Chapter 13

Question 1

Alcohol dehydrogenase

Answer 1

A liver enzyme that metabolizes alcohol into aldehyde.

Question 2

Aldehyde dehydrogenase

Answer 2

An enzyme that converts aldehyde to acetic acid.

Question 3

Ethanol

Answer 3

The variety of alcohol used in beverages.

Question 4

Tolerance

Answer 4

The need for increasing levels of a drug in order to produce a
constant level of effect.

Question 5

Dependence

Answer 5

A condition in which a drug becomes incorporated into the functioning of the body’s cells so that it is needed for “normal” functioning.

Question 6

Withdrawal

Answer 6

Adverse physiological reactions exhibited when a drug-dependent person stops using that drug; the withdrawal symptoms are typically unpleasant and opposite to the drug’s effects.

Question 7

Delirium tremens

Answer 7

A condition induced by alcohol withdrawal and characterized by excessive trembling, sweating, anxiety, and hallucinations.

Question 8

Addiction

Answer 8

Dependence on a drug such that stopping its use results in withdrawal symptoms.

Question 9

Cirrhosis

Answer 9

A liver disease resulting in the production of nonfunctional
scar tissue.

Question 10

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

Answer 10

A pattern of physical and psychological symptoms found in infants whose mothers drank heavily during pregnancy.

Question 11

alcohol myopia

Answer 11

a state of shortsightedness in which superficially understood, immediate aspects of experience have a disproportionate influence on behavior and emotion, a state in which we can see the tree, albeit more dimly, but miss the forest altogether

Question 12

drunken excess

Answer 12

the tendency for those who drink to behave more excessively.

Question 13

self-inflation

Answer 13

a tendency to inflate self-evaluations.

Question 14

drunken relief

Answer 14

people who drink tend to worry less and pay less attention to their worries.

Question 15

Spontaneous remission

Answer 15

Disappearance of problem behavior or illness without treatment

Question 16

Disulfiram

Answer 16

A drug that causes an aversive reaction when taken with
alcohol; used to treat alcoholism; Antabuse

Question 17

Dopamine

Answer 17

A neurotransmitter that is especially important in mediating
the reward associated with taking psychoactive drugs.

Question 18

Stimulants

Answer 18

Psychoactive drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, nicotine, and caffeine that tend to elevate mood, arouse action, reduce feelings of fatigue, and decrease appetite.

Question 19

Amphetamines

Answer 19

One type of stimulant drug

Question 20

Cocaine

Answer 20

A stimulant drug extracted from the coca plant

Question 21

Marijuana

Answer 21

A drug derived from the resin of the cannabis sativa plant. The effects of marijuana abuse include memory impairment, altered thought process, feelings of relaxation and euphoria, impaired coordination, and increased appetite.

Question 22

Anabolic steroids

Answer 22

Steroid drugs that increase muscle bulk and decrease body fat but also have toxic effects.

Question 23

What are the major trends in alcohol consumption?

Answer 23

Alcohol consumption in the United States reached a peak during the early 1800s, dropped sharply during the mid-1800s as a result of the “temperance” movement, and continued at a steady rate until a sharp decline during Prohibition. Currently, rates of alcohol consumption in the United States are holding steady after a period of slow decline. About two-thirds of adults drink; half are classified as current, regular drinkers, including 23% as binge drinkers and 7% as heavy drinkers. Adult European Americans have higher rates of drinking than members of other ethnic groups, but the patterns of alcohol consumption vary in countries around the world.

Question 24

What are the health effects of drinking alcohol?

Answer 24

Prolonged heavy drinking of alcohol often leads to cirrhosis of the liver and other serious health problems, such as heart disease and brain dysfunction. Moderate drinking may have certain long-range health benefits, including reduced heart disease and lowered probability of developing gallstones, Type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease, but these advantages apply to middle-aged and older individuals who maintain a light level of drinking. Younger people experience no health benefits from alcohol intake.

Question 25

Why do people drink?

Answer 25

Models for drinking behavior should explain why people begin drinking, why some can drink in moderation, and why others drink to excess. The disease model, Cognitive-physiological models, including the tension reduction hypothesis and alcohol myopia, and Social learning theory

Question 26

How can people change problem drinking?

Answer 26

Alcoholics Anonymous is the most popular but not the most effective treatment program. Brief interventions oriented toward enhancing motivation, such as motivational interviewing, and cognitive behavioral interventions are more effective. Pharmacological treatments such as naltrexone, acamprosate, and disulfiram can also be useful components in a treatment program and are more effective when combined with behavioral techniques.

Question 27

What problems are associated with relapse?

Answer 27

Relapse is common among heavy drinkers who have quit, although many are able to maintain abstinence or to decrease their alcohol intake. Most relapses occur during the first 3 months after quitting. After a year, about 65% of all successful quitters have resumed drinking, some in a harmful manner. The knowledge of frequent relapse has led to the creation of follow-up relapse prevention treatment and the growing opinion that problem drinking should be considered a chronic condition.

Question 28

What are the health effects of other drugs?

Answer 28

Other drugs—including depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, marijuana, and anabolic steroids— have had some medical use, but they are also potentially harmful to health. The principal problems from most of these drugs are social, but the use of any drug brings physical risks, which may include coma, heart attack, or respiratory failure. Treatments for drug abuse are similar to those for alcohol abuse, and programs aimed at prevention are similar to those aimed at preventing smoking.