Binge Drinking
The most common and costly pattern of excessive use in the United States.
What is Binge drinking?
Alcohol slows down brain function and changes the way your nerves send messages back and forth. Over time, your central nervous system adjusts to having alcohol around all the time. Your body works hard to keep your brain in a more awake state and to keep your nerves talking to one another. When the alcohol level suddenly drops, your brain stays in this keyed-up state.
What causes alcohol withdrawal?
True or False
1 standard drink for liquor = 1 oz
False
1 standard drink for liquor = 1.5 oz
True or False
Alcohol problems and mental ill health are closely linked. Research shows that people who drink alcohol are more likely to develop mental health problems.
True
True or False
Chronic alcohol exposure can chemically modify your genes and lead to mutations or cell death.
True
4 or more drinks on occasion.
What is considered binge drinking for women?
Mental and physical problems when you stop or seriously cut back on how much you drink.
What is alcohol withdrawal?
The amount of alcohol in the body.
What is BAC or blood alcohol concentration?
Avoid situations where you’re tempted to drink. Think about alternative activities you could enjoy with friends/family. Seek support groups or individual therapy.
What are ways to cope with mental health problems without using alcohol?
Scientists estimate a person's genetics account for 40-60 percent of their risk.
What is the genetic risk for addiction?
The result of consuming excessive amounts of alcohol.
What does it mean to get drunk?
Some studies indicate that certain psychological symptoms of withdrawal may last for up to 5 weeks after quitting use. Sleep problems tend to be the most troublesome for individuals in the first days of abstinence.
What is cannabis or marijuana withdrawal?
Gender, mood, food, quantity of beverage, speed of consumption, tolerance, physical condition, medications/drugs, carbonation, altitude.
What factors affect intoxication?
Research shows that people with severe mental illness are more likely to have alcohol problems. They drink to deal with difficult feelings or symptoms.
What is self-medicating?
They may increase or decrease a person's risk, directly or indirectly. For instance, some people of Asian descent carry a variant that alters their rate of alcohol metabolism, causing them to have symptoms like flushing, nausea, and rapid heartbeat when they drink.
What role do genes play in a person’s risk for developing AUD?
Chronic diseases, unintentional injuries, violence, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, SIDS, and AUD.
What health problems are associated with excessive alcohol use?
When use is stopped or when a binge ends, a crash follows almost right away. The user has a strong craving for more during a crash. May include fatigue, lack of pleasure, anxiety, irritability, sleepiness, and sometimes agitation or extreme suspicion or paranoia.
What are symptoms of cocaine withdrawal?
Dysphoria predominates, nausea may appear, drinker has the appearance of “sloppy drunk.” (BAC level)
What is a BAC level of 0.16 - 0.20?
Because alcohol can make you lose your inhibitions and act more impulsively, it may lead to actions such as ______ or _____.
self-harm or suicide
Research has shown that patients with AUD who also have variations in a specific gene respond positively to treatment with the drug, while those without the specific gene do not. For instance, the drug naltrexone has been shown to help some, but not all, patients with AUD to reduce their drinking.
How can our genes affect alcohol treatment?
Electronic screening, brief intervention, and regulation of alcohol outlet density.
What are preventative services for excessive alcohol use?
These are severe symptoms that include vivid hallucinations and delusions. Only about 5% of people with alcohol withdrawal have them. They may occur 48-72 hours after you stop drinking.
What is Delirium tremens, or DTs?
Alcohol misuse is responsible for thousands of deaths and traffic crashes each year. Sacramento – The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) recognizes the importance of Alcohol Awareness Month every ____ due to the high number of alcohol-related deaths each year in the U.S.
April - Alcohol Awareness Month
Anxiety disorders, mood disorders, PTSD, sleep disorders, psychotic disorders.
What are mental health disorders that commonly co-occur with AUD?
Researchers have discovered that different factors can alter the expression of our genes. This specific field can affect our risk for developing AUD.
What is epigenetics?