Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Alcohol is the most available, widely consumed, and widely misused recreational drug. Beer alone is the world's most widely consumed [86] alcoholic beverage; it is the third-most popular drink overall, after water and tea. [87] It is thought by some to be the oldest fermented beverage.
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is defined as a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. Excessive alcohol use can lead to health-related illness and continuous alcohol engagement can ultimately lead to death.
Alcohol use is a major cause of preventable liver disease worldwide, and alcoholic liver disease is the main alcohol-related chronic medical illness. Millions of people of all ages, from adolescents to the elderly, engage in unhealthy drinking. In the United States, excessive alcohol use costs more than $249 billion annually.
Alcohols (medicine) Ethanol is a commonly used medical alcohol. Alcohols, in various forms, are used within medicine as an antiseptic, disinfectant, and antidote. [1] Alcohols applied to the skin are used to disinfect skin before a needle stick and before surgery. [2] They may be used both to disinfect the skin of the person and as hand ...
The Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol, commonly abbreviated as CIWA or CIWA-Ar (revised version), is a 10-item scale used in the assessment and management of alcohol withdrawal. [1] [2] Each item on the scale is scored independently, and the summation of the scores yields an aggregate value that correlates to the severity of ...
Alcohol dependence refers to an entity in which only alcohol is the involved addictive agent. Alcoholism refers to an entity in which alcohol or any cross-tolerant addictive agent is involved. In alcohol dependence, reduction of alcohol, as defined within DSM-IV, can be attained by learning to control the use of alcohol.
The short-term effects of alcohol consumption range from a decrease in anxiety and motor skills and euphoria at lower doses to intoxication (drunkenness), to stupor, unconsciousness, anterograde amnesia (memory "blackouts"), and central nervous system depression at higher doses. Cell membranes are highly permeable to alcohol, so once it is in ...
Alcohol has both short-term, and long-term effects on the memory, and sleep. It also has reinforcement-related adverse effects, including addiction, dependence, and withdrawal. Alcohol use is directly related to considerable morbidity and mortality, for instance due to overdose and alcohol-related health problems.