 What is alcohol?
Alcohol refers to any intoxicating beverage, usually created by fermenting grains, sugars or starches. Alcohol is the common element in wine, beer, whiskey, gin, vodka and all other "alcoholic" beverages.
What effect does alcohol have on the user?
As the definition suggests, the primary effect is intoxication, although the effects of intoxication differ from person to person.
Different people "hold their liquor" differently: some can consume as little as a glass or two of beer or wine and be drunk, while others would need several times as much to feel the same effect. In part, this is based on factors including body mass and the amount of food in the stomach (which slows the absorption of alcohol). Frequent and/or heavy drinkers develop a tolerance for alcohol, meaning their system needs more now, to produce the same effect that much less alcohol would have produced in the past.
 What are the alcoholism symptoms of someone under the influence of alcohol?
We're all familiar with the behaviors of a "drunk"-someone who's ingested a substantial amount of alcohol. The level of inebriation is directly correlated to the severity of the alcoholic symptoms.
With one ounce of alcohol (one shot of hard liquor, two glasses of wine or beer), the drinker may exhibit some slurred speech, slowed reaction time and a mild feeling of euphoria-a pleasant sensation of relaxation. As the amount or frequency of alcohol consumption increases, the symptoms become more severe:
- Impaired coordination (not being able to walk a straight line, for example)
- Inappropriate behavior (aggression, sexual flirtation, rudeness, loud
outbreaks)
- Sudden shifts in mood (laughing fits, sullenness, anger, anxiety)
- Impaired social or occupational functioning, judgment
- Lapses of attention or memory
- Stupor or coma, caused by alcoholic symptoms.
What are the potential dangers of using alcohol abuse?
When we see people drinking so frequently in various social situations, it's difficult to consider that alcohol consumption can be deadly. But the statistics bear this out:
- In most states, more than 1/3 of traffic fatalities are related to alcohol
consumption (2005 survey, compiled by MADD).
- thousands of students (high school and college age) die each year from
non-automobile accidents following alcohol consumption, including
bicycle accidents, falls, drownings and alcohol poisoning (University
of Notre Dame study, 2007).
- Most states set a level of 0.08% as the blood alcohol concentration at
which a person will be cited for drunk driving (which can be achieved with
2-3 alcoholic drinks). A blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.30% can
result in loss of consciousness and possible death.
Call us today to find out more about our abuse alcoholism center drug treatment.
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