By Lacey Von Lanken
Health Educator
Alcohol has a significant impact on us emotionally, physically and mentally, and when used to excess, alcohol can have some significant mental and physical impacts. I have gathered a lot of information for this article in hopes that you will have a better understanding of the consequences of alcohol use.
First, it is important to understand that vomiting will not do the following:
• Sober you up
• Lower your blood alcohol level.
Vomiting is a sign of alcohol poisoning and it is never a good idea to force yourself to vomit. Passing out and choking on vomit can be deadly. Inhaling a small amount of vomit can cause infection in the lungs, which can lead to death. Vomiting can cause a tear in the esophagus.
Impairment caused by high doses of alcohol:
• “Gray-outs” or “Brown-outs”: Small pieces of events are missing, or events can often be remembered only with reminding.
• “Black-outs”: These occur especially when someone drinks fast. When you black out, entire events are gone and these events cannot be retrieved because they were never encoded by the brain.
Over consumption of alcohol can cause people to exhibit physiological signs of overdose. These signs commonly include:
• Difficulty concentrating or maintaining consciousness
• Cold to touch
• Clammy
• Pale
• Slowed or irregular breathing (less than eight breaths per minute)
• Vomiting while passed out
If you encounter someone who you suspect has overdosed, call 911 or Public Safety ext. 4441 (if on campus).
Alcohol addiction can be a serious problem, though it is often hard to spot. Some common physiological signs of addiction include:
• Compulsive behavior
• Tremors
• Agitation
• Weight loss
• Headache
• Insomnia
• Mood changes
There are also some common behavioral signs of addiction:
• Drinking alone when angry or sad
• Being late for work/class due to drinking
• Hearing concerns from family/friends –
• Unsuccessful attempts to cut down
• Blackouts when drinking
• Lying about or hiding drinking
• Feelings of guilt
• Annoyance at friends criticizing the drinking
Overconsumption of alcohol can do serious damage to the human body. Let’s take a tour of the body and alcohol:
• Digestive System:
1. Stomach: Excessive drinking can cause gastritis, ulcers, bleeding, vomiting, cancer.
2. Small Intestines: Problems here include malnutrition or cancer.
3. Heart: Excessive drinking can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.
4. Liver: Alcohol consumption can cause fatty liver, hepatitis, jaundice, cirrhosis and cancer.
• Brain: Alcohol, a depressant, reaches the brain in 30 seconds, and primarily affects the deep brain, decreases neurotransmitters, decreases coordination, causes headaches and migraines, respiratory depression, triggers vomiting and black outs, and can cause permanent brain damage.
• Blood: Alcohol use contributes to anemia and electrolyte imbalance (potassium/magnesium).
• Skin: Alcohol can cause acne rosacea and prominent facial vessels.
• Reproductive: Alcohol exacerbates pre-menstrual syndrome, and has been known to cause impotence.
• Lungs: Consumption can be known to bring on pneumonia, decreased gag reflex and decreased ciliary action, and asphyxia.
Here are some surprising facts about alcohol:
• During a typical weekend, approximately one teenager dies each hour in a car crash. Nearly half of those crashes involve alcohol.
• Heavier drinkers are 2.5 times more likely to report forced sexual touching or unwanted sex than moderate drinkers.
• Aspiration pneumonia occurs when vomit or reflux gets into the lungs, causing a form of pneumonia that can be deadly. It is more likely to occur in a person who is intoxicated by alcohol.
• Every weekend night between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., one in 13 drivers are under the influence. On weekend evenings from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m., one in seven drivers are under the influence.
• 75 to 90 percent of campus rapes involves alcohol use. Seventy-five percent of men and 50 percent of women involved in a sexual assault had been drinking prior to the assault.
Are these facts about alcohol overconsumptuion scary? Certainly. However, there are many treatment programs and resources available. Here are a few of the resources that students can utilize locally:
• Pepperdine Counseling Center
• Alcoholics Anonymous (local group at Serra Retreat in Malibu)
• National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Information regarding local treatment centers)
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (www.niaaa.nih.gov)
Additionally, when you have a friend or family member who you suspect has a problem with alcohol, but who does not want help, here are some tips for successful intervention:
• Stop all cover-ups
• Call on a friend
• Time your intervention properly
• Find strength in numbers
• Be specific
• Get support
• State the results of their actions
I hope that this information will help students on campus to make wiser decisions concerning alcohol use.
November 06, 2003