What is it?
Alcohol is the common
name for ethyl alcohol. It's a Central Nervous System
depressant and is one of the most widely used (and
abused) drugs in our society. It's produced by the
fermentation of fruits, vegetables or grains by yeasts which
converts the carbohydrates (sugars) of these plants to ethyl
alcohol. Alcoholic drinks consist mainly of various strength
mixtures of water and ethyl alcohol.
Medicinal
uses
Alcohol is sometimes
used as an external local anasthetic and sterilising agent.
How does
it work?
Alcohol depresses
parts of the central nervous system - it slows down some of
our brain functions. Various parts of the central nervous
system are depressed by alcohol, with all sorts of
consequences. For example, when the brain's speech centres
are inhibited, this causes slurred speech; when the vision
centres are affected this produces distorted vision; when
the co-ordination centres are depressed this results in loss
of balance and limb control.
The strong depressant
effect of alcohol lasts for a few hours after drinking, but
alcohol also produces a weaker agitation (or irritation) of
the nervous system that lasts much longer. This is the cause
of the "morning after" hangover and shakiness.
It's due to the irritation of the nervous system by alcohol
drunk many hours before.
This effect often leads heavy evening drinkers to drink
again the next morning, as the (very uncomfortable)
agitation can be temporarily overcome by drinking more
alcohol. Thus, a vicious circle is set in motion, which can
play a large part in alcoholic drinking patterns.
What
effect does it have?
The impact of drinking
alcohol depends on the state of the brain at the time, and
this in turn depends on the drinking environment.
In a quiet environment
(little brain activity), perhaps at home in an armchair, an
alcohol user will experience relaxation or drowsiness at low
to moderate doses.
In a social setting,
with lots of sights, sounds and social interaction (lots of
brain activity) low doses of alcohol may feel stimulating.
This is caused by depression of the higher brain centres,
which produces apparent stimulation by reducing
anxiety and self-consciousness. A drinker may become more
talkative than normal and demonstrate increased
self-confidence and loss of self restraint. So alcohol can
feel like a stimulant - but it's not - these effects are a
result of the inhibition of normal brain activity.
As the alcohol dose is
increased, significant depression of brain activity can
result in slurred speech, loss of limb co-ordination and
loss of emotional control. High doses of alcohol can inhibit
vital brain functions - this can produce deep
sedation and slow down the breathing rate, which can result
in coma or death.
Alcohol intake is
measured in units. One unit is is roughly equal to half a
pint of normal strength beer/lager/cider, a glass of wine or
a pub measure of spirits. The list below shows the effect of
drinking various amounts of alcohol and also indicates blood
alcohol concentration (as mg alcohol per 100ml blood), as
this determines whether an offence is committed by driving a
motor vehicle. The current UK alcohol limit for driving is
80mg/100ml
It's important to
remember that the concentration of alcohol in the blood and
its effects depend on a number of factors including body
weight, type of drink, drinking environment, previous
exposure to alcohol, stomach contents and sex of the
drinker.
Alcohol has its strongest effect on women. This is because
women's generally lower body weight means (for equal amounts
drunk) they take in more alcohol per pound weight and also,
as the female body contains less blood volume, the same
amount drunk will produce a higher blood alcohol
concentration in a woman than in a man.
- After 1 to 2 units
(0.5 to 1 pint of beer - or 20-50mg/100ml) there is not
much effect, beside a slight intensification of mood.
- After 3 to 4 units
(1.5 to 2 pints of beer - or 50-80mg/100ml) there is
usually a feeling of relaxation and mild sedation. There
may be a slight impairment of steady movement. This is
the legal limit for driving a vehicle and in fact 4
units of alcohol could put some people over the 80
mg/100ml legal blood alcohol limit.
- After 5 to 6 units
(2.5 to 3 pints of beer - or 80-100mg/100ml) there is
usually some loss of physical and mental co-ordination.
Judgement and memory may be affected, particularly the
ability to concentrate.
- After 7 to 8 units
(3.5 to 4 pints of beer - or 120-200mg/100ml) most
people slur their speech and are likely to have some
difficulty in standing or walking. This level of
intoxication can result in irresponsible behaviour and
euphoria.
- After drinking 15
to 20 units (7 to 10 pints of beer - or 200-300mg/100ml)
most people will have passed out.
Consequences
of alcohol abuse
Most people will have
some experience with alcohol. Many will experiment and stop,
or continue to drink casually without significant adverse
effects. Some people will use alcohol regularly, with
varying degrees of physical, emotional and social problems.
Some will develop a dependency and be destructive to
themselves and others for many years. Some will die - and
some will cause others to die.
As there is no certain
way to predict which alcohol drinkers will develop serious
problems, all alcohol use must be considered as potentially
dangerous.
Alcohol Dependence
Alcohol drinkers may
develop a physical or psychological dependence on alcohol.
This can cause great harm to the drinker, in terms of
physical and mental health, financial problems, employment
difficulties etc. In addition, alcohol dependence is likely
to cause great distress to partners, children or other
family members, who may be directly or indirectly exposed to
the consequences arising from compulsive alcohol
consumption.
Physical dependence
is often related to consistently heavy drinking. People who
drink on a regular basis become tolerant to many of
the unpleasant effects of alcohol and are able to drink more
before suffering these effects. Many heavy drinkers may not
appear to be drunk. Because they continue to work and
socialize reasonably well, harm to their physical health can
go unrecognized until severe damage develops - or until they
are unable to drink for some reason and suddenly experience
alcohol withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms range from
jumpiness, sleeplessness, sweating, and poor appetite, to
tremors (the "shakes"), convulsions,
hallucinations and sometimes death.
Deaths from suicide, accident and cirrhosis of the liver are
very common among heavy drinkers.
Psychological
dependence upon alcohol may occur with regular use of
even quite small daily amounts, such as a glass or two of
sherry. It can also occur in people who drink alcohol only
under certain conditions, such as before and during social
occasions. This form of dependence results from a craving
for alcohol's psychological effects, such as relief from
anxiety, although the drinker may not consume amounts that
produce serious intoxication. For psychologically dependent
drinkers, lack of alcohol tends to make them anxious and
prone to panic attacks.
Damage to health
The UK
Government-recommended alcohol limits are presently 28 units
per week for men (14 pints of beer) and 21 units per
week for women (10.5 pints of beer). Sustained drinking
in excess of this level increases the chance of damaging our
health. This can take the form of liver disease, stomach
ulcers, heart and circulation disorders - and in extreme
cases brain damage.
25,000 people die in the UK each year from alcohol-related
illnesses - this is 50 times the annual rate of death from all
illicit drugs put together!
Family abuse
Excessive consumption of
alcohol is commonly sited as a reason for difficulties
within a family or within a marriage. These may range from
drunken violence directed toward a spouse or children, to
financial problems caused by compulsive purchase of alcohol
or otherwise related to that.
It is difficult to over-emphasise just how much stress a
person who abuses alcohol may cause within his or her
immediate family. If a person continues to abuse alcohol
over a period of time, his or her behaviour is likely to
cause bitterness and resentment among relatives. While
family members may love the alcohol abuser, they are likely
to hate his or her behaviour.
Eventually - the love dies.
Accidents
While a person is under
the influence of alcohol he or she is far more likely to
have an accident than while sober because alcohol adversely
affects judgement and perception. Thirty percent of vehicle
drivers killed in road accidents within the UK were found to
have been drinking alcohol beforehand. Many of those who
died in such a manner may well have caused the death or
injury of other road users. What a waste.
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Roderick
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Lothian
Hypnotherapy Clinic
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Livingston, Edinburgh. EH54 9EG
TEL 01506 462 385
email:
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