Alcohol Behavioral Effects Chapter 8 How Serious Is Alcohol Consumption Approximately 50 126 million of Americans are past month alcohol drinkers known as current drinkers Approximately 23 55 million of Americans binge drink and 6 6 16 million reported heavy drinking drinks per day AbleStock 2 How Serious Is Alcohol Consumption continued Alcohol use Age 12 or older 56 5 of whites 47 3 of persons reporting two or more races 42 6 of Hispanics 42 4 of American Indians or Alaska Natives 40 8 of blacks 38 1 of Asians 37 3 of Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders How Serious Is Alcohol Consumption continued Estimated spending for healthcare services for alcohol problems and medical consequences of alcohol 18 8 billion Alcohol is officially linked to at least half of all highway fatalities To date alcohol has been tried by 41 of 8th graders 63 of 10th graders 75 of 12th graders and 87 of college students Current binge and heavy alcohol use among persons aged 12 or older by age How Serious Is Alcohol Consumption continued Use of alcohol to the point of inebriation 20 of 8th graders 42 of 10th graders and 58 of 12th graders Self reported drunkenness 30 days prior to being surveyed 6 of 8th 18 of 10th and 30 of 12th graders Driving under the influence of alcohol in the past year among persons aged 16 or older Major Historical Influences of Alcohol Use and Production Colonial America late 1700s 1800s Temperance Movement 1830 1850 Prohibition Era 1920 1933 Colonial America late 1700s 1800s Slave Trade Triangle Temperance Movement 1830 1850 As the Civil War approached there was increasing poverty and the highest use of alcohol in American history This movement did not begin with the goal to stop drinking but to encourage moderation Spiritual leaders got involved and emphasized total abstinence Temperance Movement Con t Frederick Douglass stated it was as well to be a slave to master as to whisky and rum This movement was a key to Prohibition in the United States Prohibition Era 1920 1933 During this time the sale manufacture and transportation of alcohol were banned nationally as mandated in the 18th Amendment to the U S Constitution 1 17 1920 The federal government looked over many establishments distributing alcohol Speakeasy clubs Bootlegging Patent medicines Prohibition Era Con t Prohibition was successful in reducing the amount of liquor consumed it stimulated the proliferation of rampant underground organized and widespread criminal activity On December 5 1933 the 18th Amendment was repealed President Franklin Roosevelt vetoed the Amendment The federal law still prohibits the manufacture of alcohol without meeting number licensing requirements Defining Alcoholism There is no agreement regarding at what specific point someone is an alcoholic Alcoholism is a state of physical and psychological addiction to a psychoactive substance known as ethanol Most definitions include chronic behavioral disorders repeated drinking to the point of loss of control health disorders and difficulty functioning socially and economically Defining Alcoholism World Health Organization WHO definition Alcohol dependence syndrome is characterized by a state psychic and usually also physical resulting from drinking alcohol This state is characterized by behavioral and other responses that include a compulsion to take alcohol on a continuous or periodic basis to experience its psychic effects and sometimes to avoid the discomfort of its absence tolerance may or may not be present Corbis The Alcoholic Five Types of Alcoholics NIH The young adult subtype accounts for about 32 of U S alcoholics They re young adults who rarely seek help for alcohol dependence About 24 years old they became alcoholics by age 20 on average They drink less frequently than other alcoholics but they tend to binge drink when they drink This is the largest subtype Five Types of Alcoholics Con t The young antisocial subtype comprises 21 of U S alcoholics They are 26 years old on average More than half have antisocial personality disorder They tended to start drinking at 15 and became alcoholics by 18 earlier than other subtypes They are more likely to smoke tobacco and pot The young antisocial subtype and the young adult subtype don t overlap Five Types of Alcoholics Con t The functional subtype accounts for about 19 of U S alcoholics They re generally middle aged working adults who tend to have stable relationships more education and higher incomes than other alcoholics They tend to drink every other day often consuming five or more drinks on drinking days Five Types of Alcoholics Con t The intermediate familial subtype makes up nearly 19 of U S alcoholics Nearly half have close relatives who are alcoholics Alcoholics in this subtype typically began drinking by 17 and became alcoholics in their early 30s Five Types of Alcoholics Con t The chronic severe subtype is the rarest subtype accounting for about 9 of U S alcoholics This subtype mainly includes men has the highest divorce rate and frequently includes users of illicit drugs Common Types of Treatments for Alcoholism Detoxification and withdrawal Treatment for alcoholism may begin with a program of detoxification which generally takes four to seven days You may need to take sedating medications to prevent shaking confusion or hallucination delirium tremens or other withdrawal symptoms Detoxification is usually done at an inpatient treatment center or at a hospital Withdrawal Relapsing syndrome Returning to the use of alcohol after quitting Acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome Symptoms that occur when an alcohol addicted individual does not maintain his her usual blood alcohol level Delirium tremens The most severe even lifethreatening form of alcohol withdrawal involving hallucinations deliriums and fever Guidelines for Alcoholism Recovery Programs Learning skills and establishing a treatment plan This usually involves alcohol abuse specialists It may include goal setting behavior modification techniques use of self help manuals counseling and follow up care at a treatment center Guidelines for Alcoholism Recovery Programs Con t Psychological counseling Counseling and therapy for groups and individuals support recovery from the psychological aspects of alcoholism You may benefit from couples or family therapy family support can be an important part of the recovery process Guidelines for Alcoholism Recovery Programs Con t Oral medications An alcohol sensitizing drug called disulfiram