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Carol Murray
Psy 230, Drug paper

Alcohol

Donegan
7 February, 2015

Because of its legal status alcohol is among the most commonly used drugs. Even though
it is widely used, many people know very little about alcohol and its true make up. There are four
types of alcohol, methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, propyl alcohol and butyl alcohol. Propyl, butyl,
and methyl alcohol are extremely dangerous to ingest and therefore and not used in anything that
we consume. Rather, ethyl alcohol, also known as ethanol is used in the production of the
alcoholic beverages we so commonly see. Alcohol is an organic substance and is created through
the fermentation of sugars, carbohydrates and yeast. This colorless, odorless liquid is extremely
flammable and pure ethyl alcohol is immeasurably dangerous to ingest. This drug belongs to a
class of sedative-hypnotics and subsequently is categorized as a depressant. The chemical
compound for alcohol is expressed as C2H5OH and the source of the compound is extremely
simple as a molecule it only contains nine atoms.
It is highly believed that fermented beverages may date back nine thousand years ago and
was made possible by the invention of the distillation process in the twelfth century. This
invention made it possible to increase the alcohol level in beverages than fermentation alone.
The production and consumption of alcohol is even mentioned several times in the bible,
stating that women who are pregnant should not partake in any fermented drinks. We can also
find evidence of the creation of such beverages through items such as large clay pots that were
used for the storage and fermentation of the drinks. We also know that the ancient peoples had

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deities and figureheads that oversaw the production consumption of the beverages. For example,
the ancient Egyptians believed that it was important to worship these gods and bare gifts them to
keep their alcohol fermenting and plentiful. These people used things such as berries and honey
to create their alcohol. Alcohol brewing dates back to the creation of civilization in ancient Egypt
in which beer and wine were offered to these gods. Even in this time moderation of consumption
of alcohol was highly stressed. Then around two thousand B.C. the practice of winemaking
became more widespread and commonplace during the Hellenic period. During this time it is
said that the Greeks were the most temperate with their alcohol consumption. Later in Middle
Ages alcoholic beverages became much more popular. However, with the collapse of the
Romans the quality of general life declined and as a result religious institutions became the main
brewing centers and winemaking sites. Even though some home brewing of beers still took place
most brewing of alcoholic beverages took place in institutions such as monasteries. This was
mostly because such places possessed the best amount of stability, security, and resources to do
so. For example, most vineyards in communities were the property of the monasteries.
Conversely, when the black plaque hit later on home brewing became more popular again
because of the high demand for alcohol. During this time people looked to any means to escape
the cruel reality of the world as it was being overtaken by such a horrible and widespread
epidemic.
During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries drinking had become increasingly popular
through the rising wealth of the people, discovery of foreign lands, and colonization. Even
though more people were drinking alcohol there was still negative connotations attached to
drunkenness and the concern of moderation was highly stressed. Even though different peoples
were becoming more intertwined, the spread of alcohol was slow. In the seventeenth century a

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professor of medicine became the first to produce alcohol from fermented grain. This was highly
promoted in the eighteenth century when American parliament passed legislation that
encouraged the use of grain in the production of alcoholic beverages. However in the twentieth
century the sales and consumption of any alcoholic beverage became illegal and therefore made
obtaining the substance difficult and ultimately risky. This led to the opening of speak easies and
illegal alcohol markets. When political unrest became too much for the government, it was made
legal once again. Today alcohol is still legal to adults over the age of twenty one and is a high
factor of social reluctance.
This social unrest is created through many factors. One of the most common is underage
drinking. More frequently minors are getting arrested for this crime in the United States. Because
the legal drinking age is twenty one minors simply pay older adults to buy it for them. Another
idea socially is that drunkenness and alcoholism are becoming more rampant throughout the
world. Here in the U.S. we have such organizations as Alcoholics Anonymous where anyone can
get the help they need. Another social issue is fetal alcohol syndrome. This syndrome occurs in
children whose mothers consumed alcohol during pregnancy. These children can then suffer
from brain damage and growth problems. Any of the defects caused to a child with this
syndrome are permanent. This issue is concerning because mothers are not thinking of the risk
they are putting on their child and are selfishly harming the child.
The potential of becoming dependent on alcohol relies on factors such as genetics
and heredity, environment, stress levels, and social standing. The potential of becoming
dependent on alcohol is higher than most people imagine and can have extremely negative
effects on both the brain and body. One of the most severe symptoms of addiction is withdrawal.
In animal studies rats were tested to determine exactly how important the alcohol was to them by

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the amount of lever presses required to obtain the substance. The alcohol was administered orally
which is the most common route of administration for this drug. After the rodents had become
dependent on the substance researchers retracted the alcohol to observe the effects on the rats.
They became aggressive, irritable, and had excessive amount of CNS activity. This is however
only some of the many harmful effects excessive intake of alcohol can have on the mind and
body.
In the brain alcohol disrupts the pathways of communication. This causes changes in ones
moods, behavior, decision making and even coordination. This also leads to things such as
slurred speech and impaired vision. With excessive drinking a persons hippocampus can be
damaged and result in loss of memory and even blackouts. There are also several damaging
effects that alcohol can have on the body. One of the biggest concerns is liver damage. Things
such as sclerosis, fibrosis, or cirrhosis can take hold of the liver after excessive drinking. Other
concerns are increased risk of developing cancer in various areas, pancreatitis, a severely
weakened immune system, or even fetal alcohol syndrome. Even though alcohol has multiple
negative effects it is known to be therapeutic in moderate doses. When taken in moderation
alcohol can lower the chance of heart disease and cleanse the kidneys.
Studies have found that tolerance to alcohol is highly determined by ones genetics and
heredity. Those who had family history of alcoholism were far more likely to become alcoholics
themselves as opposed to those who had no family history of alcoholism. It was also shown in
this study that those with alcoholic family history were not as affected by the negative
impairments of the alcohol and also gained more pleasure from drinking than those without
family history of alcoholism.

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When alcohol enters the body it is transported through the bloodstream and ultimately to
the brain. Here it binds directly to the receptors for acetylcholine, serotonin, and GABA. The
most important of these is GABA. GABA is important because it allows chloride ions to enter
the postsynaptic neuron therefore reducing neural activity. Through this the neuron is made less
excitable because these ions are negatively charged. However when bound to alcohol the ion
channel remains open longer thus allowing more chloride ions through and into the cell. This
results in less activity from the neuron and an increased amount of dopamine release into the
brain. This is what gives alcohol its sedative nature.

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Ed. Louis E. Bartoshesky. The Nemours Foundation, 01 Nov. 2011. Web. 02 Feb. 2015.
Gilbert, Steven. "Ethyl Alcohol." Toxepedia. N.p., 09 June 2014. Web. 7 Feb. 2015.
Hanson, David J. "History of Alcohol and Drinking around the World."History of Alcohol and
Drinking around the World. N.p., 1995. Web. 07 Feb. 2015.

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The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Ethyl Alcohol | Chemical Compound." Encyclopedia

Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Nov. 2014. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.