. Alcohol abuse affects more than just the drinker. It is a major factor in the four leading causes of accidental death: car accidents, falls, drowning, and house fires. Alcohol also plays a major role in violent crimes, such as homicide, forcible rape, and robbery. About 40 percent of violent crimes are alcohol related.
Often, people close to alcoholics develop mentally unhealthy behaviors, such as codependency. Codependents ignore their own emotional and physical needs and instead focus their energy and emotions on the needs of the alcoholic. In the process, codependents lose their self-esteem and their trust in others, and their own physical health suffers.
Treatment for Alcohol Abuse
Main Idea: Alcoholics can recover if they get treatment.
Alcoholism cannot be cured, but it can be treated. Recovery is the process of learning to live an alcohol-free life. Recovering alcoholics must make a lifelong commitment to sobriety, which is living without alcohol.
The steps to recovery outlined in Figure 21.13, include admitting that alcohol use is a problem; detoxification, or adjusting to functioning without alcohol; receiving counseling to change behaviors; and recovery, or taking responsibility for one’s own life. Here are a few of the resources and programs available to help alcoholics and problem drinkers, as well as their families and friends:
AI-Anon/Alateen helps families and friends learn to deal with the effects of living with an alcoholic.
Alcoholics Anonymous provides help for alcoholics. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) provides education to prevent underage drinking.
National Association for Children of Alcoholics provides help for children of alcoholics.
National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Referral Routing Service provides treatment referral and information about treatment facilities.
Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) provides peer-led education about avoiding alcohol use.
SAMSHA’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information provides information about alcohol and other drugs.
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