Pbh 9

• Despite numerous prohibitions against alcohol throughout history, it has remained the most popular psychoactive drug in the Western world
• Like other drugs, alcohol produces physiological effects that can impair functioning in the short term and cause devastating damage in the long term
• Cigarette smoking is still the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States
• For many people, nicotine and alcohol become addictive, leading to a lifetime of recovery or to debilitation and death
• Alcohol


  Intoxicating ingredient in fermented or distilled beverages
• Standard drink


  The amount of a beverage that typically contains 0.6 ounces of alcohol
• Typical serving is larger than a single standard drink
• Alcohol metabolism and excretion


  • Transported via the circulatory system and easily moves through most biological membranes
  • Main site for metabolism is the liver
  • About 2–10 percent of ingested alcohol is not metabolized in the liver and is excreted unchanged by the lungs, kidneys, and sweat glands
• Blood alcohol concentration (BAC)


  Ratio of alcohol in a person's blood by weight
• Factors affecting BAC


  • Body weight, percentage of body fat, and sex
  • Balance of alcohol absorbed and rate of metabolism
  • Genetic factors and drinking behavior
• BAC is not affected by exercise, breathing deeply, eating, drinking coffee, taking other drugs, or sleep
• Approximate BAC and body weight

  • Chart illustrating BAC an average person of a given weight would reach after drinking the specified number of drinks in the time shown
• Alcohol hangover


  Headache, shakiness, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, and impaired mental functioning
• Alcohol poisoning


  Drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short time can rapidly raise the BAC into the lethal range
• Using alcohol with other drugs


  Alcohol-drug combinations are a leading cause of drug-related deaths
• Alcohol use


  Linked to homicide, suicide, automobile crashes, and other traumatic incidents
• Alcohol impairment


  Can make people vulnerable to violent crimes
• Binge drinking


  Associated with increased rates of sexually transmitted infections, and it raises the risk of rape and other forms of sexual assault
• In 2019, 10,142 Americans were killed in accidents involving alcohol-impaired drivers
• BAC


  Higher doses of alcohol are associated with a much greater probability of a crash
• Long-term effects of chronic alcohol misuse

  • Functioning of the liver can be altered, leading to "fatty liver," alcohol-associated hepatitis, and cirrhosis
  • Higher doses elevate blood pressure and may weaken the heart muscle
  • Increases risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, and breast, as well as colorectal cancer and the most common form of liver cancer
  • Many people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) experience brain shrinkage and cognitive impairments, ranging from mild to severe
  • Average life expectancy among people with AUD is about 15 years less than those who do not have the disorder
• Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)


  Lifelong disability for the unborn child
• Alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND)


  Significant learning and behavioral disorders
• No amount of alcohol is considered safe for a pregnant woman or nursing mother
• The best practices for heart health include no alcohol
• The risk of heart disease increases starting with an average of seven drinks a week; the risk increases rapidly as more drinks are consumed
• Supporting someone with an alcohol problem


  Helping them obtain information about available resources, such as the counseling center and local Alcoholics Anonymous groups
• Rates of tobacco use vary based on gender, age, race and ethnicity, and educational level
• Who is smoking and who is vaping?

  • Figure showing smoking and vaping rates by age, race/ethnicity, education level, and location
• Tobacco


  The leaves of cultivated tobacco plants prepared for smoking, chewing, or use as snuff
• Nicotine addiction


  The primary reason people use tobacco
• Nicotine


  • A powerful psychoactive drug considered by many to be the most physically addicting of the psychoactive drugs
  • Reaches the brain via the bloodstream in seconds, releasing powerful chemical messengers and modulating everyday emotions
  • Users may plan their schedules around opportunities to satisfy their nicotine cravings
  • Users build up tolerance and experience withdrawal symptoms
• Reasons people use tobacco

  • Social and psychological factors combine with physiological addiction to maintain the tobacco habit
  • Many people have established patterns of smoking or vaping while doing something else
  • Secondary reinforcers: stimuli that are associated with pleasurable experiences
• Nicotine addiction


  The primary reason why people use tobacco
• Nicotine


  • A powerful psychoactive drug
  • Considered by many to be the most physically addicting of the psychoactive drugs
  • Reaches the brain via the bloodstream in seconds
  • Releases powerful chemical messengers
  • Modulates everyday emotions
• Loss of control


  Users may plan their schedules around opportunities to satisfy their nicotine cravings
• Tolerance and withdrawal


  Users build up tolerance and experience withdrawal symptoms
• Social and psychological factors

  • Combine with physiological addiction to maintain the tobacco habit
• Secondary reinforcers


  Stimuli that are not necessarily pleasurable in themselves but that are associated with other stimuli that are pleasurable
• Genetic factors play an important role in some aspects of tobacco use