Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol concentration is measured in the blood and expressed in parts per thousand. In this context, the blood alcohol concentration depends on both the amount of alcohol ingested and the food consumed at the same time, as well as on gender and body weight. Furthermore, the speed at which the body breaks down the ingested alcohol plays an important role.

Alcohol intoxication and its accompanying symptoms

Although the alcohol level after intake of a certain drinking quantity is subject to strong individual fluctuations and thus cannot be predicted exactly, the following rule of thumb can nevertheless be formulated: A man weighing about 70 kg will have a blood alcohol level of about 0.5 per mille after drinking a liter of beer or half a liter of wine. As a rule, the ability to criticize is already reduced at this concentration, and inhibitions and generally accepted norms of behavior are easily overcome. At blood concentrations of 0.5 per mille, the legal limit of driving ability is reached; at levels above 2 per mille, severe states of intoxication develop which, as the concentration rises, can turn into unconsciousness with respiratory paralysis and death. In alcohol intoxication, there is also reduced ability to think and react, coordination problems in speaking and walking, double vision, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weakness, muscle cramps, headaches, spinning dizziness, weak and rapid pulse, and hypothermia. Psychological effects vary from individual to individual, depending on the degree of intoxication: from euphoria, good mood, aggression and overconfidence to sluggishness, fatigue or depressed mood.

Alcoholism?

Alcoholism is said to occur when someone consumes large amounts of alcohol for more than a year, has lost control over alcohol consumption, and is physically, psychologically, and socially damaged as a result. Physical long-term damage includes severe chronic gastritis and pancreatitis, fatty liver and cirrhosis, brain and nerve damage, blood count changes, eye disorders, tremors, sleep disorders and impotence. Typical mental symptoms include personality changes, psychosis, and hallucinations.

Most common causes of alcohol intoxication

  • Drinking too fast. Alcohol is only gradually broken down to acetic acid in the liver. Drinking very fast quickly results in a high per mille concentration.
  • Overestimation of alcohol degradation in the body. Per hour per kilogram of body weight in men only 0.1 g of alcohol is degraded, in women about 15% less.
  • Drinking without having eaten. With an empty stomach, the alcohol is absorbed even faster from the stomach into the bloodstream. Coffee also accelerates the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream.
  • Drinking sweetened alcoholic beverages, such as cocktails or mulled wine. Sugar accelerates the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. Fatty foods, on the other hand, slow the rise in blood alcohol levels.
  • Drinking different types of alcohol leads to intoxication more quickly. From low-quality alcoholic beverages you get a headache more easily, not necessarily because of the alcohol, but because of the additives.
  • Some people, hereditary, can not break down alcohol as quickly as the average, so they are intoxicated faster. Women are more sensitive to alcohol than men (“tolerate less”).
  • And of course: drink too much! Beer has about 2-6% alcohol, wine and sparkling wine 7-10%, southern wine 15-17%, liqueurs 30-35%, schnapps about 45%, rum 40-80%.

When to go to the doctor

If you find that you can no longer cope without alcohol. When you realize that your alcohol consumption has increased significantly compared to before. When you drink to forget about problems. When experiencing physical withdrawal symptoms while attempting abstinence. If you have had a “blackout” several times recently, that is, if you have been so intoxicated that a memory gap remains. If you yourself must assist someone who has acute alcohol intoxication, protect them from chilling and take them to the nearest hospital. There, they may perform emergency gastric lavage and stabilize circulation and breathing. Even as a relative of an alcoholic or a person suspected of alcohol abuse, you can turn to a trusted doctor for advice and help! In any case, the doctor is bound to professional secrecy. Alcohol during pregnancy carries a high risk of reduced birth weight and malformations of the baby.When taking psychotropic drugs, sleeping pills, or strong painkillers, the effects of the drugs can be altered in conjunction with alcohol, and even small amounts of alcohol can lead to poisoning.

Prevention

One thing is certain: alcohol is a stimulant only in small amounts. In higher doses it is an intoxicant and in any case a cell poison. The following tips can help keep alcohol consumption in check:

  • Do not drink to forget problems. Drink in company rather than alone.
  • When celebrating, set a quantum of alcoholic beverages beforehand that suits you. Communicate this to others so that you also stick to it. Do not be “persuaded” to continue drinking afterwards.
  • Glasses before refilling always drink first, for better control.
  • At each celebration once briefly think through the negative experiences with alcohol while you are still completely sober.