Toxicological Guidelines for Alcohol Consumption - Literature review Example

Name : xxxxxxxxxxx Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : Toxicological guidelines for alcohol consumption Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx @2010 Toxicological guidelines for alcohol consumption Introduction Alcohol is highly consumed across the world and especailly in the well established nations like Australia. Its effects are raising a number of major medical and social problems. Although most of the drunkards assume its positive effects, it has more of the negative effects especially on the human bodies. Historically, health professionals were advocating for consumption of little alcohol with the perception of its health benefits and its ability to protect against disorders like coronary heart diseases, however, the benefits of moderate consumption of alcohol are controversial. This is raising the concern of the government officials when struggling hard to regulate the amount of alcohol that is consumed and the effects that it is likely to have on the public. The Literature below is a draft a report on the health implications of the consumption of alcoholic beverages by people of various ages within the Australian community which was requested by the Government agency. It considers specific areas like the level of alcohol consumption that can be harmful, the kind of pathology which may be seen and the possible health benefits. It will also look into the adverse effects with reference to the supporting evidence. The referred specific question is `who are the most consumers of alcohol and at what level?’ (Saggers & Gray, 2002). Alcohol consumption Alcohol is widely consumed and enjoyed in most of the Australian societies altghough it is a depresant drug which causes most of its users to become less inhibited and if its level of consumption is increased it can lead tounconsciousness or death. It is assumed that low to moderate consumption of alcohol has some protective effects on the health of the individuals. According to the records of various National Health Surveys carried out the proportion of people drinking at a risk or high risk levels kept increasing for the last three processes carried out between 1995 and 2005-2005. In 1995 it was 8.2 %, in 2001 was 10.8% and in 2004 to 2005 it had incraesed to 13.4%. (Allen & Megan, 2007), The figure above shows the analyses of the three survey processes carried out in Australia. In 2004 -2005, 12 % of the female adults and 15 % of the male adults were found to have been drinking at risky or high risk levels while 43% of females and 55% of males were found to have been drinking at low levels. The increase of the number of females reported to be drinking at risk or high risk levels is more than those of the males with their entries increasing from 6.2% to 11.7% while those of the men increased from 10.3% to 15.2% (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009). Risky/high risk alcohol consumption  The survey was later considered in terms of age groups between the two sexes. Proportions of females and males consuming alcohol at risky and high risk levels were highest in the middle ages and the proportion has also increased over time. In the survey carried out between 2004 and 2005, 18% of the males whose age is between 45-54 years were found to be risk and high risk consumers of alcohol. This is compared to 2001 when the entry was 15% and 1995 when the recorded percentage was 12%. In the same survey the value of females aged between 45-54 years were found to be risky or high risk drunkard. This is compared to 10% recorded in 2001 and 6.7% recorded in 1995 (Plaut, 1997). Risky/high risk alcohol consumption by age According to the National Health Survey carried out in 2004 to 2005among the list of the people aged between 18 years and above, 4% of females and 12% of the males were found to have consumed risky and high risk levels of alcohol for the previous 12 months. Of the large bracket of those who aged between 18-24 years were drinking almost at the risk levels . 19% of the males and 11% of the females in the group were consuming alcohol at risk or high risk levels for the last one week in the 12 months. Under-age drinking in Australia According to Allen & Megan, (2007), Australian children are more vulnerable to alcohol than the adults, according to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), children are physically smaller and lack good experience of consuming alcohol and its effects. The council also concluded that when the young people are intoxicated they are most likely to carelessly involve themselves in risky activities like: driving, swimming, physical and verbal abuses, unplanned or unsafe sex hence are emotionally or physically hurt. During the 2004 National Health survey it was discovered that the teenagers in the age bracket of 14-19 years drink at risk and highly risk levels on daily basis and at long term. 77% of the boys were discovered to be consuming regular strength beer whereas 85% of the girls consume bottled spirits and liqueurs. Positive effects of alcohol Initially, some doctors promoted consumption of alcohol especially in low levels due to its positive effects in the social and physical health of people. There is a medical evidence of its cardiovascular benefits of drinking at most 1-2 drinks per day however, of recent the assumed health benefits of the moderate consumption of alcohol is controversial because the alcoholic industries as well as the pharmaceuticals are exaggerating the health benefits of alcohol and instead of having the positive effects on the body are regarded to as recreational drugs hence are not recommended for cardio protection (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009). Some medical experts argue that low consumption of alcohol is associated with reducing the development of some physical complications like heart diseases, for example, vascular dementia, diabetes and gallstones. Alcohol also helps to reduce the occurrence of the ischemic stroke as a result of the occlusion of the blood arteries in the brain because of the plaque build up, these disorders are among the leading killers in America. The public health agencies argue that the moderate consumers of alcohol have lengthy lifespan than the abstainers hence according to the Australians; completely abstaining from alcohol is a health risk and is likely to result to premature death (Hore & Plant, 1998). Hore & Plant, (1998) argue that social well being or pleasure is another benefit of moderate alcohol. Most of the people can be said to be socially developed when they are drunk than when they are sober. This is because they become jovial and are able to interact and talk more with anybody. They also develop some courage which enables them to face or tackle any social issue in life. Alcohol also plays a great role in digestion. It inhibits the process of breaking down of nutrients to the usable molecules by reducing the secretion of enzymes of digestion from the pancreas. Moderate alcohol also functions to impair the process of nutrient absorption by the cells lining the walls of the stomach and both intestines as well as disabling the transportation of the necessary nutrients in the blood (Plaut, 1997). Alcohol is also a good source of energy which is necessary in the body for all the processes taking place in it. The carbohydrates and fats deposits are converted into simple products hence used as energy in the body for metabolic reactions and physical exercises. Negative effects of alcohol The few benefits of moderate consumption of alcohol are outweighed by its many negative effects as a result of risky or high risk consumption. The circumstance under which alcohol is consumed highly determines the extend of its intoxication, for example, consuming more alcohol after consuming a heavy meal may reduce its rate of absorption hence the blood alcohol content is very low. The cell membranes are more permeable to alcohol. Once alcohol reaches in the bloodstream it easily diffuses to all body tissues. Drinking excessively can lead to unconsciousness hence alcohol poisoning. Thus concentration of alcohol depends on the level of the body fluids; the amount of total body water because alcohol is soluble in water. The weight of the individual is also necessary in determining the level of alcoholic intoxication. Heavy consumption of alcohol in Australia is considered like a cultural norm transported into the nation together with the other Anglo-Celtic cultural baggage. During the colonisation period, the Europeans transferred their culture of excessive drinking to the Australians. In the 19th century, some of the European cities took alcohol like water as well as food and nutrition mostly because of the problem of pollution. All these led to the problem of heavy drinking which was later brought to Australia. The adaption of the heavy drinking in Australia has led to neglecting the indigenous activities and formed a general culture of drinking irrespective of the age and social class. According Clements & Johnson (1998), the cultural of excessive consumption of alcohol in Australia has led to various social, physical and economical problems. Most of the young people especially the under-age may not have enough experience hence when they involve themselves in excessive drinking, they may carelessly engage themselves in dangerous activities such as driving when they are drunk and swimming hence they cause body harm like road accident or even drown in water. The young people who engage in excessive drinking while still in school may experience blackouts or memory loss during the period of excessive drinking hence not concentrate in school. This may also lead to poor performance in school because the student may not be able to finish his or her assignments in hence has a bad relationship with the teachers. In Australia, memory loss due to excess drinking is reported by a large number of students who are in under the bracket of the drunkard who are not able to narrate all the incidences which happened for the past one year. Some of the fatalities like injuries are also common with the drunkard especially if they are too drunk hence are unconscious. They also engage themselves risky activities such as unsafe or unplanned sexual behaviour hence they are likely to contract serious and dangerous diseases such as AIDs and other sexual transmitted diseases. Many of the Australians consume alcohol at harmful levels hence are prone to short-term risks of harm related with to consumption of high levels of alcohol at ago and long term-term risks related with consistence consumption of excess alcohol for a long period of time. In 2007, 60.8% of the Australians who are over 14 years of age were reported to be drinking alcohol to levels which involve low risk harm, however, at least one person in every ten over 14 years old were reported to drinking at levels which can be termed as being risky to handle or for any health of a human being. The National Health Survey shows that approximately 90% of the population have tried drinking at least at the age of 14 and at the age of 18 most of them both females and males drink at risky levels (Clements & Johnson, 1998). Pathology of alcohol Alcohol intoxication is a state in which a person or organism has a high level of ethanol in the blood stream which causes the physiological state known as drunkenness or inebriate. The symptoms of this condition includes: euphoria, poor coordination, reduced inhibition, erratic behaviour and in harsh cases may lead to loss of muscles for the entire body (ataxia) and coma. The condition may a times develop to Acute alcohol intoxication in which there are high levels of alcohol in bloodstream together with the state of drunkenness. This term is used by the healthcare providers mostly in emergency cases. The drug alcohol especially the ethanol is a central nervous system depressant with a variety of side effects. The rate at which the alcohol is absorbed into the blood depends on the amount of blood and water in the body thus the concentration of alcohol in the blood is measured in terms of blood alcohol content. Ethanol is metabolised to acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase which is contained in many tissues like the gastric mucosa. As a person continues drinking he becomes sleepy or falls in a stupor. Hence the respiratory system becomes depressed and the person slowly stops breathing, this is a common source of most of the deaths especially the youths who drink carelessly. These are referred to as comatose patients who either result in vomitus in the lungs or may develop pneumonia complications if they develop (N.S.W. Temperance Alliance, 2000). Barry et al, (2001) note that although it is not concluded or set aside that a small modest average intake of alcohol is associated with increased longevity as a result of the reduction in loss of life due to cardiovascular disorder. Increased intake of alcohol especially at risky levels is assumed to be the causes of most of the physical and psychological disorders. Alcohol may not be unrecognised as the origins of somatic diseases. In order to determine whether a person is intoxicated, it is essential to have a history of their behaviour while they are sober to have a baseline for ruling out a pre-existing condition like hypoglycaemia, mental health issues and so on. Various well known criteria can be used to determine or come up with the most probable diagnosis. The most definite diagnosis involves a blood test for the content of alcohol in it; this is performed as part of toxicology screen. It becomes difficult to diagnose the uninhibited patients who fear legal consequences hence they do not disclose the necessary information. Emergency treatment for acute alcohol intoxication works to stabilize the patient and maintain their respiratory system while awaiting the alcohol metabolize. It also protects the airway from aspirating the contents of the stomach which can lead to development of the aspiration pneumonia. Other complications which can result from the conditions such as low or high blood pressure can be treated with dextrose solution and saline flush as ethanol induced hypoglycaemia is unresponsive to glucagon. The process also helps to monitor the occurrence of other vital signs such as respiratory disorders and administer the important vitamin thiamine which is necessary in the prevention of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome which can cause other complications like convulsions (Stockwell, Leng, & Sturge, 2005). Conclusion Alcoholism is considered as one of the customs or cultural activities in all the communities across Australia. People under all age groups are consumers of alcohol, the young people involve themselves in alcoholism when they are as young as 14 years of age and by the time they turn 18 they consume it at risk or high risk levels such that some experience long-term effects. It has both positive and negative effects in the social, psychological and physical development of the individuals although with the increase in the volume that is consumed, the negative effects seem to outweigh the positive effects hence it is not accepted in most of the communities. The positive effects include its importance in the digestive system and prevent development of complications such as vascular dementia, diabetes and gallstones. Its development of the social wellbeing is another important effect of alcoholic because the individuals develop some courage which can enable those encounters and solve any social problem or be able to interact with anybody. On the other hand, alcohol is assumed to be the cause of most of the medical problems. If consumed at high levels, it can result to physical disorders such as problem of the liver, pneumonia, convulsions and heart attacks or eventually the victims can die. Bibliography Clements K. W. & Johnson L. W., 1998, Alcohol consumption in Australia: a system-wide analysis, New South Wales Drug and Alcohol Authority, NSW. Stockwell, T., Leng, J., and Sturge, J., 2005, "Alcohol pricing and public health in Canada: Issues and opportunities", discussion paper prepared by the Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia, University of Victoria. N.S.W. Temperance Alliance, 2000, Alcohol consumption in Australia. N.S.W. Temperance Alliance,NSW. T Chikritzhs, PR Pascal and P Jones 2004, Under-Aged Drinking Among 14-17 Year Olds and Related Harms in Australia, National Alcohol Indicators, Bulletin No.7, National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology, Perth. Hore B. D., Plant M. A., 1998, Alcohol problems in employment. Croom Helm books on alcoholism, London. Saggers, S. Gray D., 2002, Dealing with alcohol: indigenous usage in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Plaut T. F., 1997, Alcohol problems: a report to the Nation: Cooperative Commission on the Study of Alcoholism, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Barry, K., Oslin, D. W. , Blow F., 2001, Alcohol problems in older adults: prevention and management, Springer Publishing Company, Melbourne. Allen, J. P., & Megan C., 2007, Assessing Alcohol Problems: A Guide for Clinicians and Researchers, DIANE Publishing, New Yor. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009, Alcohol Consumption in Australia. Retrieved October 26, 2010 from < http://abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/4832.0.55.001/> Chikritzhs, P. & Jones, P., 2004, Under-Aged Drinking Among 14-17 Year Olds and Related Harms in Australia, National Alcohol Indicators, Bulletin No.7, National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University of Technology, Perth. Read More