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ALCOHOL.
Term Paper ID:28153
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Essay Subject:
Effects of abuse on pregnancy, memory, creativity, sexual behavior, sleep & violence. Treatments.... More...
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5 Pages / 1125 Words
1 sources, 8 Citations,
APA Format
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Paper Abstract:
Effects of abuse on pregnancy, memory, creativity, sexual behavior, sleep & violence. Treatments.
Paper Introduction:
Central nervous system depressants are among the most commonly abused recreational drugs. Barbiturates, benzodiazepines, methaqualone (Quaalude), and related drugs are included in this group. Alcohol, or, more correctly, ethyl alcohol or ethanol, is also sometimes included with this group because it shares many properties with barbiturates and benzodiazepines. The street name for the drugs in this group is "downers," and they produce disinhibiting, antianxiety, and sleep-promoting effects that many people find pleasurable.
Tolerance and withdrawal symptoms accompany chronic alcohol abuse. The most serious withdrawals produce trembling, seizures, hallucinations, delirium, and even death. Alcohol abuse contributes to fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis, the ninth leading cause of death in Americans. The regular use
Text of the Paper:
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Alcohol has varying effects on sleep according to dosage. Moderatedrinking prior to sleep, however, usually produces "strong sympatheticnervous system activity that interrupts sleep" and many people will awakenfrom intense dreams sweating and with headache (Leavitt, 1995, p. Lowdosages of alcohol reduce inhibitions in both sexes and this is frequentlyperceived as increased sexual arousal. 399).Chronic alcoholism produces sleep abnormalities that may persist for sometime even when sobriety is achieved. Barbiturates, benzodiazepines, methaqualone(Quaalude), and related drugs are included in this group. 376). Researchershave found little direct correlation between creative acts and alcoholintake and in similar biographical studies have discovered that for morethan three-quarters of the subject artists with alcohol problems drinkingimpaired rather than aided creative performance. These effects are only partlypharmacological and studies have shown that people are conditioned tobecome sexually aroused after drinking alcohol in social situations. Alcoholism has alsobeen identified as a leading cause of impotence. There is little evidence ofthe effectiveness of using disulfiram, whose effects last for two weeks, topromote sobriety. Central nervous system depressants are among the most commonly abusedrecreational drugs. But a small number of violent people, onbeing given this treatment, "respond with even greater rage" (p. Extinction, however, involves suchrepetition of stimuli accompanied by abstinence. Alcohol has been shown to increase aggression inexperimental settings, but some studies have also shown that expectationsmay play nearly as large a role in aggression and violence as pharmacology. Three medical conditions that feature severe memory problems,Korsakoff's syndrome, Wernicke's syndrome, and dementia, are alsocontributed to, in varying degrees, by chronic alcohol abuse. Benzodiazepines used to treatanxiety are hypnotics when taken at slightly higher doses, but for some ofthese drugs tolerance to this effect will develop in most users after ashort time. Studies have shown that men who were administered placebos were often aslikely to resort to aggressive behavior as those who had actually ingestedalcohol. Between the ages of 4 and 5 , "when memoryand other deficits due to aging normally begin to appear" alcoholicsexperience greater impairment than others in their age group. 363). Temporary memory and attention deficits result from alcoholintoxication and these episodes are of longer duration in chronicalcoholics. But data on these avenues oftreatment is sparse and it cannot be said with certainty how valuable theymay be to recovery. Alcohol abusers who commit murder are nearly always intoxicatedat the time of their crimes and a number act on "alcohol-induced illusionsor hallucinations" (Leavitt, 1995, p. Alcohol, or,more correctly, ethyl alcohol or ethanol, is also sometimes included withthis group because it shares many properties with barbiturates andbenzodiazepines. Therapeutic communities, in which addicts serve as counselors, andpeer-support self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous produce somepositive results for alcoholics seeking help. ReferenceLeavitt, F. Female alcoholics"menstruate abnormally and show reduced sexual arousal, interest, andorgasm" (Leavitt, 1995, p. Many highly creative individuals have been alcoholics and a number ofresearchers have studied the lives of writers and painters to determinewhat relationship exists between creativity and alcohol. Chronic alcoholism impairs testosterone production in men, sometimesleading to enlarged breasts and atrophied testicles. In addition,liver dysfunctions that are specifically connected to neuropsychologicaldysfunction occur more commonly in alcoholics--as do most liverdysfunctions. Alcohol also appears to have astrong connection to domestic violence, and female alcoholics are both morelikely to experience spousal abuse and the perpetrate physical abuse oftheir children. For bothalcoholics and nondrinkers small doses of alcohol reduce latency to sleepand amount of REM sleep but increase the total amount of sleep. FAS occurs in approximately 2.5 percent oflive births and FAE in as many as 1 percent of births. Aversive conditioning and extinction are sometimesused. Barbiturates have been implicated in experiments on state-dependentlearning, i.e., "responses learned under certain circumstances," such asdrug states, "do not transfer well when the conditions are changed" (p.314). The former entails repeated production of a stimulus associated withdrinking but coupled with an unpleasant experience (electrical shock,unpleasant tastes, or nausea). Severealcoholics also frequently report periods of "blackout" in which they loseall memory of a span of time. Heavy drinking may be associated with the lack of certain commodities orwith certain activities and changes in schedule, therefore, may have aprofound positive effect on the efforts of those who attempt to stopdrinking. Some explanationsof the apparently strong connection have at least surface plausibility--such as the claim that the "gradual unearthing of unconscious processes"involved in creativity generates negative emotions, "including anxiety,guilt, antagonism, jealousy, and hostility" and artists seek sedation andrelief from these feelings in alcohol (Leavitt, 1995, p. Researchers have found strong correlations between alcohol abuse andviolence. Researchers have alsobegun to identify the importance of changes in location or daily schedules. Infants are said tosuffer from fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) if they possess a certain numberof problems including growth retardation before and after birth, very lowweight, various central nervous system disorders, and two or more anomaliessuch as small head, small eyes, thin upper lip, short nose, and others.When only some of these criteria are met children are said to suffer fromfetal alcohol effects (FAE) . Alcohol abuse contributes to fatty liver,alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis, the ninth leading cause of death inAmericans. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Drugs and behavior. Alcoholism in pregnant women is associated with high rates ofspontaneous abortion, miscarriage, and stillbirth. Behavioral therapy such as behavioral counseling andrelapse prevention skills training have been shown to produce positive buttemporary results. Because of their sedative effects barbiturates andbenzodiazepines, even when prescribed by physicians, are also among theleading causes of accidents and arrests for driving under the influence ofdrugs. 3rd ed. Calcium carbimide, which is only effective for 24 hours,has fewer undesirable side-effects and may be an effective alternative. There are no treatment substitutes for alcohol but pharmacologicaltreatment includes the antagonist drug Ro15-4513 which reduces the desiredeffects of alcohol but, since it does not reduce toxicity, could bedangerous if people sought to achieve the effects by increasing intake. 33 ). 38 ). Individuals who suffer from sleep apnea mayfind their breathing dangerously impaired. Among thecentral nervous system depressants barbiturates and antianxiety drugs havealso been suggested as possible causes of FAS. (1995). The regular use of alcohol is also associated with increasedrisk for various cancers, cardiovascular disorders, hypertension,neurological problems and accidents. Small amounts of alcohol increase physiologicalsexual responsiveness in men but larger doses impair it. Depressants such as benzodiazepines are often used to calm peopleand animals who are aggressive. Mothers who drinkmoderately during pregnancy have infants who experience "more subtle"neurobehavioral and growth deficits (Leavitt, 1995, p. The street name for the drugs in this group is "downers,"and they produce disinhibiting, antianxiety, and sleep-promoting effectsthat many people find pleasurable. The sedative effects of alcohol areenhanced in sleepy people. Inaddition two deterrents are sometimes used to treat alcohol addiction.Both disulfiram and calcium carbimide inhibit the enzyme that metabolizesalcohol and produce unpleasant side effects. This is repeated untilthe stimulus loses its power to elicit cravings. The effects of alcohol on human sexual behavior vary according togender, chronic or occasional use, and pharmacological as opposed toexpectational effects. Heavy drinking duringpregnancy also increases the chance of low birth weight infants of shorterlength with smaller head and chest measurements. Among the drugs in this group benzodiazepines and otherdrugs "that potentiate GABA activity impair memory" (Leavitt, 1995, p.317). Even smallamounts of alcohol taken by women, however, reduce vaginal blood flow. Tolerance and withdrawal symptoms accompany chronic alcohol abuse.The most serious withdrawals produce trembling, seizures, hallucinations,delirium, and even death. 161). Studies have shown that heavydrinkers are 5 percent more likely to die than others in their agecohorts.
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