Alcohol
Awareness
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When discussing information about
drinking alcohol and observing alcohol from an historical
standpoint, it can be shown that people have known about
alcohol and information about alcohol and have been drinking
alcohol for at least 10,000 years.
Although alcohol has been used in a number of
diverse ways throughout history that can be called "beneficial," it
was, however, recognized thousands of years ago that drinking
alcohol in an excessive and abusive manner led to social as well as
to personal problems.
Due to the fact that people in the
industrialized nations have been drinking alcohol over an extended
time frame and that many of these people are aware of the damaging
consequences of chronic, heavy drinking and alcohol abuse, why do
so many individuals in these nations seem to gamble with their
futures by submitted themselves to the deleterious and unhealthy
effects of excessive drinking? Do these people need access to
more relevant information about alcohol? Do these individuals
need to develop a more refined sense of "alcohol awareness" so that
they can significantly reduce the multitude of issues and problems
that are associated with drinking alcohol in an excessive,
irresponsible, and abusive manner? Is "alcohol awareness"
truly an issue?
An Essential Question: What Is
Alcohol?
The alcohol that is consumed at parties or bars is
called ethyl alcohol or ethanol. In short, this is the kind
of alcohol that is ingested when people engage in drinking
alcohol.
Ethyl
alcohol is created by fermentation, a process in which
yeast fungus feeds on sugars and/or starches in various grains
(such as rice, barley, or hops) or fruits (such as grapes) and
excretes alcohol along with carbon dioxide (CO2).
Ethyl alcohol is a depressant drug. The
amount of alcohol in drinks varies widely depending on the specific
drink. For instance, while wine and beer usually have an
alcohol content between 5% and 15%, hard liquor, conversely,
commonly has an alcohol content of up to 40% or more.
Interestingly, from the least expensive beer to the
most expensive wine or after dinner liqueur, all alcohol is made
with the same fermentation process. The various colors, strengths,
flavors, and tastes come from the different fruits or vegetables
that are used as well as from the diluting substances, by-products,
and additives used in the fermentation process. It is
enlightening to note that the fermentation process used in
alcoholic beverages is the same process that will occur with apple
juice, orange juice or other fruit juices and fruit if they are not
consumed.
Blood Alcohol Concentration
The following represents information about alcohol
that many people seemingly do not know about. Information
about alcohol such as this, it is asserted, can increase the
"alcohol awareness" people possess about drinking alcohol.
When a
person drinks an alcoholic beverage, roughly 20% of the
alcohol is absorbed in the stomach and 80% is absorbed in the
small intestine. The type of drink, the frequency of drinks
that are consumed, whether the stomach is empty or full, and
the concentration of alcohol in the drink affect the speed at
which the alcohol is absorbed.
Once the alcohol is absorbed into the tissues, it
affects the individual's body and his or her brain.
It usually takes around 20 minutes after having an
alcoholic beverage for a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC)
level to rise. After alcohol is absorbed and metabolized, it
exits the body essentially in three ways: via the liver, kidneys,
and via the lungs.
One note of interest: the ways in which
drinking alcohol affects the person's body or his or her brain is
based on the above information about the absorption and also on a
person's body weight and how quickly the individual's body
metabolizes alcohol.
| “Eye-openers” are common during
the third stage of alcoholism. That is, drinks that are taken
whenever the person awakens. Eye-openers are normally taken
to lessen a hangover, calm the nerves, or to quiet their feelings
of remorse the drinker experiences after a period of time without a
drink. |
A Brief History of Alcohol Use
While it is not known exactly when
drinking alcohol first took place, the discovery of late Stone
Age beer jugs, nevertheless, has resulted in strong evidence
that suggests that the intentional fermentation of various
beverages existed at least as early as 10,000 B.C. This
means that people have known about alcoholic drinks and
alcoholic beverages and have been drinking alcohol for at
least 10,000 years!
Other historical references regarding drinking alcohol include
the following:
- In the Bible, Genesis 9:20 states that Noah planted a vineyard
on Mt. Ararat.
- In Ancient Egypt, the Egyptians believed that Osiris, the god
of wine, also invented beer, a beverage that was so much a part of
Egyptian life that it was brewed daily in the home.
- In Sumeria, wine and beer were used for therapeutic reasons as
early as 2,000 B.C.
- In ancient Greece, by 1,700 B.C. wine making was so common
that, similar to other places in the old world, it was used in
hospitality, it became an important aspect of religious rituals, it
was used for medicinal purposes, and it became a commonly used with
daily meals.
- In ancient China, it was believed that the consumption of
alcohol in moderation was prescribed by heaven.
- In Babylon, as early as 2,700 B.C, the Babylonians worshiped
wine deities. Beer and wine were used on a regular basis as
offerings to the gods.
As we will soon realize, the above historical
references about drinking alcohol will also point to the negative
effects of excessive and abusive drinking as well as to a
surprising level of "alcohol awareness" and other relevant
information about alcohol that existed hundreds and thousands of
years ago.
| People who are experiencing
alcohol withdrawal symptoms should not treat these symptoms at
home. Instead, they need to seek medical assistance immediately so
that their doctor, emergency room personnel, healthcare provider,
or urgent care center personnel can assess the severity of their
withdrawal symptoms and suggest the best option for
treatment. |
Drinking Alcohol in an
Abusive Way
While alcohol has been used in a number of ways that can be
called "positive" and useful, it was, however, recognized thousands
of years ago that drinking alcohol in an excessive and abusive
manner led to negative issues and problems. For instance,
both Plato and Aristotle were critical of public drunkenness.
In addition, a Chinese manuscript was recently found that
discussed how hard it was for individuals to do without beer and
included warnings of the "abuse" of beer. What was the date
of this manuscript? Approximately 650 B.C.!
| According to one study, alcohol
use is a factor in 40% to 60% of auto accidents resulting in
personal injury or death among American college
students. |
Leaping ahead to Europe, in 1596 in France, an adviser to Henri
IV stated that excessive drinking
too frequently ruined homes and families. In a document
published in 1647, a Greek monk stated that drinking
alcohol in an excessive manner was detrimental to the nerves
and to the brain and was a key contributor to many medical
problems such as paralysis, trembling, convulsions, and
uncontrolled bleeding into an organ or into the brain.
Interestingly, more than 350 years ago some intelligent
Europeans with "alcohol awareness" critically examined the relevant
information about alcohol and discovered some of the effects of
excessive alcohol consumption that in modern-day terminology would
be classified as "alcohol side effects," the "DTs," "alcohol
withdrawal," "alcohol poisoning," and "alcohol overdose."
| According to a research study
undertaken by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
(CASA) at Columbia University in 2005, every year, 1,400 American
college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from inadvertent
alcohol-related injuries, including motor vehicle accidents, which
accounted for the majority of the deaths. |
In 1667 in France, a medical thesis was submitted that both
announced the positive facets of wine and also those aspects that
are detrimental to one's health such as sleep disruption, ulcerated
eyes, trembling hands, memory loss, erratic gait, gawking
expression, and lethargy. Although this work contained a
number of clinical observations that were legitimately attributed
to heavy drinking and excessive alcohol consumption, this "alcohol
awareness" and knowledge and information about the damaging and
negative alcohol effects of drinking alcohol was not
widespread.
|
In the United States, roughly 50,000 cases of alcohol poisoning
are reported each year, and approximately once every week, someone
dies from this preventable condition. |
Moving forward to the United States, 1920 marks the beginning of
Prohibition in the U.S. At this time the 18th Amendment
to the Constitution had been officially ratified and focused on
putting an end to the "evils associated with drinking."
Around this same time one writer equated excessive drinking with
"Grappling with the Monster" and the "Curse" and stated that the
only cure was total abstinence.
| Do you drink and drive, operate
machinery or mix alcohol with over-the-counter or prescription
medicine? Are you pregnant or are trying to become pregnant and
drink? Do you drink alcohol while you are in charge of the lives of
small children? Do you fail to inform your doctor that you are a
regular drinker? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions,
you are taking risks with alcohol. |
Interestingly, the "evils" that
resulted from drinking alcohol in an excessive and abusive
manner in the 1800s and the early 1900s in the United States
were mainly viewed from a social perspective. That is,
drinking alcohol in an irresponsible and excessive
manner was seen as associated with crime, poor efficiency
and production in the factories and the shops, family
violence, public disorder, and poverty.
Though this is the case, it must also be pointed out that some
insightful individuals did see that excessive drinking,
especially rum, would result in death. Others, moreover,
openly proclaimed warnings about excessive alcohol consumption, but
their voices, for the most part, were not heard. If only
these individuals who exhibited this level of "alcohol awareness"
had access to the Internet!
| In the second or third stages of
alcohol dependency the alcoholic's hands may have trembled slightly
on mornings after getting drunk. In the fourth and final
stage of alcohol addiction, however, alcoholics get "the shakes"
whenever they try or are forced to abstain from
drinking. |
Have a Look at These Top Quality Alcohol Abuse
Videos!
Alcohol Statistics and Other Information About
Alcohol
Many of the dangers associated with drinking
alcohol in a chronic and abusive manner, such as the dangers that
arise from alcoholism and alcohol abuse, unfortunately, do make a
"real" impression on people until some of the key information about
alcohol and relevant statistics and facts about alcohol abuse,
alcohol dependence, and alcoholic behavior are discussed. It
is with this in mind that the following alcohol facts, statistics,
and other information about alcohol will be presented. It is
also hoped that these alcohol facts and statistics will result in
an enhanced level of "alcohol awareness."
According to a study undertaken by The National
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia
University in 2005, the following statistics about alcohol abuse
and alcoholism were discovered:
It is apparent from these alcohol abuse and alcoholism facts and
statistics that drinking alcohol in an irresponsible, excessive way
results in a host of problems and issues that are not only
widespread in our society, but that also lead to devastation and
destruction that are experienced at the personal as well as at the
societal level. In a word, the unhealthy and damaging
outcomes of alcoholism and alcohol abuse cry out for increased
alcohol awareness in our society.
| A dysfunctional family is a
family in which conflict, abuse, or misbehavior, by individual
family members takes place on a continuing basis, leading other
members of the family to perpetuate, enable, and reinforce such
behaviors. Often, children grow up in dysfunctional families
with the belief that such behaviors and ways of relating are
"normal." |
Linking Medical Problems to
Alcoholism
The focus on the results of excessive drinking from a medical
perspective received a substantial boost from a doctor
named E.M. Jellinek. More to the
point, Dr. Jellinek was the first person in the United States
to formulate a taxonomy of medical issues and problems that
were observable in chronic alcoholics. And make note of
the fact that this important work was undertaken by Dr.
Jellinek in 1937!
It should also be mentioned that Dr. Jellinek was actively
involved in some of the early alcoholism studies sponsored by the
World Health Organization. Directly or indirectly due to this
interesting working relationship, in 1952, the World Health
Organization used Dr. Jellinek's definition for the term
"alcoholic" in their own documents: "Alcoholics are those
excessive drinkers whose dependence on alcohol has attained such a
degree that it shows notable disturbance or an interference with
their bodily and mental health, their personal relationships and
smooth economic functioning or who show prodromal signs of such a
development. They therefore need treatment."
| In the fourth and final stage of
alcoholism, the alcoholic manifests an utter disregard for
everything, including shelter, family, food, and job. These
occasional flights into oblivion are best described, ironically, as
drinking to get away from the problems caused by
drinking. |
As a result of the above discussion, it can be concluded that
concepts such as alcohol treatment and alcohol rehab were being
formulated and articulated in the United States nearly 70 years
ago! Much of the early work by Dr. Jellinek and others with
"alcohol awareness" has formulated current policies, procedures,
and programs for the chronic use and abuse of both alcohol and
drug.
Not only this, but the work of Dr. Jellinek and many other early
pioneers in the substance abuse field has provided input into the
creation and implementation of some of the alcohol and drug laws
that currently exist in the United States. When reviewing Dr.
Jellinek's work from an historical context, it is evident that his
monumental work influenced the entire area of alcohol testing and
related areas of research such as "blood alcohol content" and
"blood alcohol level." Without a doubt, Dr. Jellinek
possessed a level of "alcohol awareness" that has probably not been
surpassed in his day or in ours.
Studies have shown that
inpatient detoxification programs are more effective and longer
lasting than outpatient detox programs. The important issue here,
however, is the following: the more severe the alcohol-related
withdrawal symptoms, the more likely that inpatient detox
programs
should be used. |
While U.S. doctors in the 1950s were cognizant of the
interrelationships that existed between alcoholism and diseases
such as the degeneration of the liver, gastritis, and hepatic
cirrhosis, today's doctors have more expertise about the many
diverse ways in which the different organs and systems of the body
are damaged and changed by chronic alcohol
dependence. Today's physicians are also better informed
about other critical alcohol-related facts and issues such as fetal
alcohol syndrome.
Teenage Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Due to the fact that there are millions of American
teens who are alcohol abusers or alcoholics, learning about the
short-term and the long-term effects of drinking alcohol in an
excessive, chronic, and abusive manner is critically important
concerning teenage drinkers.
If, however, a teenager can read about or hear
about, conceptualize, and internalize the facts and statistics
concerning teen alcohol abuse and teenage alcoholism, and do so in
a healthy and growth-fostering way, perhaps they may be able to
avoid the devastating effects that are intrinsically related to
teenage alcohol abuse and alcoholism in our society. It is
access to relevant and factual information about alcohol and acting
on this information that gives rise to heightened "alcohol
awareness" in our teens and in our adults.
| In spite of the debate in the
medical, neurobiological, and psychological research communities
about the existence as well as the character of the addictive
personality, it is, however, observable and verifiable that brain
functions contribute to different addictions. Building on this
perspective, many researchers currently believe that the
predisposition to addiction is more accurately a combination of
psychological, biological, and environmental
factors. |
Alcoholism
Videos
We have included some alcoholism videos so that you can see
and hear directly from various people about their struggles with
this disease. If you, one of your friends, or a member of
your family has a "drinking problem," seeing what others have gone
through and how they attained successful recovery is much more
"reality-based" than any information about alcohol that you can
read. In addition, watching these videos may help you
understand what others with drinking problems are experiencing, how
reaching the "bottom of the barrel" increased their "alcohol
awareness," and how drinking alcohol has changed their
lives. So make sure you look at these excellent videos!
Alcohol
Awareness: Conclusion
Although alcohol has been used in a
variety of ways throughout history that can be called useful
or "positive," it is interesting to note that thousands of
years ago it was known that drinking alcohol in an abusive and
excessive way resulted in a multitude of negative issues and
problems. For example, Aristotle and Plato, two of the
more famous ancient Greek philosophers who possesses an
refined sense of "alcohol awareness," openly criticized people
who exhibited public drunkenness.
Moreover, a Chinese manuscript written around 650 B.C. was
recently found which stated how difficult it was for people to do
without beer and actually included warnings of the "abuse" of
beer. Ironically, in spite of the fact that basic information
about alcohol such as the negative consequences of drinking alcohol
in an abusive and excessive manner has been known for centuries,
alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse continue to damage human lives
in our "enlightened" and "aware" society.
It is information about alcohol like this that states loud and
clear that the industrialized nations of the world need to educate
their people with the relevant facts, statistics, and consequences
of abusive, irresponsible, chronic, and heavy drinking so that
their people can raise their level of "alcohol awareness" and
significantly reduce the alcohol-related horror stories and
tragedies that happen all too frequently in today's modern
world.
| If you
would like to listen to an informative and professionally done
"talking eBook" entitled The Truth
About Alcohol, please click on this
link. |
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| Alcohol can be dangerous in
smaller amounts if it is used in combination with the following
drugs: certain anti-seizure medications such as
phenobarbital; sedatives such as barbiturates, tranquilizers, and
cannabis; and narcotic pain medications such as codine, opium,
heroin, darvocet, and codine derivatives. |
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