Booze danger

The effects of excessive alcohol consumption.

IT seems that almost every actor/singer in Hollywood now has been arrested at some point for drunk driving or drunken behaviour. Is alcohol drinking dangerous?

It is excessive alcohol consumption that is dangerous.

It is recommended that men should not have more than two alcoholic drinks a day and women no more than a drink per day, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

One drink is measured as a 12-ounce bottle of beer, a five-ounce glass of wine or a 1 ½-ounce shot glass of liquor.

Alcoholism is actually classified as a type of drug dependence. It is divided into alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse.

Is there a difference between alcohol dependence and abuse?

Yes. Alcohol dependence is considered the worst of the strata of disorders associated with alcoholism.

Patients who have alcohol dependence usually have tolerance for high levels of alcohol, like any other drug. Initially, only a small amount of alcohol is needed for them to achieve the desired “high” effect (of intoxication). Then progressively, more and more alcohol is needed; hence “tolerance”.

Withdrawal occurs when the alcohol intake is decreased or stopped.

Alcohol abuse, despite its name, means that the person engages in excessive drinking that results in health or psychosocial problems, but he/she is not yet dependent on the alcohol like a drug. So he/she hasn’t fully lost control yet.

My brother drinks excessively. He is always out with his friends and they go to mamak stalls late at night, drinking beer. Is he abusing alcohol?

It depends on how much he is drinking. But there are certain characteristics you can look out for.

# Usually, the sufferer denies he has a problem with drinking. “It’s under control,” he will tell you. “I can handle it.”

# When he drinks alone or in secret.

# Drinks before, with or after dinner or other meals. Becomes annoyed with you if you question why he is doing this.

# Inability to remember what you’ve said to him earlier. This is also known as “blacking out”.

# Inability to limit the amount of alcohol he drinks.

# Losing interest in the things he used to love doing.

# Having problems at work or with relationships.

There are four little questions you can always ask yourself if you want to know if you’ve crossed that line from social drinker to abuse or dependence.

Do you need to drink alcohol as soon as you get up?

Do you feel guilty about your drinking?

Do you think you need to cut back on your drinking?

Do you get annoyed when other people comment or criticise your drinking?

If you have answered “yes” to two or more questions, then you are likely to have a problem with alcohol.

My father was an alcoholic. I was told that I could become an alcoholic too because it’s in my blood. Is this true?

There are several risk factors leading to alcohol abuse and dependence. If you started drinking at an early age (below 16 years of age), you are at a higher risk group.

And yes, there is an element of genetics in it. If you come from a family of alcohol abusers, you are more likely to abuse it yourself.

Men are also more likely to abuse alcohol than women. If you are frequently depressed or anxious, you are also at high risk. People who are always at parties where there is plenty of alcohol available or are pressured into drinking by their peers are also at risk.

Other than drunk driving and killing somebody/myself, why is alcoholism so dangerous?

In prolonged and severe doses, alcohol depresses your central nervous system, slowing down your movements, decreasing your ability to think clearly, concentrate or make judgments.

When severe, it can result in memory loss. It can also cause numbness in your hands and feet because it affects the nerves there.

It also irritates your gastrointestinal tract, causing nausea and vomiting and possibly bleeding in your stomach lining. Vitamins are not absorbed properly.

It affects your liver, causing inflammation. (This is called alcoholic hepatitis.) Unchecked, it can lead to cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver.

It can damage your heart muscles. It can also cause high blood pressure.

Chronic alcohol use increases the risk of you getting cancer of the larynx, oesophagus, liver and colon.

If you drink alcohol during pregnancy, it can result in defects in your foetus. (Foetal alcohol syndrome = mental retardation and behaviour problems in your child).

The information contained in this column is for general educational purposes only. The author disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.

The Star