Alcohol Informational Packet

• "Alcohol is a Drug" by James W. Mell (Alpha Alpha '64)

• Part I - Alcohol: The Drug

• Part II - Alcoholism

PLEASE NOTE: The information contained herein was written and prepared by Brother James W. Mell. James is the President of Step Ahead, Inc., an education and counseling service for the chemically addicted and their families. Feel free to check out their web site at:

http://www.stepaheadinc.org

Thanks, Brother Mell, for your hard work and dedication!

"Alcohol is a Drug"

Dear Brother Phi Kap:

Over the last decade the social consciousness regarding many dangers and abuses in our society has taken a quantum leap forward. Nicotine has finally been recognized for its addictive pharmacology as well as carcinogenic involvement. Drugs of a mood and mind altering nature, including marijuana, have become the object of multi-faceted studies designed to further the protection of society from the negative aspects of such substances. Unfortunately, this has occurred primarily as the result of personal and collective tragedies, rather than academic enlightenment. As a member of the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity, I witnessed such tragedies as death, maiming, sexual abuses, and personal degradation resulting from the most widely used and abused drugs of all ? alcohol. No drug in the history of humanity has been associated with more pleasure and caused more traumas than alcohol. We are a society that on one hand sees alcohol as a wonderful social lubricant, an enhancement of celebrations and a symbol of trustworthiness. On the other hand we recognize alcohol abuse and addiction as the major contributor to family destruction, health problems and social recklessness, costing industry and society billions of dollars annually.

The Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity has traditionally prided itself on fulfilling its mission of being a responsible, contributing member of the university/college community and the community-at-large. In keeping with this part of our mission, reassessing our position on the use of alcohol on-premises and in general is long overdue. Our purpose in printing this pamphlet is to provide each brother with the facts about alcohol, believing that such information will lead to more sensible views about the place of alco hol in our fraternal structure.

Sincerely,

James W. Mell

Alpha Alpha, '64

Part I ? Alcohol: The Drug
1. Alcohol is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant. It is a sedative drug ? an anesthetic. As such its effect is to put the central nervous system to sleep in a progressive manner. This sedation process begins with the outer part of the brain, controlling the fine-tuning of our judgment center, and concludes with anesthetizing the inner most recesses where vital functions are regulated, such as breathing, reflexes and pulse. Actually, ether is alcohol minus the water!

2. Alcohol is a toxic substance. Hence being "under the influence" is synonymous with "intoxication." A toxic substance is pharmacologically classified as poisonous. Therefore, most literally to be intoxicated is to be in a state of being poisoned. It is significant to note on this point that the body?s primary effort in the presence of alcohol is to render it harmless. It does so by metabolizing it to carbon dioxide and water, which are eliminated from the system in bodily waste and, to a small degree, respiratory fluids. Normal metabolizing takes place in the liver. A normal healthy functioning liver will metabolize approximately 3Ú4 to 1 ounce of 90 proof alcohol an hour. This is the amount found in a single "shot" of distilled liquors, one 12-ounce can of beer, 4 to 5 ounces of table wine (Chablis, Sauternes, Bordeaux, etc.), or 3 to 4 ounces of fortified wine (Sherry, Port Wine, etc.) The body is also capable of building a tolerance to alcohol and other toxic substances, requiring greater consumption to achieve the same level of effect.

3. Alcohol combined with other mood and mind changing drugs produces a synergistic effect. Sometimes this is known as "potentiation." Simply put, the combination of one drug and one drug does not equal the strength of two drugs. Rather, it may make the strength of four, six, eight or more drugs. This property of alcohol makes it extremely dangerous to use while other medications or CNS drugs are in the system! This synergistic effect causes many deaths annually as well as tens of thousands of trips to hospital emergency rooms because of adverse reactions to multiple drug use.

4. Alcohol has many sensations and effects because of the above attributes. They include nausea, euphoria ("high"), burning, unconsciousness, loss of coordination, suffocation, loss of control over bodily functions, and dizziness. Any and all of these are potentially hazardous and have led to embarrassment, accidents and even death. Some effects in the one to two drink range include gross drinking behavior (overtly different behavior from a person?s nontoxic state), shifts in attitude and tone of voice, interference with inhibitions, and hearing impairment (usually resulting in inappropriately raised or loud voices.) At the level of three to four drinks (i.e.- two cocktails and a glass of wine) the voluntary motor system becomes impaired resulting in loss of eye/hand coordination. The consequences of this effect are often termed "accidents," of the social indiscretion type. Ultimately these symptoms escalate from the mild to the severe as consumption increases. Staggering, slurring of speech and poor coordination may appear. Remember, sedation is occurring. As a result the person with the impaired brain function will be the last to recognize the impairment, since the first faculty to be affected is judgment. Further consumption will lead to involuntary motor function impairment. This may result in loss of consciousness and compromised vital functions. In the extreme it can lead to death. You Can Overdose On Alcohol!

5. Alcohol is alcohol. Wood or grain alcohol is NOT the beverage form. Unfortunately, it has been used in beverages resulting in damage to the optic nerves, including blindness. Ethyl alcohol (C₂H₅OH) is beverage alcohol. The alcohol in beer, wine, and distilled liquors is ethyl alcohol. They differ only in the percentage of alcohol by volume they contain. They are NOT different types of alcohol.

6. Alcohol is not digested. Unlike any other substance, other than those used intravenously, alcohol does not go through the digestion process. Because alcohol is both fat and water soluble, much of it is absorbed directly through the stomach lining into the blood stream rather than being broken down by stomach acid and enzymes and entering the blood stream through the intestinal walls. This lack of delay between ingestion and its entrance into the blood stream accounts for the rapid onset of symptoms of intoxication.

7. Alcohol is high in calories. These are "empty calories" containing no vitamins, minerals or other nutrients. Many people who drink in quantity or are addicted to alcohol will consume 40 to 50% of their calories from alcohol. This often results in major health problems, including vitamin deficiencies and malnutrition.

8. Alcohol is a solvent ? it dissolves things. Consequently, most liquid medications are in an alcohol base to more thoroughly dissolve the solid ingredients.

9. Alcohol is a drying agent. The burning sensation often associated with swallowing undiluted distilled liquor results from the drying out of mucous membranes in the throat.

10. ALCOHOL IS ILLEGAL FOR USE BY PERSONS UNDER 21 YEARS OF AGE! Although not thought of as an "illegal drug", the use of alcohol by persons un r 21 years of age is illegal. Since most of our brothers are underage during their undergraduate years, serving alcohol and permitting its use on site are subjecting our fraternity to questionable ethical and legal practices.

"Alco holism is a chronic, progressive, and potentially fatal disease. It is characterized by tolerance and physical dependency, pathologic organ changes, or both, all of which are the direct consequences of alcohol ingested." - The National Council on Alcoholism and the American Medical Society on Alcoholism Committee on Definitions, Annals of Internal Medicine, December 1976.

1. Alcoholism is chronic. Chronic comes from the Greek word "chronos" meaning "time." Chronic conditions are lingering and susceptible to being activated whenever certain conditions obtain. In the case of alcoholism as with diabetes, another chronic disease, we do not speak of being cured. The disease may be arrested through abstinence from alcohol and the alcohol-like drugs. Resuming the use of alcohol or other such drugs, even in the most moderate amounts, threatens the reactivation of the activ e disease.

2. Alcoholism is progressive. The longer the disease is active the more extreme the symptoms become. Dr. E. M. Jellinek of the World Health Organization described the pattern of progression half a century ago. The symptomatology has not changed. Below is a guide for the progression of symptoms by Jellinek standards:

Prodromal Phase (approaching addiction):
-Gross drinking behavior

-Blackouts (temporary amnesia, NOT passing out)

-Gulping/Sneaking drinks

-Preoccupation with drinking

-Increased capacity (high tolerance often indicates addictive potential)

-Hangovers (nausea, queasiness, sensitivity to sound and light)

Although no one of the above symptoms is diagnostically valid by itself, a cluster of the above may indicate active addiction has already begun.

Early/Acute Phase:
-Loss of Control (loss of ability to guarantee behavior once the alcohol is consumed - often extremely subtle at this stage)
-Alibi System (excuses for loss of control episodes; denial of loss of control)

-Grandiosity (usually a defense against growing feelings of insecurity)

-Eye-openers (Use to motivate action or change activities. NOT necessarily morning drinking; "hair-of-the-dog," medicinal use)

-Changing Patterns (changing schools, friends, kinds of drinks, time of day for drinking, jobs, location ["geographic cure"]; rearranging people, places and things to cope with loss of control.)

-Anti-social Behavior (behavior which runs contrary to the group [anti=against, social=group]; behaviors and attitudes which alienate others or threaten group membership)

-Loss of Friends and Jobs (sometimes lack of promotion or movement horizontally in work structure rather than being fired.)

-Family Strife (strained relationships with family members)

-Medical Problems (trips to doctors, hospitals that are alcohol induced)

Late/Chronic Phase:
-Benders/Binge Drinking (often occurs after a period of enforced abstinence.)
-Tremors, Shakes, DTs, Convulsions (indicates solid cellular dependency)
-Unreasonable Resentments
-Physical/Emotional/Sexual Violence
-Nameless Fears and Anxieties (feeling of impending doom; hallucinations)
-Collapse of the Alibi System (excuses are ineffective; can?t get drunk or sober)

The progression will result in 1) death, 2) permanent institutionalization or 3) recovery, if diagnosed and treated effectively.

Another, lesser known, aspect of this progression is that the physical intolerance continues to grow, even in abstinence. Should an alcoholic resume drinking or using other alcohol-like substances after a prolonged period of abstinence, it will not be like picking up where he/she left off, nor like starting over. In a dramatically short time the symptoms will be more severe than ever before.

3. Alcoholism is potentially fatal. We are all aware of the fatalities brought on by drunk driving, falling down stairs while intoxicated, or drowning occurring while someone is under the influence of alcohol. However, fatality also occurs from the physical deterioration caused by the disease itself. It was mentioned earlier that alcohol is a solvent. It dissolves things. This can result in permanent organ damage in those who are addicted, threatening life itself. Remember, you can overdose on alcohol or alcohol in combination with other substances. Although overdosing is not restricted to people addicted to sedative drugs, they are in a high-risk group for same.

4. Alcoholism IS a complex disease. As the quotes clearly indicate, alcoholism has been classified as a complex disease by major health agencies and organizations since the mid-?50s. It is recognized as a disease of the body, mind and spirit. Physically there is dependence and tolerance brought on by a biochemical imbalance in the individual. Studies increasingly indicate a genetic component at work in those who activate this disease. Mentally and emotionally this addiction produces marked unmanageability in the individual?s thinking and feelings. As one doctor has expressed it, "[in alcoholism] there is a personality or emotional imbalance that is chemically induced." As this drug affects the nervous system on different levels, perception is altered and feelings and attitudes follow accordingly. One person has commented, "It?s as though the person lived in an emotional fun house, full of distorting mirrors." Spiritually, this disease creates a profound isolation and self-preoccupation that prevent the alcoholic from feeling part of anything greater than himself. The accompanying behavior reveals the alcoholic becoming more of a loner and manipulator.

5. Alcoholism is NOT self-inflicted. It is a biochemical disease, not a choice! The only truly preventative choice, guaranteeing not activating this disease, would be total abstinence. Otherwise, though restricted and/or informed use may reduce the chance of activating addiction to alcohol, they do not guarantee it.No one wakes up in the morning choosing to have the disease of alcoholism!

6. Alcoholism is irreversible. There is no cure for alcoholism/chemical addiction at this time. Therefore once the disease has been activated, social drinking/use is no longer viable.

7. Alcoholism?s cause is unknown. Much research is being done to establish the cause of this disease. To date no definitive cause has been determined. Brain chemistry and genetics both show promising evidence of involvement. It is the strong feeling of medical and scientific professionals that a combination of factors is responsible for this biochemical imbalance.

8. Alcoholism affects families. Nowhere is the devastation of alcoholism more visible than in the catastrophic effect it has on families. Often it has been said that the family becomes sicker than the alcoholic. As members of the family try to cope with the chronic stress of the alcoholism in a relative or loved one, they too become physically, mentally, and spiritually disturbed. Spouses, children, parents, siblings and other relatives emotionally connected to the alcoholic usually do wrong things for right reasons, resulting in a sense of failure. This feeds a poor self-image, which often becomes shame/guilt/anger-based, leading to poor decisions and a growing sense of despair and unmanageability.

9. Alcoholism IS treatable. There are many forms of help available for the alcoholic and the other members of the family. They include professional care such as outpatient and in-patient counseling, day-hospital, detoxification, and long term residential care.

The most effective treatment historically has been attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous for the addicted person and Al-Anon, Alateen, or Families Anonymous for other members of the family. These 12-Step Fellowships are readily available worldwide and are free (no fees.) Their memberships consist of millions of people who are recovering from the disease and its effects. They are willing to share their collective and individual "experience, strength and hope" with all people interested in getting well and staying well. These groups are listed in local telephone directories, often under "Alcohol/Alcoholism." Meetings are held multiple times a day in most locales, including on-campus at many educational institutions. Check with your guidance or medical department at your college or university or call the local 12-Step Group listed in your telephone directory. If you or someone you love is having a problem with alcohol or other alcohol-like substances, GET HELP TODAY!

These facts on alcohol and alcoholism have been presented to assist us as responsible members of Phi Kappa Sigma, to make sensible choices about our personal use of alcohol and our policy at a national level on its use in our chapters. The following excerpt of an article appeared in the May 3, 1998 Sunday edition of the Newark Star-Ledger, New Jersey?s leading newspaper:

"East Lansing, Mich. ? Police fired tear gas into a crowd of 3,000 Michigan State University students early yesterday after the students lit a fire in the city?s downtown to protest a ban on drinking at a favorite party spot.

?The Chronicle of Higher Education?s survey said arrests for drug and alcohol violations rose on college and university campuses for a fifth consecutive year in 1996.

Meanwhile, police in New Hampshire were pelted with bottles, beer cans and rocks when they tried to disperse more than 500 partying Plymouth State College students and visitors early yesterday. Such activities and altercations clearly indicate this is an issue of consequence to us all. Let us direct our efforts in a constructive way toward a successful and responsible resolution.