Substance Use: Alcohol & Benzodiazepines

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing key terms, mechanisms, clinical features, and treatments related to alcohol and benzodiazepine use, intoxication, withdrawal, and long-term management.

Ethanol (EtOH)

A CNS depressant that activates GABA receptors, producing sedation and impaired motor function.

GABA Receptor Activation

Enhancement of inhibitory neurotransmission leading to CNS depression; mechanism shared by alcohol and benzodiazepines.

Alcohol Intoxication

Clinical state marked by slurred speech, ataxia, stupor, or coma after excessive drinking.

Alcohol Intoxication Management

Supportive care plus thiamine and folate; gastric evacuation only if large ingestion occurred within the last hour.

Benzodiazepines

Sedative–hypnotic drugs that potentiate GABA-A chloride channels to reduce anxiety and induce sleep.

Benzodiazepine Intoxication

Drowsiness, confusion, slurred speech, incoordination, and ataxia resembling alcohol intoxication.

Flumazenil

A competitive benzodiazepine antagonist used to reverse benzodiazepine overdose.

Alcohol Withdrawal

Symptom spectrum occurring after cessation of heavy drinking, ranging from tremors to delirium tremens.

Mild Alcohol Withdrawal

Anxiety, tremors, diaphoresis, palpitations, and insomnia appearing 6–24 hours after last drink.

Alcoholic Seizures

Generalized tonic–clonic seizures that emerge 24–48 hours after alcohol cessation.

Alcoholic Hallucinosis

Visual, auditory, or tactile hallucinations with normal orientation and stable vitals, 24–48 hours after last drink.

Delirium Tremens

Severe alcohol withdrawal (48–96 h) featuring confusion, hallucinations, fever, and hypertension.

CIWA Scale

Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment tool used to gauge alcohol withdrawal severity and guide benzodiazepine dosing.

Diazepam

Long-acting benzodiazepine preferred for alcohol withdrawal in patients with normal liver function.

Lorazepam

Intermediate-acting benzodiazepine used for alcohol withdrawal in liver-impaired patients.

Banana Bag

IV mixture of thiamine, folate, and vitamins given to chronic alcohol users to prevent deficiency complications.

Benzodiazepine Withdrawal

Alcohol-like symptoms (anxiety, tremors, seizures, hallucinations) requiring slow taper with a long-acting benzodiazepine.

Alcohol Use Disorder

Maladaptive pattern of alcohol use causing impairment or distress, characterized by tolerance, cravings, and failed obligations.

Wernicke’s Encephalopathy

Thiamine-deficiency triad of nystagmus, ophthalmoplegia, and ataxia with confusion; precipitated by glucose administration.

Korsakoff Syndrome

Chronic amnestic disorder with confabulation and apathy due to untreated Wernicke’s; usually irreversible.

Naltrexone

Opioid receptor antagonist that reduces alcohol craving and reward; contraindicated in severe hepatitis.

Acamprosate

Glutamate modulator started after detox to prevent relapse; safe in liver disease but avoided in severe CKD.

Disulfiram

Aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor causing flushing, headache, vomiting, and palpitations if alcohol is consumed.

CAGE Questionnaire

Four-item screening tool (Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener) for identifying problem drinking.

AUDIT

Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test—10-question screening instrument for hazardous alcohol use.

MAST

Michigan Alcohol Screening Test—self-report questionnaire assessing lifetime alcohol-related problems.