Alcoholism Sourcebook, Third Edition

Alcoholism Sourcebook, Third Edition
By Joyce Brennfleck Shannon
Number Of Pages: 633
Publication Date: 2010-10-15
ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0780811410
ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780780811416

Alcoholism Sourcebook, Third Edition provides readers with updated information about alcohol use, abuse, and dependence. Physical alcohol-related effects on the brain, liver, pancreas, heart, lungs, nerves, and kidneys are described, and mental health issues that often accompany alcohol problems are discussed. A section on the problem of underage drinking looks at the causes and consequences of drinking among adolescents, and another section discusses the effects of alcohol use on reproductive and fetal health. Facts about alcohol’s impact on families, workplaces, and communities are included, and guidance is provided for helping someone with an alcohol problem receive appropriate treatment and recovery services. The book concludes with a glossary of terms related to alcohol use and abuse and directories of resources for support and additional information.

This book is divided into parts and chapters. Parts focus on broad
areas of interest. Chapters are devoted to single topics within a part.

Part I: Understanding Alcohol Use, Abuse, and Dependence reviews guidelines for the safe consumption of alcohol and offers facts about identifying when alcohol use transitions into abuse and may precipitate problems. It explains the course of alcohol dependence and discusses risk factors, including genetic links to addiction vulnerabilities.

Part II: The Problem of Underage Drinking describes drinking patterns and alcohol-related problems experienced by teens and college students. It discusses alcohol’s impact on development, offers prevention strategies for families, schools, and communities, and explains the rationale behind laws establishing a minimum legal drinking age.

Part III: The Physical Effects and Consequences of Alcohol Abuse gives facts about alcohol impairment from various levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), alcohol poisoning, and alcohol hangover. It describes how alcohol changes the brain and affects the liver, cardiovascular system, kidneys, lungs, and bones. Information about alcohol interactions with other disorders and medications is also included.

Part IV: The Effects of Alcohol on Reproductive and Fetal Health describes how alcohol use impacts the reproductive organs and how it can lead to life-long impairments among children of women who drink during pregnancy. Detailed information about the effects of alcohol on a fetus is presented along with a discussion of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).

Part V: Mental Health Problems Associated with Alcohol Abuse discusses the impact alcohol has on anxiety disorders, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Separate chapters describe the connection of alcohol with other addiction disorders and suicide.

Part VI: Alcohol’s Impact on Family, Work, and the Community includes information about children living with alcohol-abusing parents, interpersonal violence related to alcohol, the effects of alcohol-impaired driving, and problems associated with alcohol use in the workplace.

Part VII: Treatment and Recovery discusses helping strategies, programs, and support groups for families and individuals who decide to change their alcohol consumption habits. It describes alcohol addiction screening and explains the differences between brief interventions and long-term treatments. It also offers facts about the treatment process, including information on detoxification, withdrawal, pharmacological treatments, and integrated treatments for co-occurring disorders such as drug abuse or mental illness.

Part VIII: Additional Help and Information provides a glossary of terms related to alcohol use and abuse. Resource directories with listings of support groups for alcohol-related concerns, state agencies for substance abuse services, and organizations with additional information about alcohol use and abuse are also included.