alcoholis a depressant, i. e. a substance that slows down all processes in the body. Small doses of alcohol provide a feeling of relaxation and confidence. In large doses, it slows down the reaction and has a negative effect on the eyes and coordination, for example. Driving while not sober is extremely dangerous. A person in a state of severe intoxication feels nausea, dizziness and may lose consciousness, in addition, there is a risk of choking on his own vomit.
The level of alcohol concentration in the blood depends on several factors.
- If you eat fatty foods, poisoning will not occur as quickly.
- The high content of animal and vegetable fats slows down the absorption of alcohol and the digestion of the food itself.
- The fuller the stomach, the longer it takes for the alcohol to enter the system.
- The thicker your body fat, the slower alcohol is digested and absorbed into the blood.
- Body weight: The heavier you are, the less alcohol will affect you.
- Your reaction to consuming 80 mg of alcohol may be completely different than another person's. Typically, young people and women are more susceptible to alcohol.
The ability to consume alcohol and the effect it has on different people varies; However, it is believed that a safe dose (from a health perspective) is around 5 liters of medium strength BEER or 10 large glasses of wine per week for men and 2/3 of this dose for women, assuming of course that this amount is evenly distributed over the course of timeis lost in a week and not in 1-2 times. If possible, try not to drink on an empty stomach.
Alcoholism – what is it?
alcoholism– Regular, compulsive consumption of large amounts of alcohol over a long period of time. It is the most serious form of drug addiction in modern times, affecting between 1 and 5% of the population in most countries. An alcoholic drinks compulsively in response to a psychological or physical dependence on alcohol.
Anyone can become an alcoholic. However, studies have shown that children of alcoholics are four to six times more likely to become addicted to alcohol than children of non-alcoholics.
The study of alcohol consumption among young people in our country is largely based on the experience of similar studies abroad, carried out on a large scale in Western Europe and North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and carried out in various directions:
- The prevalence and patterns of alcohol consumption among students were examined.
- The effect of alcohol on the bodies of children and adolescents was examined.
- The relationship between school performance and alcohol consumption was determined.
- Anti-alcohol education programs have been developed and tested.
A significant place among the studies of that time was occupied by works illustrating the prevalence and nature of drinking habits when children were given alcoholic beverages for:
- "Health promotion"
- "Appetite"
- "improved growth"
- "to relieve teething"
- "Warm up"
- "Satisfy hunger"
- "quiet"
Six stages of alcoholism
Occasional drunkenness can lead to alcoholism: because the drinker begins to switch to alcohol to relieve stress, or because it is so strong that the early stages of addiction go unnoticed.
Early alcoholism is characterized by the appearance of memory lapses. The alcoholization of the younger generation is considered by most researchers to be a significant indicator of the dysfunction of the microsocial environment. This determines the constant interest in studying the problem of the prevalence and nature of early alcoholism.
Boys drink the major types of alcoholic beverages more frequently than girls, and this difference becomes clear as alcohol consumption increases. It is common among urban schoolchildren to consume predominantly weak alcoholic drinks - beer, wine - while students in rural schools are more familiar with the taste of strong alcoholic drinks. In the 1920s and 1920s, the use of moonshine among schoolchildren was quite widespread: 1. 0–32. 0% in boys and 0. 9–12% in girls. The frequency of vodka consumption increased with age.
Almost all socio-hygienic and clinical-social studies on youth alcoholism used the survey method in various modifications - from correspondence questionnaires to telephone interviews and clinical interviews.
Basic alcoholism– The drinker cannot stop until he reaches the stage of intoxication. He encourages himself with self-justifications and pompous promises, but all his promises and intentions remain unfulfilled. He begins to avoid family and friends and neglect food, previous interests, work and money. There is a physical deterioration in health. Alcohol resistance decreases.
Chronic alcoholism is characterized by further moral decline, irrational thinking, vague fears, fantasies, and psychopathic behavior. Physical damage increases. The drinker no longer has an alibi and he can no longer take steps to get out of the current situation. A person can reach this stage in 5-25 years.
Treatment usually occurs through special programs for alcoholics. Psychologically, the alcoholic's desire for help is revived and he begins to think more rationally. Ideally, he also develops hope, moral responsibility, external interests, self-esteem and satisfaction with abstinence from alcohol.
The final stage of alcoholism occurs when the alcoholic refuses treatment or collapses again after treatment. Irreversible mental and physical damage usually ends in death.
If you write all this down briefly, this is what you get:
- Domestic drunkenness
- Early alcoholism
- Basic alcoholism
- Chronic alcoholism
- cure
- The final stage of alcoholism
What determines the degree of intoxication of a person?
The effect of alcohol on behavior depends on the amount of alcohol that reaches the brain through the blood. This "blood alcohol level" is determined by several other factors besides the amount you drink.
The size of the liver determines the rate of oxidation and excretion of alcohol.
The weight of the person itself determines the amount of blood in the body, since the blood volume is proportional to it. The larger the person, the more the blood is diluted by the alcohol consumed and the more of it is needed to achieve the same effect.
The speed and type of alcohol consumption are also important. The slower a person drinks a certain amount of alcohol, the weaker its effect.
Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach has a stronger and faster effect than drinking during or after a meal. Food acts as a buffer during absorption.
The process of poisoning.
When you drink alcohol, the transmission of impulses in the nervous system slows down. First, the highest levels of the brain are affected - inhibitions, excitement and fears disappear and give way to a feeling of contentment and euphoria. Because the lower levels of the brain are affected, coordination, vision and speech deteriorate. Small blood vessels in the skin dilate. Heat is radiated and the person becomes hot. This means that the blood has been diverted from the internal organs of the body, where the blood vessels have already narrowed due to the effect of alcohol on the nervous system. Therefore, the temperature of the internal organs drops at the same time. A possible increase in sexual desire is associated with the lifting of usual prohibitions. As blood alcohol levels rise, physical sexual performance becomes increasingly impaired. Finally, the toxic effects of alcohol lead to nausea and possibly vomiting.
Male cat
A hangover is bad. . . And now more precisely:
Male catPhysical complaints are those caused by excessive alcohol consumption. Symptoms may include headaches, stomach upset, thirst, dizziness and irritability. A hangover occurs through three processes. First, excess alcohol irritates the stomach lining and impairs the functioning of the stomach. Secondly, cell dehydration occurs when the amount of alcohol consumed exceeds the capacity of the liver, causing the alcohol to remain in the blood for a long time. Third, alcohol levels have a "shock" effect on the nervous system from which it takes time to recover.
The best way to avoid a hangover is not to drink too much (or better yet, not drink at all). However, the likelihood of a hangover is reduced when alcohol is mixed with a snack (havka): the ingestion and absorption of alcohol is prolonged over a longer period of time, and food serves as a barrier. Soft drinks taken at the same time or after dilute the alcohol. Even if alcohol consumption is done in a relaxed atmosphere and smoking is kept to a minimum, the negative effects can usually be reduced.
The effect of alcohol on the body
Blood.Alcohol inhibits the production of platelets and white and red blood cells. Consequence: anemia, infections, bleeding
Brain. Alcohol slows down blood circulation in the vessels of the brain, which leads to a constant lack of oxygen in the cells, which leads to weakening of memory and slow mental decline (or simply dullness). Early sclerotic changes occur in the vessels and the risk of cerebral hemorrhage increases. Alcohol destroys the connections between the nerve cells of the brain and develops in them the need for alcohol and alcohol addiction. Destruction of brain cells and degeneration of the nervous system sometimes lead to pneumonia, heart and kidney failure, or organic psychosis. Delirium tremens is a condition associated with extreme agitation, insanity, restlessness, fever, tremors, rapid and irregular pulse, and hallucinations, and often occurs when large amounts of alcohol are consumed after several days of abstinence.
Heart.Alcohol abuse leads to increased blood cholesterol levels, persistent hypertension and myocardial dystrophy. Cardiovascular failure brings the patient to the brink of death. Alcoholic myopathy: muscle degeneration resulting from alcoholism. The reasons for this are a lack of muscle strain, poor nutrition and damage to the nervous system caused by alcohol. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy affects the heart muscle.
Offal.The constant impact of alcohol on the wall of the small intestine leads to a change in the structure of cells and they lose the ability to fully absorb nutrients and minerals, which leads to the exhaustion of the alcoholic's body.
Diseases associated with poor nutrition and vitamin deficiency, such as scurvy, pellagra and beriberi, which are caused by neglecting food intake for the sake of drinking. Persistent inflammation of the stomach and later the intestines with an increased risk of ulcers.
Liver.Considering that 95% of all alcohol entering the body is neutralized in the liver, it is clear that this organ suffers most from alcohol: an inflammatory process occurs (hepatitis), and then scarring (cirrhosis). The liver ceases to perform its function of disinfecting toxic metabolites, producing blood proteins and other important functions, which leads to the inevitable death of the patient. Liver cirrhosis is an insidious disease: it slowly creeps up on a person, then strikes and causes immediate death. Ten percent of chronic alcoholics have liver cirrhosis, and 75 percent of people with liver cirrhosis are or have been alcoholics. Until liver cirrhosis develops sufficiently, there are almost no symptoms, then the alcoholic begins to complain of a general deterioration in health, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and digestive problems. The cause of the disease is the toxic effect of alcohol.
Pancreas.Patients suffering from alcoholism are ten times more likely to develop diabetes than non-drinkers: alcohol destroys the pancreas, the organ that produces insulin, and significantly disrupts metabolism.
Leather.A person who drinks almost always looks older than he is: his skin loses its elasticity very quickly and ages prematurely.
stomach. Alcohol suppresses the production of mucin, which performs a protective function against the gastric mucosa, which leads to the development of stomach ulcers.
A characteristic manifestation of alcohol poisoning is repeated vomiting. Even a single consumption of small doses of alcoholic beverages is associated with pronounced symptoms of intoxication in young people, especially in the nervous system. The most severe poisonings are observed in persons with a complicated medical history against the background of organic cerebral insufficiency or concomitant somatic pathology.
It is much less clear to describe the nature of alcohol's influence on a teenager's psyche. In general, the clinical picture of severe intoxication of a teenager in most cases looks like this: short-term excitement is then replaced by general depression, drowsiness, increasing drowsiness, lethargy, slow, incoherent speech and loss of orientation.
When drinking alcohol for the first time, 53% of young people felt disgusted. However, over time, with increasing "experience" of drinking alcohol, the objective picture changes dramatically. More than 90% of the surveyed adolescents with at least two years of "experience" with drinking believed that intoxication was accompanied by a feeling of a rush of energy, aA feeling of contentment, security and an improvement in mood is associated with these qualities. A state of mind that the normal consciousness often attributes to the action begins to appear in their statements. Alcohol.
Illnesses or simply PSYCHOSIS
Delirium tremens usually occurs against the background of a hangover, with a sudden cessation of drinking or during a period of abstinence, when somatic diseases, injuries (especially fractures) are added. The first symptoms of psychosis are a deterioration in night sleep, the appearance of vegetative symptoms and tremors, as well as the general vivacity of the patient, which is noticeable in his movements, speech, facial expressions and, especially, his mood. Over a short period of time, one may notice different shades of mood, while during a hangover period the mood is monotonous and characterized by depression and anxiety. Unusual mood swings and general vivacity increase in the evening and at night, while during the day these disturbances may decrease sharply and even disappear completely, allowing the patient to carry out his professional duties. As the symptoms of psychosis increase, complete insomnia occurs, against the background of which first visual illusions appear, and then various hallucinations and delusions.
Delirium tremens is characterized by a predominance of true visual hallucinations. They are characterized by image diversity and mobility. Most often these are insects (beetles, cockroaches, beetles, flies) and small animals (cats, rats, mice). Less commonly, patients see large animals and people, who in some cases have fantastic appearance. Visions of snakes, devils and deceased relatives, the so-called walking dead, are very typical. In some cases, visual illusions and hallucinations occur individually, in other cases they are multiple and scene-like, i. e. H. The patient sees complex images. Often there are auditory, tactile, olfactory hallucinations and feelings of disturbed posture in space. The patients' mood is extremely changeable. In it one can notice fear, complacency, confusion, surprise and despair within a short period of time. The patients usually move continuously and their facial expressions are expressive. Motor reactions correspond to the hallucinations and affects prevailing at the moment - with fear and frightening visions the patient hides, defends himself, is excited; in times of complacency – passive.
Patients are characterized by extreme distractibility towards external events; everything around her attracts her attention. Delirium in alcoholic delirium is fragmentary and reflects hallucinatory disorders. In terms of content, it is usually a case of paranoia. Patients usually incorrectly orient themselves by location (in the hospital they say they are at home, in a restaurant, at work), but orient themselves by their own personality. Characteristic of alcoholic delirium is the periodic temporary disappearance of a significant part of the mental disorders, the so-called clear light intervals, as well as a naturally pronounced increase in psychosis symptoms in the evening and at night.
Delirium tremens is constantly accompanied by a variety of somatic disorders – tremors, sudden sweating, hyperemia of the skin, especially the face. The temperature is usually low. The pulse is increased. Protein is commonly found in urine; in the blood - increased bilirubin content, shift of the leukocyte formula to the left, acceleration of ROE. The course of the disease is usually short-term. Even without treatment, symptoms of psychosis disappear within 3-5 days. Less commonly, the illness lasts 1–1. 5 weeks. Recovery is more often observed in the form of a crisis - after deep sleep. Sometimes recovery is gradual, getting worse in the evening and at night and improving during the day. Signs of an unfavorable prognosis for delirium tremens are the development of symptoms of occupational and delirious delirium, high fever and states of collapse.
An alcoholic hallucination occurs either during a hangover or at the height of binge drinking. The main disorder is frequent auditory hallucinations combined with paranoia. Verbal auditory hallucinations predominate, and the patient typically hears words "spoken" by a large number of people - a "chorus of voices, " as patients often define it. Most often, the "voices" speak among themselves about the patient, less often they are directed at the patient himself. The content of verbal hallucinations is threats, accusatory discussions about the patient's previous actions, cynical insults and insults. Hallucinations often have a mocking and teasing character. The voices either intensify to a scream or weaken to a whisper. Substantive delusions are closely related to auditory hallucinations - the so-called. hallucinatory illusions. They are fragmentary and unsystematic. The predominant affect is intense fear and anxiety. At the beginning of thePsychosis, the patients are motorically agitated, but soon a certain retardation occurs or a very orderly behavior is observed that masks the psychosis. The latter creates a false and dangerous idea of improvement. As a rule, the symptoms of psychosis intensify in the evening andat night. Somatic disorders, such as those common in hangover syndrome, occur all the time. The duration of alcoholic hallucinosis is from 2-3 days to several weeks, in rare cases the illness lasts up to several months.
Alcohol-related depression always occurs against the background of a hangover syndrome. Characterized by a depressive-anxious mood, ideas of self-irony, tears and individual ideas about relationships and persecution. Duration – from several days to 1-2 weeks. Alcoholics most often commit suicide when they are in a state of alcohol-related depression.
Alcoholic epilepsy is symptomatic and associated with toxicosis. Seizures most often occur at the peak of intoxication, during a hangover or during alcoholic delirium. As a rule, epileptiform seizures are observed. Mild seizures, twilight drowsiness and auras do not occur in alcoholic epilepsy. When alcohol abuse is stopped, the seizures disappear.
Alcoholic paranoid is an alcoholic psychosis, the main symptom of which is delusion. Occurs in the state of hangover syndrome and at the peak of binge drinking. The content of delusional ideas is limited to persecution or jealousy (ideas of adultery). In the first case, patients believe that there is a group of people who want to rob or kill them. They see confirmation of their thoughts in the gestures, actions and words of others. Characterized by confusion, intense anxiety, often turning into fear. Patients' actions are impulsive - they jump from vehicles while driving, suddenly run away, ask government authorities for help, and sometimes attack imaginary enemies. In some cases, delirium is accompanied by mild verbal illusions and hallucinations, as well as isolated symptoms of delirium that occur in the evening and at night. The course of this form of paranoia is usually short-term - from several days to several weeks. Occasionally, psychosis lasts several months.
Alcoholic encephalopathies– alcoholic psychoses, which arise in connection with metabolic disorders and, above all, vitamins B and PP. Alcoholic encephalopathy arises as a result of long-term alcoholism, which is accompanied by chronic gastritis or enteritis and, as a result, impaired absorption in the intestine. Alcoholic encephalopathies mainly develop in people who drink a lot but eat very little. Alcoholic encephalopathies most commonly occur in the spring and early summer months. Autonomic symptoms typically include cardiac arrhythmias, central fever, respiratory problems, and sphincter weakness. You can constantly observe an increase in muscle tone. The general physical condition of patients is characterized by progressive weight loss up to severe cachexia. The skin is pale or dark brown in color.
Chronic forms of alcoholic encephalopathy include Korsakoff psychosis and alcoholic pseudoparalysis. In some cases they develop gradually over several months, and then the nature of the onset corresponds to Gaye-Vorik encephalopathy, in others - acute, after alcoholic psychoses, most often after delirium tremens.
Treatment of alcoholic psychoses. Patients with alcohol psychosis must be urgently admitted to a specialist hospital. Some patients with hangover syndrome also need to be hospitalized if the psychological disorders, especially mood swings, are severe. Treatment of alcoholic psychosis in the hospital should be comprehensive - the use of multivitamins (B1, C, PP), cardiac and hypnotics with hypoglycemic and comatose doses of insulin or psychotronic drugs. The only effective treatment of alcoholic, especially acute, encephalonitis is therapy with high doses of vitamins: B1 - up to 600 mg, C - up to 1000 mg, PP - up to 300-400 mg per day for 2-4 weeks.
Alcohol poisoning.
People who abuse alcohol sometimes enter a state of stupor that leads to coma. In extremely severe cases, respiratory failure may occur.
However, don't assume that a person who appears drunk has necessarily consumed alcohol. Similar symptoms are observed in other diseases (head injuries, stroke and diabetes, as well as overdose of certain medications).
First aid.
If the victim is unconscious but still breathing, remove anything that impedes breathing (snack pieces, breakfast) from the mouth and throat with your finger, do not try to induce vomiting. Place the victim in the resuscitation position, freeing the neck and waist from tight clothing and ensuring that the airway remains clear.
If the victim does not regain consciousness, call an ambulance.
Diploma
Alcoholism is a serious illness that sometimes develops over many years. So it's better not to drink too much and often! And if you drink, drink BEER! ! ! : )