Alcohol and Its Effects on the
Body
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Alcohol poisoning is a severe elevation of
blood alcohol concentration (BAC) that
often results fron consuming large
amounts of alcohol. A person is at great
risk of alcohol poisoning if he/she:
• Drinks excessively (4 or more drinks in
one sitting)
• Drinks after using medication or other
drugs
• Does not respond to being talked to or
shouted at
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• Does not respond when being pinched or
prodded
• Vomits while sleeping or passed out
• Cannot stand up or remain standing unless
aided by others
• Won’t wake up despite repeated attempts
• Has slow breathing (fewer than 6 breaths p/m.
• Skin has a clammy feel or feels cool to the touch
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What should you do if you suspect
that someone has alcohol
poisoning?
– Don’t leave the person alone!
– Call 911
– Place the person on their side to reduce the
rick of chocking on vomit.
– Direct someone to go look for the ambulance
– If the person’s breathing becomes less than 6
breaths p/m perform CPR
– Explain what you know to the paramedics
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•
Why Alcohol Affects People
Differently
Alcohol is a central
nervous system
depressant. The affects
of alcohol are
influenced by:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
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• *females cannot drink as much as males
at one sitting because of smaller body
size, smaller volume of blood, and higher
percentage of body fat that limits the
amount of alcohol a woman’s body can
handle. Also, a man’s stomach makes
more of an alcohol-destroying compound
that does a woman’s stomach, so less of
what he drinks actually enters into his
blood.
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Physical Damage to Important Internal
Organs
Alcohol affects every part of the body. It is carried through
the bloodstream to:
The brain
Stomach
Internal organs
Liver
Kidneys
Muscles
Heart
Large/Small Intestines
Spleen
Esophagus
Eyes
Skin
It is absorbed very quickly (
in the body for several ____________.
) and can stay
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Alcohol and the use of Other Drugs
• When people pass out, their bodies
continue to _______ alcohol. The amount
of alcohol in the blood can reach
dangerous levels, and they can die in their
_____.
• It is dangerous to _________ alcohol with
other drugs, especially those that make
you sleepy
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Alcohol and Pregnancy
•
No level of alcohol use during
pregnancy has been proven safe
•
Each year between 5,300 and 8,000
babies in the United States are born
with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), a
combination of physical and mental
birth defects –leading known cause for
______ _______________
•
Alcohol is the ____ leading cause for
non-genetic handicapping of infants in
America – small head, deformities of
the face, hands, feet, internal organs,
hearing, vision
•
Many babies with FAS also have a
brain that is_____and abnormally
formed, and most have some degree of
mental disability. Many have poor
coordination and a short attention
span and exhibit behavioral problems.
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Less Brain Matter at Birth
This is permanent damage!!!
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Alcohol and Its Effects by the Hour
• Ethanol Dose
(oz/hour)
Function Impaired
Physical State
 1-4/hr
Impaired judgment, lack of fine motor coordination,
slowed reaction time, happy, talkative, boastful (too
outgoing)
 4-12/hr
Lack of general motor coordination/reflexes,
staggering gait, slurred speech, nausea, vomiting
 12-16/hr
Involuntary responses to stimulations,
hyperthermia, general anesthesia of the body
 16-24/hr
Loss of most sensations, uncontrolled movement,
self-protective reflexes, comatose
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Long-term Effects of Alcohol on the Body
1.
•
•
•
2.
•
•
•
To the Brain –
________ – inability to stop drinking
Loss of ________ skills, memory
Major ________ damage
Cardiovascular Changes
Damage to the _________ muscle
Enlarged heart – from _______
__________ caused by alcohol
High blood pressure – can cause heart
attack/stroke
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Liver Problems
• One of the functions of the liver is to remove
___________
• Alcohol is viewed as a toxin to the ___________
• The liver can only handle approx. ___________
• More than that, the liver makes ______ from tthe
alcohol
• The fat is stored in the blood vessels, the heart, the
liver and other areas of the body
• The liver is the _________________ to be damaged
by alcohol, the most serious condition being
__________________ where the liver tissue is
replaced by fat.
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Long term effects
3. Liver problems –
• ___________ – fats builds up and cannot
be broken down – excess fat blocks the
flow of blood to liver cells, leading to cell
death
• ________________ – inflammation of the
liver cause by the toxic effects of alcohol
• _______ – liver tissue is replaced with
useless scar tissue. This disease can
lead to liver failure and death.
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Good/Healthy Liver
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Unhealthy Liver
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Alcohol’s effect on the body
4. Digestive system
• Irritation – digestive lining is damaged;
can lead to __________ and
__________ of the stomach and
esophagus
5. Pancreas Problems
• Chemicals begin to destroy the
pancreas, causing pain, vomiting, and
can lead to _________________
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Terms used to describe people who
drink
• ______________________ – does not drink
excessively. The person doesn’t behave
inappropriately because of alcohol. The
person's health is not harmed be alcohol over
the long term. This applies only to adults as
children and teen’s brains are not yet mature
and cannot handle alcohol
• __________________ – drinks only on social
occasions. Depending on how alcohol affects
the person’s life the person may be a moderate
or a problem drinker.
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• __________________ – drinks _______or
more drinks in a short period.
• Problem drinker –or alcohol abuser suffers
social, emotional, family, job related, or
other problems because of alcohol This
person is on the way to alcoholism
• Alcoholic- has the full blown disease of
_________________. This person’s
problems , caused by alcohol abuse, are
out of control.
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Alcoholism
–
• Is a disease in which a person has a _______
and/or a _____________dependence on alcohol.
• ____________ behaviors - violent, aggressive,
withdrawn, quiet
• Craving – he/she cannot manage________
without the use
• Loss of control – he/she cannot limit his drinking
and is_____________ with alcohol
• Physical dependence – without alcohol, will
experience_______________ symptoms
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The Disease of Alcoholism
• An alcoholic will build a ____________ to
alcohol - a need to drink increasingly
greater amounts in order to feel its effects
• An alcoholic will experience health/family,
and legal problems – an alcoholic often
suffers repeated injuries, receives multiple
drunk driving citations, frequent arguments,
poor relationships with family
• An alcoholic may have a __________ link to
alcoholism
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Three Stages of alcoholism
• Stage one – Early stage
– Abuse of alcohol. Use for _________ reasons to
relax, use for stress management, leads to
psychological dependence. Drinks and gets
intoxicated regularly, blackouts, memory loss –
known as the “______________________”
• Makes promises to quit but can’t keep them
• Drinks often to ________________________
• Increased tolerance (needs more and more to feel
the effects)
• Personality change
• More forgetful
• More irritable
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Stages of alcoholism
• Stage two – Middle stage
– physically dependent on alcohol, becomes
central focus, performance of job, school work,
etc, suffers. Makes _____________ and
___________ others
• Tries to deny or hide drinking
• Drinks when alone
• Drinks in the morning
• Signs of drinking more noticeable
• Drinks at work or at school
• Harder to feel “high” no matter how much
consumed
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• Drinking is now a daily necessity
•
Stages
of
alcoholism
Stage 3 – Final stage
•
•
•
•
drinking is the most important thing in a person’s
__________. The person is addicted to the drug
and his or her life is out of control, although
frequently he/she does not realize or acknowledge
this fact. Because the liver is damaged, less alcohol
is required to produce intoxication which is known
as ____________ _________________. Severe
withdrawal symptoms if alcoholic tries to stop
Isolation from friends and family
Loneliness
L_______________________
Never seems to eat
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The next day…
Hangover- symptoms that can occur the
next day after being _____________:
• Sensitivity to _______________
• Headache
• Nauseous
• Body aches
• Bad breath
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Effects on Family and Society
• Major factor in the four leading causes of
accidental death – car accidents, falls, drowning,
house fires
• Plays a major role in violent crimes – homicide,
forcible rape, robbery
• 40% of violent crimes are alcohol related
• 2/3’s of victims who encounter domestic violence
report that alcohol was a factor
• Nearly half of all homicide victims have alcohol in
their bloodstream
• Codependency – codependents learn to ignore
their own needs and focus their energy and
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emotions on the needs of the alcoholic
Treatment
• The process of learning to live an
alcohol free life is called __________
• Approx. ______ of all alcoholics who try
to recover are successful
• Many resources are available to help
people who have a drinking problem.
Help is also available to the families and
friends
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Treatment
• ____________ – helps family and friends
of the alcoholic
• ___________________ – provides help
for the alcoholic
• Nat’l. Asso. Fir Children of Alcoholics –
provides help for children
• Al - ateen
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Teens and alcohol
• Alcohol related traffic crashes are a major
cause of death among teens. Alcohol use also
is linked with youthful deaths by drowning,
suicide, and homicide
• Teens who use alcohol are more likely to
become sexually active at earlier ages, to have
sexual intercourse more often, and to have
unprotected sex than teens who do not drink
• Young people who drink are more likely than
others to be victims of vilent crime, including
rape, aggravated assault, and robbery.
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• Teens who drink are more likely to have
problems with school work and school
conduct
• An individual who begins drinking as a
young teen is four times more likely to
develop alcohol dependence than
someone who waits until adulthood to
use alcohol
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Need Help???
• Alcoholic anonymous – 412-471-7472\
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org
• Al-Anon/Alateen Family Group 412-5725141 www.al-anon.alateen.org
• Crisis Center North 412-364-5556
• Gateway Rehabilitation Center Main
office – 412-766-8700, North Hills – 724776-4844
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