Alcohol Abuse 1

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Alcohol Abuse

By: Apple Alvarez,RN,MN


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Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol is a central nervous system

depressant, not a stimulant

Feel release of personal inhibitions

Broken down by the liver at a rate of 2/3

to 3/4 of an ounce per hour

If you drink more then this the alcohol

level in your blood will rise


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Factors that influence absorption

Strength of the drink

Number of drinks consumed

Speed of consumption Presence of food in your stomach

Body chemistry

Amount of time it takes for the stomach to

empty depends on stress, anger, fear,nausea


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Factors that influence absorption

Gender

Women produce less of enzyme needed to

breakdown alcohol

Women have greater fat content and

alcohol is not fat soluble so it enters the

blood stream faster

Women have less water so alcohol does

not become diluted Women absorb more alcohol during the

premenstrual phase


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Blood Alcohol Levels

Legal blood alcohol is less the 0.08 if

you are over 21

0.04 for 18-21

0.01 below 18


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0.02 no effect

0.03-0.05 relaxed, slightlylightheaded, decreased inhibitions Level reached by 160 pound man taking 2

drinks per hour

0.1 loss of motor coordination andimpaired judgment

0.15 significant impairment of motorcoordination and reaction time, slurredspeech


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0.2 severely intoxicated, loud

obnoxious drunk

0.3 limited control of functions, may

be unconscious

0.4 comatose

0.6-0.7 suffocation and death, usually

pass out before this point


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Sobering Up

Acute alcohol poisoning

Drank too much, too fast

Call 911 if

Unable to awaken person

Shallow breathing

Fast heart rate

Cool skin Bluish color to skin


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Sobering Up

Regurgitation and aspiration

Lay person on their side and do not

leave them alone


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Alcohol Related Health Problems

Hangover

Mild withdrawal from alcohol

Nerve cells become dehydrated by alcohol

No cure except time

hair of the dog that bit you means

drinking again to avoid withdrawal

symptoms


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Alcohol and pregnancy do notmix

Increased number of miscarriages Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

Mental retardation

Slow growth

Facial abnormalities Small heads

Widely spaced eyes

Flattened noses


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Cardiovascular system

High blood pressure

Scar tissue formation on the heart

Fatty deposit increase the size of the heart

Death from heart failure


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Liver metabolizes the alcohol

Liver is the most vulnerable organ to

alcohol

Heavy drinking damages the liver

causing cirrhosis and eventual death


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Gastrointestinal system

GI bleeding

Esophageal varacies

Malnutrition

Esophageal cancer


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Endocrine disorders

Decreased testosterone production

Second leading cause of impotence

May lead to early menopause in women

Alters the menstrual cycle


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Central nervous system

Brain cell loss

Impaired nerve function

Depression

Alcoholics 30 times more likely to commit

suicide then the general population


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Tolerance to Alcohol

Develop a physical and psychological

addiction to alcohol

Develop a tolerance to alcohol

Takes more alcohol to get the relaxed

feeling

As damage to liver increases unable to

breakdown alcohol and it takes less

alcohol to get drunk


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Effect on Society

Motor vehicle crashes

Every two minutes an alcohol

related car crash injury happens Do not drink and drive


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Effect on Society

Drownings Alcohol is involved in 34%

Fires and burns Half of burn victims above legal BAL

Crime and violence Homicides have alcohol involved 67% of the time

50% of rapists are intoxicated and 30% of victims

Suicide

Half of all suicides are committed by alcoholics Alcohol is related to impulsive suicides vs

premeditated ones


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Stages of Alcohol Dependence

Early

Escape drinking

Binge drinking

Guilt feelings

Sneaking drinks

Difficulty stopping after beginning to drink

Increased tolerance

Preoccupation with drinking

Occasional blackouts


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Middle

Loss of control

Self hate

Impaired social relationships

Changes in drinking patterns (more

frequent binge drinking)

Dietary neglect

Increased blackouts


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Late

Prolonged binges

Alcohol used to control withdrawal

symptoms

Alcohol psychosis

Nutritional disease

Frequent blackouts


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Causes of Alcoholism

Genetics

Strong family link

50% of fathers, sons, brothers of

alcoholics are likely to become alcoholics

Children of alcoholics are more then 3-4

times more likely to become alcoholics

Personality types

Low self esteem

Chronic anxiety

Antisocial personalities


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Treatment

Biggest barrier to treatment andrecovery is denial

Families delay treatment by enabling

the alcoholic Families deny the problem, delay

treatment

Cover up for the alcoholic

Codependence with a significant other Dual addiction

Alcoholic is addicted to alcohol and thefamily member is addicted to them

Delays treatment


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Treatment

Detoxification is first Go through physical withdrawal from

alcohol

Inpatient medical treatment Avoid DTs and seizures

Psychological addiction is next Changing long term behavior

Problem solving skills Stress management

2/3 can recover with good emotionalsupport


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Treatment

Alcohol Anonymous (AA)

Based on the belief that people have to

admit they have lost control over alcohol

and they are powerless to control theirdrinking

One of the most successful programs

Alcoholics can not be social drinkers


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Thanks for listening . .

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Alcohol Abuse 1