Link Between Alcohol Use And Cancers example essay topic

Alcohol Alcohol is a widely used substance for both science and in technology. Its name comes from an Arabic word al-kohl meaning ' a powder for painting the eyes'. The term was later applied to all compounds that contain alcoholic spirits. To most people alcohol is consider a downer that reduces activity in the nervous system. Some of the things alcohol effects you is, the alcohol intoxicated person exhibits lose muscle tone, loss of fine, and often has a staggering 'drunken' gait. The eyes may appear somewhat 'glossy' and pupils may be slow to respond to stimulus.

At high doses pupils may become constricted. At intoning doses, alcohol can decrease heart rate, lower blood pressure and respiration rate, and result in decreased reflex and slower reaction times. Skin may be cool to touch but to the user may feel warm or normal, profuse sweating may accompany alcohol use. Loose muscle tone, lose of fine motor coordination, odor of alcohol on the breath, and a's tagging " drunken'gait. The effects of alcohol intoxication are greatly influenced by individual variations among users. Some users may become intoxicated at a much lower Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level that I am about to show you.

Along with drinking their are different levels to it: 0.02-0.03 BAC: No loss of coordination, slight euphoria and loss of shyness. Depressant effects are not apparent. 0.04-0.06 BAC: Feeling of well-being, relaxation, lower inhibitions, sensation of warmth. Some minor impairment of reasoning and memory, lowering of caution. 0.07-0.09 BAC: Slight impairment of balance, speech, vision, reaction time, and hearing. Judgement and self-control are reduced, and caution, reason and memory are impaired.

0.10-1.125 BAC: Significant impairment of mother coordination and loss of good judgement. Speech may be slurred; balance, vision, reaction time and hearing will be impaired. (Itis illegal to operate a motor vehicle at this level of intoxication.) 0.13-0.15 BAC: Gross motor impairment and lack of physical control. BLurred vision and major loss of balance. Euphoria is reduced and dysphoria beginning to appear. 0.16-0.20 BAC: Dysphoria (anxiety, restlessness) predominates, nausea may appear.

The drinker has the appearance of a 'sloppy drunk. ' 0.25 BAC: Needs assistance in walking; total mental confusion. Dysphoria with nausea and some vomiting. 0.30 BAC: Loss of consciousness. 0.40 BAC and up: Onset of coma, possible death due to respiratory arrest. WHAT IS CONSIDERED A DRINK: A drink that contains a half-ounce of alcohol or more.

The amount you would find in a 12 ounce can of beer, 4 ounce glass of table wine, 1 ounce shot of 100% de stilled spirits such as whiskey or vodka. Generally this is the amount of alcohol a person can metabolize in about an hour. But of course it also depends on other stuff. The way to see the amount of alcohol in someone is the Blood Alcohol Content.

The Blood Alcohol Content is measured in milligrams percent. For example, a BAC of 10 means that one-tenth of 1% of your total blood content is alcohol. This means that a BAC of 0.5 and below may give you a little buzz; a BAC of. 50 or greater may cause death.

Blood Alcohol Content depends on two things size, the bigger you are the more blood you have to d elute the alcohol, and it also depends on how fast you drink it, the faster you drink the more your BAC goes up because your body doesn't have as long to d elute the alcohol. BINGE DRINKING Drinking a lot of something at one time is not really good for your system, no matter what it is. Binge drinking is drinking to get drunk, it is what a lot of college people do. Drinking at least five drinks all in one sitting. When they do this the side effects become more serious: vomiting, dizziness, impaired mental capabilities, and hangovers.

Those are only short term reactions, others things that binge drinking influence are: , poor grades, sexual assault, fights, accidents, drinking and driving, and other health risks. If you think that not a lot of people do this, it is about 50% of collage men and 37% of collage women are classified as binge drinkers. A recent study show that students spend about $5.5 billion doll are on alcohol each year. That is more than they spend on soda pop, tea, milk, juice, coffee, and books combined. Some of the things that go along with drink are you are more open to getting diseases like sexually transmitted diseases, cancer and a lot more. But one that a lot die from is alcohol poisoning.

Most people think that you cant overdose on alcohol, but you can. Binge drinking may result in an overdose of alcohol, or alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning is a medical emergency that requires immediate attention. It " sometimes hard to tell if someone has passed out or is in a serious medical danger. Here are some of the symptoms: -Does not respond to being talked to or shouted at -Does not respond to being pinched, prodded or poked. -Cannot stand up-Will not wake up -Slow labored or ad normal breathing -Skin has a purple color -Skin feels clammy -Rapid pulse rate -Irregular heart ry them -Lowered blood pressure Another common thing is choking to death on your own vomit after an alcohol overdose.

Death by asphyxiation occurs when alcohol depresses the body's reflexes to the point that you cant vomit right. Another thing that comes along with binge drinking is depression and suicide. You get depressed so you drink and since alcohol is a depressant it brings you down even more it brings you to the state of hopelessness. The toxic effects of alcohol can manipulate you brains neuro-transmitters, which are responsible for mood and judgement. This can p lung you into deeper depression and bring thought about suicide. It can also bring a cycle of drinking: the more you drink the more depressed you become, and that makes you want to drink more.

Alcohol induced depression and hopelessness are characterized by self-pity, social withdrawal, self repro ah, a since of guilt, and a retardation of normal mental processes. FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME FETAL ALCOHOL EFFECTS Fetal alcohol syndrome is a group of symptoms that can effect an infant born to a mother who drinks during her pregnancy. The most serious is severe mental retardation. Other effects are: -mild to moderate mental retardation -central nervous system problems -small size, low birth weight or growth retardation -facial or skull abnormalities such as: small head size, small eyes and / or short eye openings, under-development of the upper lip with flat upper lip ridges, thin upper lip and flat maxillary jaw area. Fetal alcohol effects are thought to be not as bad as Fetal syndrome. It may be something like a history of prenatal alcohol exposure.

Learning and behavior difficulties can be a severe as FAs. In both FAS and FAE, studies showa positive relationship between degree of prenatal alcohol exposure and physical birth defects, growth, brain and behavioral deficiencies. Some other things show that in not as severe cases of FAS may deal with maturity, abnormalities of the upper lip and small eye openings, short suture, and small head continue. Brain and behavioral deficits also continue including lower IQ and a number of behavioral disorders. Children with FAS and FAE are often described as hyperactive, , or impulsive. they often have short attention spans similar to attention deficit dir order, but with lower IQ's particularly in the FAS child. In addition to attention deficits, problems with judgement, comprehension, and abstract think are common.

Some new research says that kids with FAS and FAE are more vulnerable to alcohol exposure. Another thing is newborns exposed to alcohol before birth may have a weak sucking resp once and irregular sucking patterns early in life. Some describe them as easily distracted and fatigued when sucking. Sleep disturbance, and jitteriness have also been reported in infants exposed to alcohol before birth. Some studies also show that a higher incidence of impaired vision and hearing, motor incoordination, and problem with balance are possible alcohol use by the mother before birth of the infant. Fetal exposure to alcohol can also result in ad normal thyroid function and some decrease in the immune system effectiveness.

No one is sure the role alcohol plays on the fetus, some of are: -Acetaldehyde which is the primary product when alcohol is metabolized; -fetal malnutrition especially if the mother is undernourished. Even when she has eaten the proper foods, the placenta may not be able to vitamins, minerals and other nutrients which are so important to the developing fetus; -lack of oxygen due to less blood flow to the fetus through the placenta; and -disturbance of which control normal blood flow to the placenta. LIVER DISEASE You can not live with out your liver, it is the biggest organ in you body. Although your organ is tough and meant for life it can easily be damaged by alcohol. There are many types of liver disease such as: -Viral hepatitis -Cirrhosis -Gallstones -Alcohol-related liver disorders -Cancer of the liver But there are three types of diseases of the liver you can get from alcohol: - Fatty Liver -Alcoholic Hepatitis -Alcoholic Cirrhosis Fatty liver this is the most common alcoholic-related liver disorder, of the liver, abdominal discomfort and sometimes temporary jaundice and liver malfunction. Abinence from alcohol can bring complete reversal and cure without leaving residual cirrhosis.

Alcoholic hepatitis is an acute illness often characterized by nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, jaundice, enlarged and tender liver, and an elevation of the white blood cell count. Sometimes alcoholic hepatitis may be present without symptoms. Once it develops, it progresses to cirrhosis if alcohol consumption continues. Alcoholic cirrhosis is permanent scar tissue, called cirrhosis, forms when the liver cells are damaged by alcohol or drugs.

Continued use of alcohol will cause additional scarring and serious health problems. Some people are than others to this disease, which occurs in 10% to 15% of people who consume large amounts of alcohol over a long period of time. CANCER UPPER DIGESTIVE TRACT The strongest link with alcohol involves cancers of the upper digestive tract, including: -esophagus -mouth -pharynx -larynx. An estimated 75% of esophageal cancers in the United States are attributable to chronic, consumption.

Nearly 50% of cancers of the mouth, pharynx and larynx are associated with heavy drinking. People who drink large amounts of alcohol over time have an increased rick of these cancers, compared with abstainers. If they drink and smoke, the risk is even higher. BREAST CANCER They say that woman's risk of developing breast cancer increases with alcohol consumption, as well as age. Particularly vulnerable are women over 50 who have been heavy drinkers over a period of years, their chances of developing breast cancer are up to 18 times greater than non-drinkers. Research indicates that alcohol may play an indirect role in this disease by increasing estrogen levels in premenopausal women, which in turn may promote breast cancer.

Thus, for younger women to lessen their risk of breast cancer, dont drink, or at least limit yourself to no more than one a day. SKIN CANCER Researchers say that women who average only two drinks a day, four days a week, are 2 1/2 times more likely to develop melanoma than women who dont drink. Experts recommend that women limit themselves to one drink a day, and men two drinks a day. OTHER CANCERS Some studies have found a link between alcohol use and cancers of the: -colon -stomach -pancreas -lungs. Although there's no evidence that alcohol it elf is a carcinogen, it has been associated with suppression of the human immune system.