Laken Rogner

February 9th, 2015

PSY 230
The drug I have selected is alcohol. The source of drug compounds in alcohol are
C2H5OH (ethyl alcohol | chemical compound, 2014). Alcohol is a part of the depressant drug
class. Depressants are a class of drug that slows down the functioning of the brain by depressing
the central nervous system (Central Nervous System Depressants, n.d.). People use alcohol to
relax, celebrate, or socialize. Alcohol is the most used of all depressant drugs and has been used
for thousands of years (Overview of Alcohol Consumption, n.d.).
For thousands of years alcohol has been made using fermented grain, fruit juices, and
honey. Fermented beverages existed in the early civilization of Egyptians. In China and India,
around 7000 B.C. there was an alcoholic beverage distilled from rice. In 2700 B.C. there was a
popular alcoholic drink in Greece that was made from honey and water. During pre-Columbian
times several Native American civilizations created alcoholic drinks from corn, grapes, or apples.
In the sixteenth century, alcohol was used largely for medicinal purposes. At the beginning of the
eighteenth century, the British parliament passed a law encouraging the use of grain for distilling
alcohol. Cheap alcohol flooded the market and reached a peak in the mid-eighteenth century. In
Britain, gin consumption reached 18 million gallons and alcoholism became widespread. Due to
the widespread of alcoholism, the nineteenth century brought a change in attitudes towards
alcohol. The temperance movement began promoting the moderate use of alcohol, which
resulted in total prohibition. In 1920 the US passed a law prohibiting the manufacture, sale,
import and export of alcohol. The illegal alcohol trade boomed and by 1933, the prohibition of

alcohol was no longer in affect. Today, an estimated 15 million Americans suffer from
alcoholism (Foundation of a Drug-Free World, n.d.).
The pharmacokinetics of alcohol is the timing of alcohol distribution and metabolism
within the body and brain, as well as the pathways involved in metabolism of ethanol and its
major metabolites. The pharmacodynamics of alcohol actions in the body and brain is the
pharmacological effects that produce the biological actions of the drug. (e.g. intoxication, organ
damage etc.) (Introducing the official SlideShare app, n.d.)
The most common route of administration of alcohol is orally. The mechanism of action
in the brain due to alcohol manipulates neurotransmission levels, which reduces arousal or
stimulation in various parts of the brain (Boundless, 2014). Alcohol has many effects on the
brain. Alcohol interferes with the brains communication pathways, and can affect the way the
brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to
think clearly and move with coordination (Alcohols Effects on the Body, n.d.). Depressant
drugs are also occasionally referred to as "downers" because they lower the level of arousal in
the brain when they are taken. Alcohol affects the neurotransmitter gammaaminobutyric acid or
GABA, which is responsible for regulating neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system.
Alcohol increases GABA, which inhibits brain activity. Some therapeutic effects of alcohol help
with anxiety, sleep disorders, and pain. Adverse side effects of alcohol can be dangerous and life
threatening (Boundless, 2014).
Alcohol has many different effects on different parts of the body. Alcohol can damage the
heart, causing problems that may include cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, stroke, and high blood
pressure. Alcohol takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to many problems and liver
inflammations including steatosis, or fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis.

Alcohol can cause the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can lead to pancreatitis, a
dangerous inflammation, and swelling of the blood vessels in the pancreas that prevent proper
digestion. Alcohol can also increase your risk of developing certain types of cancers, including
cancers of the mouth, esophagus, throat, liver, and breast. Alcohol can affect many different parts
of the body but it also affects your body as a whole. Alcohol effects your immune system by
weakening it, making your body a much easier target for disease (Alcohols Effects on the
Body, n.d.).
Alcohol tolerance refers to a progressive state where, over time, an individual drinker
will need to consume more alcohol to achieve the same buzz. There are two main types of
tolerance that result from heavy use of alcohol. The first type of tolerance is metabolic tolerance.
Metabolic tolerance results when, in response to the increase in consumption of alcohol, the liver
increases its production of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. The increase in enzyme
production leads to a faster metabolization of the alcohol, leading to a lower peak BAC and
faster elimination process. The second type of tolerance is known as function tolerance, and
results when a person's sensitivity to alcohols effects is lowered as a result of chronic use. It
must be noted that while a person's sensitivity to alcohol's effects may be decreased, their BAC
continues to rise. One of the main medical concerns with of metabolic tolerance is that an
increase in the production of alcohol dhydrogenase and its corresponding increase in liver
activity harms the liver. Liver damage is not the only concern. Tolerance, particularly upwards of
50%, is a major warning sign of alcohol dependence and can signal a very serious concern.
Tolerance often leads to an increase in a person's total consumption of alcohol, which leads to the
aforementioned liver strain, resulting in weight gain and malnutrition (University of Rochester,
n.d.).

Alcohol abuse means having unhealthy or dangerous drinking habits, such as drinking
every single day or drinking way too much at a time. If you continue to abuse alcohol, it is likely
to lead to alcohol dependence. Alcohol dependence is also called alcoholism. If you are
dependent on alcohol you are physically and mentally addicted to it. You have a strong need, or
craving, to drink. You feel that you have to drink in order to get by. You are dependent on alcohol
if you have three or more of the following problems in a year: You cannot stop drinking or
control how much you drink, you need to drink more to get the same effect, you have withdrawal
symptoms when you stop drinking, you spend a lot of time drinking and recovering from
drinking, you have given up other activities so you can drink, you have tried to quit drinking or
to cut back the amount you drink but havent been able to, and you continue to drink even though
it harms your relationships and causes physical problems (WebMD, n.d.).
Alcohol is not an illegal substance nor does it contain any other illegal substances,
although it is illegal to consume alcohol at a certain age, depending on which state or country
you live in.
Some social issues and concerns that are associated with alcohol use are issues in the
society, workplace, and home. A person that abuses alcohol can put anyone in danger that
associates with them or comes in contact with them. If the drinker has abused alcohol before
driving they put anyone on the road at risk of getting into an accident. Drinking in the workplace
or being drunk while at work can cause many problems, such as missing work due to hangovers,
falling asleep at work, not getting things accomplished, or losing their job altogether. Alcohol use
can cause problems in the home that are very concerning, such as damaged or ruined
relationships with spouse or children, and another concern is family and domestic violence.

Works Cited
Alcohols Effects on the Body. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 February 2015, from
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/alcohols-effects-body
Boundless. (2014, October 10). Depressants. Retrieved 10 February 2015, from
https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/states-of
consciousness-6/how-psychoactive-drugs-impact-the-brain-43/depressants-185-12720/
Central Nervous System Depressants. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 February 2015, from
http://alcoholrehab.com/drug-addiction/central-nervous-system-depressants/
ethyl alcohol | chemical compound. (2014, November 13). InEncyclopdia Britannica.
Encyclopdia Britannica. Retrieved from
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/194354/ethyl-alcohol
Foundation for a Drug-Free World. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 February 2015, from
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/alcohol/a-short-history.html
Introducing the official SlideShare app. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 February 2015, from
http://www.slideshare.net/drdhriti/pharmacology-of-alcohol
Overview of Alcohol Consumption. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 February 2015, from
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption
University of Rochester. (n.d.). Retrieved 11 February 2015, from
http://www.rochester.edu/uhs/healthtopics/Alcohol/tolerance.html

WebMD. (n.d.). Alcoholism | Alcohol Dependence |Alcohol Abuse | Alcohol Addiction. WebMD.
Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/alcohol
dependence-topic-overview

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