Alcoholism, Dependence, and Health Effects Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, physiological impacts, psychological disorders, and concepts related to alcoholism and alcohol dependence.

Alcohol Abuse

The excessive and harmful consumption of alcoholic beverages that can damage body organs such as the liver, brain, and heart, leading to health, social, and economic problems.

Alcoholism

The chronic dependence on alcohol requiring proper medical supervision and support from family and friends to break the habit and overcome addiction.

Alcoholic

A person who is chronically dependent on alcohol and engages in heavy drinking that affects their nervous system, vision, walk, and speech.

Acetaldehyde

A toxic substance produced in the liver when alcohol is converted during oxidation.

Fatty Liver Syndrome

A condition affecting 75% of alcoholics where the liver accumulates fat instead of metabolizing it, lowering the production of enzymes and structural proteins and causing liver swelling.

Cirrhosis

A serious degeneration of the liver following fatty liver syndrome, in which the liver shrinks and hardens as liver cells are replaced by fibrous tissue.

Gastritis

A painful inflammation of the stomach lining caused by high doses of alcohol, particularly when consumed on an empty stomach.

Perspiration

The process by which sweat is produced and released from the sweat glands onto the skin to help regulate body temperature and remove small amounts of waste products.

Alcohol Psychosis

A mental disorder affecting about 1 in 10 alcoholics, characterized by confusion, delirium, visual horrors, hallucinations, trembling, and memory loss of recent events.

Delirium Tremors (D.T.'s)

Uncontrolled trembling experienced by a person suffering from alcohol psychosis as a result of experiencing visual horrors.

Reaction Time

The length of time a person takes to respond to a stimulus, which normally averages about $2/3\text{rd}$ of a second but increases significantly in a drunken driver.

Dealcoholism

A gradual recovery process to overcome alcohol addiction through finding underlying problems, receiving medical care, managing withdrawal symptoms, and receiving support from family, friends, and voluntary organizations.

Addiction

A mental illness defined by physical and psychological dependence that results in continued alcohol use despite detrimental effects due to a psychological attachment to temporary feelings of well-being.

Dependence

The tendency of the body to manifest characteristic and unpleasant withdrawal symptoms if regular doses of alcohol are stopped abruptly.

Withdrawal Symptoms

Unpleasant manifestations—such as anxiety, diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, twitching, tremors, headache, and decreased concentration—that occur when regular doses of alcohol are stopped abruptly.