Alcohol chronic effects

The chronic effects of alcohol consumption are also highly varied. Flemingl3 cites the case of a man who died at the age of 93, having drunk a quart of Scotch whiskey every day for the last sixty years of his life, all the while managing a successful business. This individual was evidently highly resistant to the toxic effect of alcohol. At the other extreme are alcoholics who sometimes drink themselves to death in their thirties. The compulsion to drink as well as the tolerance for alcohol varies greatly with individuals, and all kinds of psychoses may develop as a direct result of alcohol consumption in individuals whose make-up predisposes them. 14,15... 

Some toxic effects are reversible. Everyone has been exposed to some agent, household ammonia for example, that produces irritation to the skin or eyes. Exposure ends and, sometimes perhaps with a delay, the irritation ends. Some readers have no doubt been poisoned on occasion by the ingestion of too much alcohol. The effects here also reverse. The time necessary for reversal can vary greatly depending upon the severity of the intoxication and certain physiological features of the person intoxicated. But most people also realize that chronic alcohol abuse can lead to a serious liver disorder, cirrhosis, which may not reverse even if alcohol intake ceases. This type of effect is irreversible or only very slowly reversible. It is important in making a toxicological evaluation to understand whether effects are reversible or irreversible, because one is obviously much more serious than the other. 

On the basis of acute animal studies, n-propyl alcohol appears to be slightly more toxic than isopropyl alcohol. No chronic effects have been reported in humans, although a human fatality has been ascribed to ingestion. Exposure to 400 ppm for 3-5 minutes will reportedly... 

The terms acute and chronic are also used to characterize the time delay between exposure and the onset of symptoms. Acute effects are those noticed directly following exposure and are usually easily related to the agent. The chronic or long-term effects of an agent may occur years later and are often very difficult to attribute to a particular cause. The acute effects of alcohol consumption or exposure to the solvent in glue are obvious in the drunkenness produced. The effects of chronic exposure to these compounds, as seen by an alcoholic, are very different specifically, cirrhosis of the liver. The chronic effect of childhood lead exposure... 

The main acute effect is inebriation, which in turn spawns violence, spousal and child abuse, crime, motor vehicle accidents, workplace and home accidents, drowning, suicide, and accidental death. The chronic effects include alcoholism, liver disease, various forms of cancer, brain disorders, cardiovascular disease and other organ system effects, absence from or loss of work, family dysfunction, and malnutrition. 

Drug(s) Alcohol Classification/ Action Sedative-hypnotic Route/Method of Administration Oral, from various beverages [wine, beer, other alcoholic drinks] Effect Desired by User Euphoria relaxed inhibitions decreased anxiety sense of escape Principal Adverse Effects Physical dependence impaired motor skills chronic degenerative changes in the brain, liver, and other organs Additional Information See Chapter 6... 

Arousal and attention have been investigated in 180 healthy nursery infants before hospital discharge and at 1 month of age (281). Cocaine-exposed infants showed a lack of arousal-modulated attention and preferred faster frequencies of stimulation, regardless of arousal condition compared with non-exposed infants. There were similar differences 1 month after birth, showing that these effects persisted beyond the period of presence of cocaine or its metabolites at birth. These effects were independent of absence of prenatal care, alcohol use, minority status, or sex, suggesting a direct and even chronic effect of intrauterine cocaine exposure on arousal-modulated attention and presumably on the developing nervous system of the infants. 

May be useful in decreasing the hypertension, tachycardia, and tremulousness associated with alcohol withdrawal, but not the seizures or delirium tremens In complicated alcohol withdrawal Clonidine may Improve social relationships, affectual responses, and sensory responses In autistic disorder Clonidine may reduce the Incidence of menopausal flushing Growth hormone response to clonidine may be reduced during menses Clonidine stimulates growth hormone secretion (no chronic effects have been observed)... 

Overall, the consequences of legal actions related to the chronic effects of cigarette smoking have been profound for the tobacco industry, for consumers of tobacco products, and for our principles of choice and personal responsibility. For example, if tobacco companies are held liable for diseases that can be traced to the use of their products, then what does that imply about liability for the public s use of alcohol—another legal drug that could have chronic detrimental effects Vt at would the companies liability imply about the principle that individuals have the freedom and responsibility for their actions ... 

In this section we review both the acute and chronic effects of alcohol consumption. We first go over alcohol s many acute physiological, sensory-motor (sensorimotor), and psychological effects. We also di.scuss several topics of special societal concern related to alcohol s acute effects, including aggression, sexual behavior, and driving. 

Table 9.6 lists the major effects of chronic heavy drinking on body systems. As you can. see, alcohol can be highly toxic to the human body and cause extensive damage to it in a variety of ways. Two prominent body systems that alcohol harms are the brain and the liver. We will look at alcohol s chronic effects on these systems in more detail. Alcohol s chronic effects also extend to human reproductive fimetioning, which has to do with alcohol s altering the fimetioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal endocrine axis and with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). 

As with most alcohol effects, we know less about the chronic effects of alcohol on reproductive functioning in women. The little scientific information available suggests alcohol dependence in women is associated with dysfunction of the ovaries, disruption of the luteal pha.se of fertilization, and amenorrhea (cessation of the menstrual period) (Brands et al., 1998 Mello, 1987 Noicn-Hoeksema, 2004 USDHHS, 1990). A household survey suggests that a woman does not have to be diagnosed as having alcohol dependence to experience impaired sexual function related to alcohol use. A survey of more than 900 women living in households showed a positive correlation between alcohol consumption and the occurrence of dif ferent menstrual disorders (Wilsnack, Klasscn, Wilsnack, 1984). 

This section on the chronic effects of heavy alcohol consumption has highlighted the idea of alcohol as a double-edged sword. On the one side, as we showed you in Chapter 1, the economic costs of alcohol abuse to the United States are tremendous and come from many sources. The cftects of chronic, heavy alcohol use on the body result in major health care expenses. Furthermore, if you consider some of the social consequences that contribute to the costs, they may become even more real to you. We already discussed how alcohol is implicated... 

A chronic effect of alcohol use is impaired memory and other cognitive functions. Some of these effects are virtually reversible with abstinence from alcohol. However, when there is structural damage to the brain, as in Korsakoff s syndrome, the effects are permanent. 

As the major metabolic site of alcohol, the liver is vulnerable to the chronic effect of heavy alcohol use. 

De March S, Cecchin E, Basile A. Renal tubular dysfunction in chronic alcohol abuse - effects of abstinence. N Engl J Med... 

Aliphatic hydrocarbons exhibit mild toxicity but primarily an anesthetic effect. Higher fatty alcohols are nontoxic. Aromatic hydrocarbons are narcotics. Benzene exhibits both acute and chronic toxicity. The chronic effects — anemia, abnormal increase... 

Comparison between alcohol and marijuana. It can be difl cult to evaluate the relative danger of marijuana without a comparison to alcohol. When a summary of the dangers of marijuana is reviewed, the drug may sound very damaging. But, most people are not aware of all of the dangers of alcohol and a review of the results of alcohol abuse may (or may not) have an impact on a person s assessment of the danger of marijuana. Clearly, alcohol is l al for adults over 21 to use and marijuana is not. Therefore, marijuana is inherently more dangerous to possess than alcohol. However, this analysis, conducted in the Cannabis Book, involves the acute and chronic effects of these substances. 

Clearly, both sides pick and choose the information that supports their position. The objective information leads to these conclusions Marijuana is a nund-altering, potentially addictive drug. Some acute and chronic effects can be damaging. There are probably some medical uses for marijuana. Marijuana is notnearly as dangerous acutely or chronically as alcohol. More research is needed to determine the potential benefits and harms of marijuana. 

Aeute toxicity of all phthalates is low. Subacute and chronic effects of phthalates were summarized by Lorz et alP They depend on chain length and stmeture of the aleo-hol moiety. Thrrs, a differerrtiation between short-, mediirm- and long-chain esters seertts neeessaiy. After errtering the human organism, one of the two ester bonds of phthalates is cleaved and the aleohol is released. Toxicological effects may resirlt from the phthalie add monoester and its sequel produets and/or from the alcohol. 

BAC levels are also necessary for death investigations, since fatal accidents may involve alcohol as a contributing factor. Deaths dne to acnte or chronic effects of alcohol alone or in combination with other drngs may also reqnire determination of BAC levels. In addition, blood or nrine determination may also be part of the protocol for many workplace drug-testing programs. 

Ethanol is usually ingested through the gastrointestinal tract, but can be absorbed as vapor by the alveoli of the lungs. This alcohol is oxidized metaboHcally, first to acetaldehyde (discussed later in this section), then to CO2. Ethanol has numerous acute effects resulting fi-om central nervous system depression. These range from decreased inhibitions and slowed reaction times at 0.05% blood ethanol, through intoxication, stupor, and—at more than 0.5% blood ethanol—death. Ethanol also has a number of chronic effects, of which the addictive condition of alcoholism and cirrhosis of the liver are the most prominent. 

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