Hanson 10e Pp Ts Ch08
- 1. Alcohol: A Behavioral Perspective Chapter 8
- 2. How Serious Is Alcohol Consumption? Approximately 50% (126 million) of Americans are past month alcohol drinkers (known as current drinkers). Approximately 23% (55 million) of Americans binge drink and 6.6% (16 million) reported heavy drinking. © AbleStock
- 3. How Serious Is Alcohol Consumption? (continued) Alcohol use (Age 12 or older): 56.5% of whites 47.3% of persons reporting two or more races 42.6% of Hispanics 42.4% of American Indians or Alaska Natives 40.8% of blacks 38.1% of Asians 37.3% of Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders
- 4. How Serious Is Alcohol Consumption? (continued) Estimated spending for healthcare services for alcohol problems and medical consequences of alcohol: $18.8 billion. Alcohol is officially linked to at least half of all highway fatalities. To date, alcohol has been tried by 41% of 8th graders, 63% of 10th graders, 75% of 12th graders, and 87% of college students. An estimated $82 billion was lost in potential productivity due to alcohol and other drug use.
- 5. How Serious Is Alcohol Consumption? (continued) Alcohol and Marijuana Use and the Very Young Use of alcohol to the point of inebriation: 20% of 8 th graders, 42% of 10 th graders, and 58% of 12 graders. Self reported drunkenness 30 days prior to being surveyed: 6% of 8th, 18%, of 10 th and 30% of 12 th graders. On a daily basis, for 8 th , 10 th , and 12 th graders, marijuana usage now exceeds alcohol usage (Johnston et al. 2005). 45% of all 12 th graders reported some marijuana use in their lifetime (34% reported past year and 20% reported past month).
- 6. History of Alcohol (Ethanol) in America 1830—peak drinking period Prohibition period Alcohol Has Coincided with Major Historical Events: Colonial America Triangle trade (New England Yankees traded rum for slaves in Africa, then slaves for molasses in West Indies, then back to New England to make rum.) Colonial taverns (a key “institution”?)
- 7. History of Alcohol (Ethanol) in America (continued) Temperance movement (1830–1850) Prohibition era (1920–1933) Ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment (1919) Alcohol was outlawed (January 1920) Speakeasies Bootlegging Patent medicines In 1933 the 21st Amendment repealed prohibition
- 8. Major Developments Resulting from Prohibition Alcohol use began to diminish for the first 2 or 3 years after Prohibition was in effect. However, after 3 years of steady decline, the use of distilled liquors rose every year afterward. Enforcement against alcohol use was overthrown by corruption in law enforcement. Many early European immigrants populating American cities during Prohibition came from cultures that viewed drinking as normal, resulting in their refusal to give up alcohol consumption.
- 9. Defining Alcoholism There is no agreement regarding at what specific point someone is an alcoholic. Alcoholism is a state of physical and psychological addiction to a psychoactive substance known as ethanol. Most definitions include chronic behavioral disorders, repeated drinking to the point of loss of control, health disorders, and difficulty functioning socially and economically.
- 10. Defining Alcoholism (first definition) World Health Organization (WHO) definition: “ Alcohol dependence syndrome is characterized by a state, psychic and usually also physical, resulting from drinking alcohol. This state is characterized by behavioral and other responses that include a compulsion to take alcohol on a continuous or periodic basis to experience its psychic effects and sometimes to avoid the discomfort of its absence; tolerance may or may not be present” (NIAAA, 1980). © Corbis
- 11. Defining Alcoholism (second definition) “Alcoholism is a chronic behavioral disorder manifested by repeated drinking of alcoholic beverages in excess of the dietary and social uses of the community, and to an extent that interferes with the drinker’s health or his social or economic functioning” (Keller, 1958/78).
- 12. Defining Alcoholism (third definition) “ Alcoholism is a chronic, primary, hereditary disease that progresses from an early, physiological susceptibility into an addiction characterized by tolerance changes, physiological dependence, and loss of control over drinking. Psychological symptoms are secondary to the physiological disease and not relevant to its onset’’ (Gold 1991, 99). © Pixtal/age fotostock
- 13. Major Known Components of Alcoholism Craving Very impaired or loss of control Physical dependence Increasing tolerance (an escalating increase in usage to achieve the effect)
- 14. Types of Alcoholics Alpha alcoholics Beta alcoholics Gamma alcoholics Delta alcoholics Epsilon alcoholics Zeta alcoholics
- 15. Types of Alcoholics (continued) Dr. Moss and Colleagues (NIH and NIAAA 2007), list the following subtypes: Young Adult (31.5% of U.S. alcoholics) – young adult drinkers without major problems regarding their drinking Young Antisocial (21% of U.S. alcoholics) – Mid-twenties, had earlier onset of regular drinking and alcohol problems, and come from heavy alcohol use families Functional (19.5% of U.S. alcoholics) – Middle-aged, well-educated, with stable jobs and families Intermediate Familial (19% of U.S. alcoholics) – Middle aged, with 50% from families with multigenerational alcoholism Chronic Severe (9% of U.S. alcoholics) – Mostly middle-aged, high rates of Antisocial Personality Disorder and criminality
- 16. Culture and Alcohol Drunken comportment: Behavior exhibited while under the direct influence of alcohol determined by the norms and expectations of a particular culture. Disinhibitor: A psychoactive chemical that depresses thought and judgment functions in the cerebral cortex, which has the effect of allowing relatively unrestrained behavior (as in alcohol inebriation).
- 17. Culture and Alcohol (continued) Cultural Considerations Some psychologists contend that both set and setting can often overshadow the pharmacological effects of most drugs, including alcohol. Set— an individual’s expectation of what a drug will do to his/her personality Setting — the physical and social environment where most drugs, including alcohol, are consumed
- 18. Culture and Alcohol (continued) Cultural rules state how much one can drink and where one can drink. Cultures provide ceremonial meaning to alcohol use. Drinking rates among Jews Drinking rates among Irish Culture provides a model of alcoholism. Attitudes regarding drinking in the U.S. © www.imagesource.com/Jupiterimages
- 19. Alcohol Abuse Among College and University Students CORE Institute research results: Approximately 85% of college students consume alcohol. College students consume an average of 6 drinks per week. Approximately 46% engaged in binge drinking. Of all the drugs reported, alcohol was the most heavily abused on college campuses, followed by tobacco (48%) and marijuana (33%) (Presley, et al 2004).
- 20. Alcohol Abuse Among College and University Students (continued) Other studies found that 42–50% of college students binge drink. Males binge drink more than females. For binge drinkers, the impact on impaired academic performance is just as great for women drinkers. Being white, involved in athletics, or a resident of a fraternity or sorority made it more likely that a student would be a binge drinker.
- 21. Alcohol Abuse Among College and University Students (continued) On American campuses, alcohol is a factor in 40% of all academic problems and 28% of all dropouts. 75% of male students and 55% of female students involved in acquaintance rape had been drinking or using drugs. The transition into college is associated with a doubling of the percentages of those who drink for both genders. With heavier drinkers, grades suffered for both male and female students. © AbleStock
- 22. Women and Alcohol Women possess greater sensitivity to alcohol, have a greater likelihood of addiction, and develop alcohol-related health problems sooner than men. More women in alcohol treatment come from sexually abusive homes (70%) in comparison to men (12%).
- 23. Women and Alcohol (continued) Three Major Reasons Why Women Are More Sensitive to the Effects of Alcohol Body size (men generally larger than women) Women absorb alcohol sooner—women possess more body fat and body fat does not dilute alcohol Women possess less of a metabolizing enzyme—this enzyme gets rid of (processes out) alcohol
- 24. Women and Alcohol (continued) Alcohol Consumption Patterns of Women Women 21 to 34 years of age were least likely to report alcohol-related problems if they had stable marriages and were working full time. Women tend to marry men whose drinking habits match their own. Between 35 to 49 years of age, the heaviest drinkers were divorced or separated women without children. Between 50 to 64 years of age, the heaviest drinkers were women whose husbands/partners drank heavily. Women 65 and older comprised less than 10% of drinkers with drinking problems.
- 25. Alcohol Consumption in the U.S. Alcohol consumption has dropped sharply since 1981. What explains the steady decline in alcohol consumption during the past twenty years? Demographics Conservatism Decrease in social acceptability Increased awareness of risks Increased concerns for health
- 26. Additional Facts Regarding Alcohol Use/Abuse Drinking and Driving—On most weekend nights throughout the United States, 70% of all fatal single-vehicle crashes involve a driver who is legally intoxicated. Income/Wealth—Less affluent people drink less than more affluent individuals. The Average “Alcoholic”—Most alcoholics are secret or disguised drinkers who look very much like common working people. On Average—Most people who consume alcohol do not become problem drinkers. © Marcin Balcerzak/ShutterStock, Inc.
- 27. Alcohol and the Family Co-dependency or co-alcoholism: A relationship pattern in which addicted or nonaddicted family members identify with the alcohol addict and deny the existence of alcohol consumption as a problem. Enabling: Denial or making up of excuses for the excessive drinking of an alcohol addict to whom someone is close. © Jones and Bartlett Publishers/Photographed by Kimberly Potvin and Christine Mckeen
- 28. Alcohol and the Family (continued) Organizations for victims of alcoholics: Children of Alcoholics (COAs) 2–4 times more likely to become alcoholics themselves Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOAs) 2–4 times more likely to develop alcoholism It is estimated that there are 28.6 million COAs in the U.S. and 6.6 million are under the age of 18. COAs and ACOAs are more likely to marry into families where alcoholism is prevalent. 25% of American children are exposed to an alcoholic before the age of 18.
- 29. Helping the Family Recover Psychodrama: A family therapy in which significant inter- and intra-personal issues are enacted in a focused setting using dramatic techniques. Genogram: A family therapy technique that records information about behavior and relationships on a type of family tree to elucidate persistent patterns of dysfunctional behavior. Role-playing: A therapeutic technique in which group members play assigned parts to elicit emotional actors.
- 30. Helping the Family Recover (continued) Post-traumatic stress disorder : A psychiatric syndrome in which an individual who has been exposed to a traumatic event or situation experiences psychological stress that may manifest itself in a wide range of symptoms, including re-experiencing the trauma, numbing of general responsiveness, and hyper-arousal.
- 31. Recovery from Alcoholism Treatment of alcoholism Denial as a psychological defense Easy to relapse without radical shift in lifestyle Alcohol rehabilitation and medical ramifications More emotionally fragile than other addicts Relapsing syndrome
- 32. Withdrawal Relapsing syndrome: Returning to the use of alcohol after quitting. Acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome: Symptoms that occur when an alcohol addicted individual does not maintain his/her usual blood alcohol level. Delirium tremens: The most severe, even life-threatening, form of alcohol withdrawal, involving hallucinations, deliriums, and fever.