Alcohol
What is alcohol use disorder (AUD)?
For most adults, moderate alcohol use is probably not harmful. However, about 18 million adult Americans have an alcohol use disorder (AUD). This means that their drinking causes distress and harm. AUD can range from mild to severe, depending on the symptoms. Severe AUD is sometimes called alcoholism or alcohol dependence.
AUD is a disease that causes:
- Craving - a strong need to drink
- Loss of control - not being able to stop drinking once you've started
- Negative emotional state - feeling anxious and irritable when you are not drinking
Binge drinking is drinking so much at once that your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level is 0.08% or more. For a man, this usually happens after having 5 or more drinks within a few hours. For a woman, it is after about 4 or more drinks within a few hours. Not everyone who binge drinks has an AUD, but they are at higher risk for getting one.
What are the dangers of too much alcohol?Too much alcohol is dangerous. Heavy drinking can increase the risk of certain cancers. It may lead to liver diseases, such as fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. It can also cause damage to the brain and other organs. Drinking during pregnancy can harm your baby. Alcohol also increases the risk of death from car crashes, injuries, homicide, and suicide.
How do I know if I have an alcohol use disorder (AUD)?You may have an AUD if you can answer yes to two or more of these questions:
In the past year, have you:
- Ended up drinking more or for a longer time than you had planned to?
- Wanted to cut down or stop drinking, or tried to, but couldn't?
- Spent a lot of your time drinking or recovering from drinking?
- Felt a strong need to drink?
- Found that drinking - or being sick from drinking - often interfered with your family life, job, or school?
- Kept drinking even though it was causing trouble with your family or friends?
- Given up or cut back on activities that you enjoyed just so you could drink?
- Gotten into dangerous situations while drinking or after drinking? Some examples are driving drunk and having unsafe sex.
- Kept drinking even though it was making you feel depressed or anxious? Or when it was adding to another health problem?
- Had to drink more and more to feel the effects of the alcohol?
- Had withdrawal symptoms when the alcohol was wearing off? They include trouble sleeping, shakiness, irritability, anxiety, depression, restlessness, nausea, and sweating. In severe cases, you could have a fever, seizures, or hallucinations.
If you have any of these symptoms, your drinking may already be a cause for concern. The more symptoms you have, the more serious the problem is.
What should I do if I think that I might have an alcohol use disorder (AUD)?If you think you might have an AUD, see your health care provider for an evaluation. Your provider can help make a treatment plan, prescribe medicines, and if needed, give you treatment referrals.
NIH: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Physician's Materia Medica on Alcohol
A powerful antiseptic and germicide, also an energetic and rapid poison; used internally as an anti-emetic and a gastric and in testinal antiseptic. Locally it acts as an anesthetic and cauterant. The liquified acid is applied in full strength to cauterize or thoroughly cleanse infected wounds, followed by strongalcohol to neu tralize its devitalizing effects. Carbolated oil (10 grs. to the ounce) or a carbolated ointment of similar strength, is one of the best dress ings for burns, scalds and i1
A compound soluble in alcohol. but not in water. Antiseptic; prescribed especially for relief of night sweats. Dose 0.6 to 2.0 Grm. (10 to 30 grs.).1
Medicinally prescribed when the normal hydrochloric acid is de ficient in the gastric secretions as is the case in typhoid fever, in can cer of the stomach and in the gastric disturbances following alcoholic excesses. Dose of the oflicial diluted acid (10%), 0.6 to 1.6 c. c. (10 to 20 M).1
The stimulant most often used and perhaps also most often mis used. The indication for its use is depressed cardiac action, whether due to shock or to lowered vitality. Alcoholic drinks, vinous or malt ed, serve a good purpose also in some cases in promoting appetite and aiding digestion, but they cannot be prescribed indiscriminately for these effects. As active stimulants whiskey or brandy are most e lcient; gin may be prescribed when a diuretic action is desired; brandy in small doses may rel1
A solution in a somewhat alcoholic menstruum of Oils of Eucalyp tus and Gaultheria, Thymoi, Menthol and Benzoic and Boric Acids, together with Fluid Extract of Baptisia. A non-irritant, non-toxic antiseptic, used internally in teaspoon ful doses as a gastric or intestinal antiseptic, but more commonly in the form of spray, gargle or lotion wherever a local antiseptic action is desired. For a gargle, mix one part with one of glycerin and two to four of water; for a nasal douche, 1 part with 3 to 1
A stimulant rather than a food; promotes appetite and increases the activity of the emunctories. Equally useful in the form of a hot broth or "tea” or combined with an alcoholic stimulant" wine. whis key or brandy.1
Action resembles that of alcohol, but more transient; cardiac stimulant, general anesthetic. relaxant. Most commonly given by inhalation. A spray is sometimes used to produce local anesthesia by cold. Dose, 2 to 8 c. c. (30 Ill to 2 fluidrachms) or more.1
Derivative from OIL OF TURPENTINE. A crystalline substance. soluble in alcohol but not in water, a fact to remember in prescribing. Used chiefly as a stimulant expectorant and said to be very eflicacious in hay fever. Dose, 0.06 to 0.30 Grm. (1 to 5 grs.) in hay fever; as adiuretic as much as 1 Grm. (15 grs.), three times a day.1
Tonic, antispasnmdic, astringent. Used internally as a nerve sedative in epilepsy, hysteria, chronic alcoholism, etc.; as a remedy of unquestioned value in colliquative sweats, also in diarrhea, par ticularly of dysenteric type. Its most important use, however. is as a soothing and protecting application, in form of an ointment, to burns, scalds, ulcers, wounds, fissures, moist eruptions of the skin, etc. Dose, 0.06 to 0.50 Grm. (1 to 8 grs.).1