Alcohol

home-made apple wine

Alcohol is a CNS depressant that acts through the GABAa receptor, and is one of the most common strong psychoactives used by humans. It has a long history of use and its intoxicating effects are well-studied and documented.

Alcohol when consumed by humans usually refers to an alcohol beverage, which generally contains between 3% and 40% alcohol, though certain drinks used as alcoholic beverages (though sometimes not entirely intended as such) have concentrations of alcohol up to 80%.

They are split into three classes, beers, wines and spirits. These generally refer to the method of production and, and as such general assumptions can be made about the strength of them - because of this, some countries carry a lower drinking age for wines and beer than spirits (since they are generally much less alcoholic).

History

The history of alcohol stretches back thousands of years. As the the prototypical depressant, it was intentionally produced and consumed by humans as early as 10,000 B.C., as established by the discovery of beer jugs from the late Stone Age. Further evidence shows it continued to be used throughout ancient societies around the world.

The first records of distilled alcohol was from Greek society during the 1st century during research into medical and alchemical uses. Later, between the 12th and 14th centuries, distilled alcoholic beverages were distributed throughout Europe and were used widely.

In medieval Europe, the consumption of alcohol was used as a way of avoiding water-borne diseases such as cholera. This was because the process of boiling water and fermentation with yeast involved in the production of alcohol killed dangerous bacteria.

Alcohol became only used more widely as history progressed, its use sanctioned by church establishments. When America was established, a heavy drinking culture became established with it - communal binges occurring at public events during which participants would drink heavily until intoxicated.

Today, alcohol is the most widely used recreational drug worldwide; advertised by large companies which produce and sell alcohol on a mass scale.

Effects

Positive

• Relaxation
• Mood lift, happiness, giddiness
• Increased sociability
• Lowered inhibitions & reduced social anxiety
• Analgesia (kills pain)

Neutral

• Slurred speech
• Flushed skin
• Drowsiness, sleepiness
• Nystagmus, difficulty focusing eyes
• Changed (often increased) response to sexual stimuli
• Tolerance with repeated use within a few days
• Changed aesthetic appreciation: Normally beautiful things can seem *ugly, things normally seen as ugly judged beautiful
• "Beer goggles" — Others appear more attractive
• Mild visual distortions at high doses

Negative

Negative side effects increase with higher doses

• Decreased coordination
• Nausea, vomiting (vomiting while unconscious can be fatal)
• Reduced impulse control
• Emotional volatility (anger, violence, sadness, etc)
• Reduced ability to attain/maintain erection in most males
• Increased difficulty in achieving orgasm in some females
• Frequent urination (more with beer or wine), diuretic effect
• Dizziness and confusion
• Blackouts and memory loss at high doses
• Coma and death at extreme doses
• Brain and liver damage (cirrhosis) with heavy use
• Lowered inhibitions and increased confusion can lead to unwanted and *negative sexual encounters (date rape)
• Hangover, lasting 12-36 hours, from mild to severe after heavy use
• Fetal damage in pregnant women at high dose or frequency

Harm Reduction

• Avoid driving and operating heavy machinery.

Legality and Regulation

Consumption

Despite being one of the most commonly abused drugs, and is often ranked as causing much more harm than other recreational drugs, it is largely legal for recreational use in most parts of the world.

Governments generally tax alcohol sold in their jurisdiction, which provides a source of income for the government and is said to work towards discouraging the over-use of alcohol.

Some countries, such as Canada and certain states in the USA have a government-held monopoly on the sale of alcohol for consumption in the area. This comprises of alcohol only being sold in government-owned shops, and allows the government to easily place restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol e.g. minimum prices and limits to the number of drinks a person can purchase.

Laws generally differ on one major factor, which is the legal drinking age (the age at which one is allowed to purchase or consume alcohol). Generally a 'legal drinking age' is given (ranging between 16 and 25), with some countries making a distinction between the age at which it is legal to purchase and the age at which it is legal to consume alcohol, and some do not stipulate a minimum age for consumption (making it technically legal).

Certain countries, such as Germany, also have specific age rules depending on the type of beverage. This is because certain types of alcoholic beverage (e.g. beer) generally have a lower alcohol content than others (e.g. wine, spirits).

A few countries and jurisdictions within countries, including many Muslim countries (Saudi Arabia, Iran) and certain districts in India, have an outright ban on the production, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Many local jurisdictions around the world ban public drinking under penalty of fine, though this usually comes under a local law or by-law.

Production

In most countries in which alcohol is legal, commercial production of alcohol required government licensing and taxation. For personal use, production is often allowed, with certain limitations placed on the type of alcohol (e.g. beer and wines only) or the amount permitted to be produced. Some countries require taxation and some require a licence to be issued in a similar manner to commercial production.

Driving

Most countries also have specific laws against driving under the influence of alcohol, generally stipulating a percentage for blood alcohol content which is considered permittable while driving. This stems from the well-researched fact that being under the influence of alcohol (as a [depressant]) heavily reduces alertness and ability to drive, and this leads to a much greater risk of an accident on the road either harming the individual or others.

The permittable drinking limit ranges rather heavily depending on the country, ranging between 0.00% for probationary drivers in Western Australia and 0.8% in many countries such as Canada, the UK and Ethiopia. Punishments for a violation also vary, with some countries implementing different levels of punishment depending on the blood alcohol content - however, most punishments are rather severe due to the dangerous nature of the crime and may include withdrawal of driving licence, large fines or prison time (especially with a repeat offence).