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A drug is a chemical substance that acts on the brain and nervous system, and changes individual's mood, emotion or state of consciousness (Health Service Executive 2013).
Drugs classified by the effect they produce:
• Stimulants, such as cocaine, make people feel full of energy;
• Depressants (or sedatives), such as heroin and alcohol, make people feel relaxed;
• Hallucinogens, such as LSD, make people see, feel or hear things that are not real (Health Service Executive 2013).
Legal drugs.
Under Irish law, most drugs are illegal. However, some drugs are legal, they include:
• Caffeine;
• Alcohol;
• Cigarettes (Health Service Executive 2013).
What is alcohol?
Alcohol is a legal, sedative drug which can alter feelings (Drugs.ie n.k). Alcohol is a colourless, odourless and highly inflammable fluid. It is a legal drug which does not contain any nutrients for the body. Alcoholic beverages used in most societies, for different purposes.
No one knows exact timeline, of first confrontation with alcohol by human race. Like many other discoveries it is lost in time. Best one can speculate is that discovery occurred in the early infancy of humanity by the meaning of a chance.
Carey (2008) states that, for 300 years “alcohol” is a term identical to “spirituous” liquid. Furthermore alcohol consumption and means of limiting it go back 1700 B.C. There are four main types of alcohol:
1. Methyl;
2. Ethyl;
3. Propyl;
4. Butyl (Carey 2008).
The type that is used in production, of alcoholic beverages - ethyl (ethanol) (Carey 2008). Its chemical formula is C2H5OH Royal Society of Chemistry 2014). Correspondingly methyl, propyl and butyl alcohol are toxic and consumption of even a small dose of such, could potentially lead to b...
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...ed at: http://tauruspet.med.yale.edu/staff/edm42/papers/2012-journal-club/Sci-Transl-Med-2012-Mitchell-116ra6-alcohol-induces-endog-opioids.pdf 08/03/2014
Sabourin B.C. & Stewart S.H. (2007) Alcohol Use and Anxiety Disorders. Alcohol and Anxiety. Anxiety in Health Behaviors and Physical Illness. P29-54. Electronic. Accessed at: http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=10&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CHUQFjAJ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.springer.com%2Fcda%2Fcontent%2Fdocument%2Fcda_downloaddocument%2F9780387747521-c2.pdf%3FSGWID%3D0-0-45-461840-p173756746&ei=L28bU6-0GsTR7Ab17IDwCw&usg=AFQjCNEjZFrAIXaE708KRrCzn9D-g3920Q 08/03/2014
Edwards G., Marshall E.J., and Cook C.C.H. (2003)The Treatment of Drinking Problems. A guide for the helping professions. Fourth Edition. pp 3-16. Electronic. Accessed at: http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam041/2002073459.pdf
People have believed in medicinal benefits of alcohol since ancient times, using it to cure snake bites and control disease. Even though the belief has begun to dwindle in the early twentieth century, alcohol was legally manufactured for medic...
Chemistry is at the heart of all nutrition. Thus, to truly grasp alcohol, one must know the basic molecular compounds that the body consumes and divides. The most accessible energy resource the body ingests is carbohydrates (rice, beans, breads, pasta, sugar, fruit, etc…). Carbohydrates are made
A very minute does can significantly alter ones perception to the point of hallucination. Hallucination is when a person hears, or sees thing that don’t really exist. LSD is the most potent hallucinate. Approximately 100 times stronger than psilocybin, and 4000 times stronger than mescaline.
Alcohol has been all around the world for centuries and has become a custom of people all over. No one knows for sure who discovered alcohol, but we know how different types of alcohol are made. Just as well, no know knows when alcohol was discovered. There are no records of the discovery or discoverers of alcohol. Although historians do know alcohol ?was used by primitive people and recorded as early as 10,000 years ago in the Neolithic period and by European civilization?(Milgram 22). As early as 5000 B.C., the ancient Babylonians brewed, the process of making beer, their beer in religious temples because it was considered a gift from God. Beer is an alcoholic beverage made by fermentation of cereal grains such as, wheat, rye, corn, or barley; beer contains 3 to 6 percent alcohol. Besides the ancient Babylonians, the ancient Egyptians drank beer. The Egyptians called their beer hek, which was made from barley bread. The bread was crumbled into jars, covered with water, and allowed to ferment. The Egyptian pharaohs blessed this beer in the honor of the goddess of nature, Isis. Egyptians handed out free jugs of beer to peasant workers, and by no surprise drunkenness was a common problem in ancient Egypt (Nielsen 13).
Most people point to wars, Presidents or the economy when asked to describe the history of the United States, but what about alcohol. Social history in general has always taken a back seat to political and economic history, mostly because many aspects of social history are not exactly bright spots from the past. Alcohol, for example, is actually a much bigger aspect of our history than one may expect. As a matter of fact, early America was centered around drinking as a kind of social event. William Rorabaugh’s book Alcoholic Republic outlines how prevalent drinking really was during the years after the Revolutionary War. Rorabaugh argues that post-colonial Americans should be considered alcoholics. However, the evidence Rorabaugh uses
Severe mood swings, violent rages, memory loss—each of these problems were a part of my family life during the past two or three years. These problems are the result of alcoholism. Recently, a member of my family realized his abuse of alcohol was a major problem to not only himself, but also to those around him. He would lose control of his temper and often would not even remember doing it the next day. Alcohol became a part of his daily life including work, home, and any other activities. His problem was that of a "hidden" and "high-society" alcoholism. When he was threatened with the loss of his job and the possibility of losing his family, this man knew it was time to get help. After he reached his lowest point, he took the first step towards recovery—admitting his problem.
To understand alcoholism, it must first be understood what this affliction is dependent on. Alcohol is a substance that is made by the fermentation of fruits, grains, or miscellaneous other organic materials. The chemical, alcohol, is a depressant and acts on every cell in the human body. Due to this, the central nervous system, along with the pleasure centers of the brain, are affected resulting in a feeling of euphoria and a sense of well being. After repeated exposure, the brain becomes dependent on this drug to unburden itself whenever it feels the compulsion. Several factors that contribute to alcoholism are the individual’s psychology, genetics, culture, and the individual’s response to physical pain.
In 1849, Swedish physician, Dr. Magnus Huss coined the term “alcoholism” to describe a diseased condition caused by excessive consumption of alcohol. Also in 1849, a French doctoral candidate, M.Gabriel, first used the term in its modern sense, as a disease which causes one to lose control over his/her intake of alcohol, leading to excessive use of alcohol, what we now call addiction ( Keller & Doria,1991).
Wechsler, H., Nelson T., & Weitzman, E. (February 2000). From Knowledge to Action. Change [On-line], Available: www2.gasou.edu/library/ (Galileo)(EBSCOhost)(Search=Alcohol Abuse).
Early American alcohol abuse dates back as far as our ancestors settling the 13 colonies. Whiskey was popularly used and early developing towns in those original colonies did start to want to rid their towns of the “town drunk”. Laws would be instilled in those settlements to put the town drunk into jail, saving the town embarrassment of one of its people.
Alcoholism refers to the abuse of alcohol by individuals who are unable to control their binge drinking behavior over a prolonged period of time. Alcoholics are not simply people who consume alcohol; instead, their entire lives revolve around alcohol. While many people usually dismiss the effects of heavy drinking to a hangover that will not last beyond the day, the effects of alcoholism are infinitely more enduring and devastating not only for the alcoholics, but also for their families and friends.
The problem of alcohol use is very relevant nowadays. Today alcohol consumption characterized by vast numbers in the world. All of society is suffering from this, but primarily jeopardized the younger generation: children, teenagers, young people, and the health of future mothers. Because alcohol is particularly active effect on the body that are not formed, gradually destroying it. The harm of alcohol abuse is evident. It is proved that when alcohol is ingested inside the body, it is carried by blood to all organs and has harmful effect on them until destruction. Systematic use of alcohol develops a dangerous disease such as alcoholism. Alcoholism is dangerous to human health, but it is curable as other diseases. The big problem is that most of the alcohol products which are made in private places contain many toxic substances, defective products often leads to poisoning and even death. All this has negative impact on society and its cultural values.
Alcoholism is a disease that affects many people in the United States today. It not only affects the alcoholic, but also their family, friends, co-workers, and eventually total strangers. The symptoms are many, as are the causes and the effects.
Alcohol is a class of organic compounds that is characterized by the presence of one or more hydroxyl groups (-OH) attached to a carbon atom. Alcohol was unknowingly produced centuries ago when fermentation occurred to crushed grapes (Pines, 1931). In today’s society alcohol is produced for the use of household products such as varnishes, cleaning products, but is more commercially important in the liquor business. A chemical process called fermentation accomplishes the production of ethanol, the alcohol or liquor. From there, the ethanol goes through distinct processes to become the dark and clear liquors on the store shelves.
Drugs are chemicals that change the way a person's body or mind works. Drugs are not good for health as they have many side effects and damage our brain, heart and other important organs. Drug is a depressant that slows down the functions of the central nervous system and makes us less aware of the events around us. I...