Understanding blood alcohol content BAC is a key to understand how alcohol will affect your body and the dangers of alcohol poisoning. BAc measures the ratio of alcohol in the blood. So, for example, a BAC of. If you are curious to learn more about BAC, you can use one of the many resources that are available to you. For example, there are BAC calculators online in which you put your gender, weight, and drink numbers in to help calculate your BAC.
Ethanol has been produced since prehistoric times. This is generally done through the fermentation of fruit juices. The juices are stored in a sealed container. When making commercial alcohol other ingredients are added such as sugars and starches. Ethanol is called grain alcohol because it is often made from grains such as corn, wheat, rye, and barley.
During generally yields a solution that is only 12 to 15 percent alcohol, however, the solution can be distilled to raise the ethanol content to as high as 95 percent. ETOH as mentioned before, is the chemical term to refer to ethanol alcohol, grain alcohol, or just alcohol.
There are a number of different types of alcohol that is used for consumption. The primary forms of drinking alcohol are beer, wine, and distilled spirits. Many understand that these different styles of alcohol all of different potencies. With generally being the weakest and spirits being the strongest. This can make it hard for some to judge the amount of alcohol they have consumed and to know when it gets to a dangerous level. While many people understand the differences between beer, wine, and spirit, some may not understand what a standard drink is.
This is why it is important to know how much alcohol your drink contains. In the United states, one drink contains about 14 grams or pure alcohol. In other words, a standard drink is considered:. Having an excessive amount of drinks may be one sign that you could be dealing with issues related to alcohol disorder. However, the a more telling sign of alcohol use disorder is how the substance affects and changes you and your life.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, an estimated 16 million people in the United States suffer from alcohol use disorder. To be diagnosed with alcohol use disorder, a person must meet certain criteria that is outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The current DSM has a number of different criteria to help someone determine if they may be dealing with some form of alcohol use disorder.
To determine if you or a loved one may have an alcohol use disorder, the DSM asks you a number of questions. Some signs of alcohol intoxication can include: Slurred speech Impaired coordination Bloodshot eyes Difficulty walking or standing Disorientation Anxiety Irritability Furthermore, because an addiction to alcohol is all-consuming for the individual, it can create problems at home, school, and work.
In the past year, have you: Had times when you ended up drinking more, or longer than you intended? Spent a lot of time drinking, being sick from drinking or getting over the aftereffects?
Noticed that drinking, or being sick from drinking, has created problems or interfered with taking care of your home or family. Has it created job or school problems? Kept drinking even though it was causing problems with friends or family? Neglected or cut down on the activities that once were important to you or gave you pleasure, in order to drink? Participated in activities that could cause you harm driving, swimming, using machinery, walking in a dangerous area, unsafe sex more than once as a result of your drinking?
Kept drinking even though it caused negative consequences to your health, created anxiety or depression, or added to another health problem? Or after repeated blackouts? Have had to drink more and more to get the desired effect or have found that your usual number of drinks has a lesser effect than it once did?
Published online January 8, Ethanol Toxicity. In: StatPearls [Internet]. National Center for Biotechnology Information All content is for informational purposes only. No material on this site, whether from our doctors or the community, is a substitute for seeking personalized professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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Here are a few examples: Etoh withdrawal : Alcohol withdrawal is symptoms that occur when someone stops alcohol after a period of heavy drinking. When individuals use the word EtOH, it may be an attempt to take away any negative charge surrounding excessive drinking habits. Softening the language may make substance abuse appear more acceptable than it is. However, alcohol is a central nervous system CNS depressant that slows brain activity and has addictive properties.
In many cases, individuals can build tolerance and become physically dependent. Heavy, chronic alcohol consumption, like binge drinking , may lead to alcoholism or alcohol use disorder AUD. An AUD can result in severe health effects, like organ damage or death.
Different industrial products and alcoholic drinks like moonshine have high-proof ethanol. That type of EtOHis pure or closer to pure than that found in other substances. However, drinking pure ethyl alcohol, especially from fuel, poses dangerous health risks. The alcohol content can be twice the amount in typical liquors like rum. Individuals drinking pure EtOH will not need to consume much alcohol before blood alcohol concentration levels rise, and alcohol effects occur. If not careful, individuals can experience alcohol poisoning and suffer other serious side effects.
Some personal care or cleaning products tend to add a denaturant, like a bitter flavoring, to make the alcohol unsuitable for drinking. Ethanol has multiple harmful effects on the body. It affects the central nervous system CNS , liver, and pancreas. The effects of alcohol can become even more dangerous to health when individuals consume too much ethanol over an extended period. For example, the liver helps metabolize ethanol. The hepatic organ breaks down the substance into acetaldehyde, a highly toxic compound, to convert into acetate byproduct.
In normal and healthy processes, there is no significant health problem. However, chronic ethanol overexposure may contribute to a build-up of acetaldehyde that results in organ damage and liver cirrhosis improper functioning due to massive scarring.
In more severe cases, such liver damage can lead to death. I nflammation of the pancreas is also possible.
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