Alcohol (Health and Medical Issues Today)

264 Pages·2011·1.59 MB·English

by  Peter L. Myers

ALCOHOL
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ALCOHOL
Peter L. Myers and Richard E. Isralowitz
Health and Medical Issues Today
Copyright 2011 by Peter L. Myers and Richard E. Isralowitz
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a
review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Myers, Peter L.
Alcohol / Peter L. Myers and Richard E. Isralowitz.
p. ; cm. — (Health and medical issues today)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-313-37247-6 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-313-37248-3
(ebook) 1. Alcohol—Toxicology. 2. Alcohol—Physiological effect.
3. Alcoholism—Complications. 4. Drinking of alcoholic beverages—Social aspects.
I. Isralowitz, Richard. II. Title. III. Series: Health and medical issues today.
[DNLM: 1. Alcohol-Related Disorders. 2. Alcohol Drinking. 3. Cost of Illness.
4. Public Policy. 5. Socioeconomic Factors. WM 274]
RA1242.A35M94 2011
615'.7828—dc22 2011002182
ISBN: 978-0-313-37247-6
EISBN: 978-0-313-37248-3
15 14 13 12 11 1 2 3 4 5
This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook.
Visit www.abc-clio.com for details.
Greenwood
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ABC-CLIO, LLC
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Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911
This book is printed on acid-free paper
Manufactured in the United States of America
To my mother, Helen, my children, and, in
memory, my father, Sam.
— REI
To the newest member of the family, the wonderful
Zane Samuel Rizvi.
— PLM

CONTENTS
Series Foreword ix
Preface and Acknowledgments xi
Part I: H istory and Scientifi c Background—Alcohol:
An Overview
1 Alcohol: The Basics 3
2 Alcohol Taken Together with Other Drugs 15
3 Key Terms and Defi nitions 21
4 Risk Factors for Alcohol Misuse and Worsening
of Abuse 25
5 Phases and Stages of Alcoholism: Theoretical
Considerations 33
6 Alcohol and Social Problems 39
7 Alcohol and Medical Problems 49
8 Alcohol and Sexuality 63
9 Alcohol and the Family 67
10 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) 73
11 Treatment and Recovery 79
viii CONTENTS
12 Alcohol Use among Women 103
13 Alcohol Use among Adolescents 111
14 Alcohol Use among College Students 119
15 Alcohol Use among Older Adults 125
16 Alcohol Use among Ethnic Minorities 131
Part II: Controversies
17 Alcohol-Policy Perspectives 141
18 Key Issues and Controversies 155
19 Rates of Alcohol Consumption Worldwide 169
20 Culture and Alcohol Use 175
Part III: References and Resources
A Screening and Assessment Instruments 185
B Alcohol Periodicals and Journals 197
C Additional Resources 199
D Chronology 201
References 215
Index 241
SERIES FOREWORD
E very day, the public is bombarded with information on developments in
medicine and health care. Whether it is on the latest techniques in treat-
ments or research, or on concerns over public health threats, this informa-
tion directly affects the lives of people more than almost any other issue.
Although there are many sources for understanding these topics—from
Web sites and blogs to newspapers and magazines—students and ordinary
citizens often need one resource that makes sense of the complex health
and medical issues affecting their daily lives.
The Health and Medical Issues Today series provides just such a one-
stop resource for obtaining a solid overview of the most controversial
areas of health care in the twenty-fi rst century. Each volume addresses one
topic and provides a balanced summary of what is known. These volumes
provide an excellent fi rst step for students and lay people interested in un-
derstanding how health care works in our society today.
E ach volume is broken into several sections to provide readers and re-
searchers with easy access to the information they need:
(cid:129) Part I provides overview chapters on background information—
including chapters on such areas as the historical, scientifi c, medical,
social, and legal issues involved—that a citizen needs to intelligently
understand the topic.
(cid:129) Part II provides capsule examinations of the most heated contempo-
rary issues and debates, and analyzes in a balanced manner the view-
points held by various advocates in the debates.