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Chapter 10: Lesson 10.2 Preventing and Treating Alcohol Use

Last updated 4 months ago
45 questions
10
Draggable itemCorresponding Item
detoxification
process of completely stopping all alcohol use to remove the substance from the body
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
elf-help program for people with an alcohol use disorder to help them change how they think about drinking
Al-Anon Family Groups
encouraging a person’s unhealthy behaviors, either intentionally or unintentionally
enabling
support group where young people who have loved ones with an alcohol use disorder come together to share their experiences and learn ways to cope with challenges
Alateen
support group where family members and friends who have loved ones with an alcohol use disorder come together to share their experiences, receive encouragement, and learn ways to cope with challenges

Factors Affecting Alcohol Use and Alcohol Use Disorders

Similar to tobacco use, several factors may affect someone’s views and use of alcohol. These include individual factors and outside factors in an individual’s environment such as family, peers, and the media.


Individual Factors

Two individual factors that could affect someone’s alcohol use include genetic makeup and mental health. Research has shown that genetic factors contribute to alcohol use. Some research suggests that people with specific genes have a greater risk of developing an alcohol use disorder. For example, people with a certain gene may be less sensitive to effects of alcohol, which may act as a signal to stop drinking. People who feel less influenced by alcohol may drink more. This pattern can lead to dependence and an alcohol use disorder.

People with mental health conditions also have a greater risk of using alcohol and developing an alcohol use disorder. They may use alcohol to cope with negative feelings (such as anxiety), cheer themselves up, or sleep. When people or their loved ones have long-term physical health conditions, they may also use alcohol to cope. Using alcohol to handle these issues is called self-medication. Alcohol use can also cause mental health conditions or make existing conditions worse.
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What are two individual factors that could affect someone's alcohol use?

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How do genetic factors contribute to alcohol use?

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Why do people with mental health conditions have a greater risk of developing an alcohol use disorder?

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What is self-medication in relation to alcohol use?

Family

Families have their own attitudes, beliefs, and rules about alcohol use, which influence their children’s attitudes toward alcohol. Some families may keep and drink alcohol in the home, but have rules about alcohol use to protect their children. Other families may have strong beliefs about alcohol use, leading them not to allow any alcohol in the home. Children also learn about occasions for drinking, such as stressful days or celebrations, by watching their family members' drinking habits.

Unfortunately, some young people have parents or guardians with an alcohol use disorder (Figure 10.13). This experience may influence young people to either try or avoid alcohol. Young people who have parents or guardians with an alcohol use disorder are more likely to develop one, too. Some young people, however, decide never to try alcohol because of how it affected their parents or guardians.

Siblings can also affect how a young person feels about alcohol use. Young people often look up to older siblings as role models. If a young person’s older sibling uses and abuses alcohol, the young person may consider this acceptable and “cool” behavior.
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How do families influence children's attitudes toward alcohol?

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What is one way families protect their children from alcohol use?

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What can happen to young people with parents who have an alcohol use disorder?

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How can older siblings influence young people's attitudes toward alcohol use?

Peer Pressure

Friends can influence a young person’s alcohol use and misuse. People tend to drink more alcohol when they have friends who drink. This may be due to peer pressure. Peer pressure is the influence that people your age or status have on your actions. Young people who drink may pressure their friends into trying alcohol. Aggressively pressuring someone to drink alcohol is a form of bullying. Real friends will not pressure you into engaging in unhealthy behaviors.

Peer pressure can be indirect. Young people often believe that their peers are drinking. This may lead them to try alcohol to fit in with the “cool kids” they imagine are drinking. Young people may also view using alcohol as a way to seem older, but teens and young adults do not drink as much as you might think. In fact, many young people are often uncomfortable with alcohol use (Figure 10.14).

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Peer pressure is the influence that people your age or status have on your ____.

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Young people may try alcohol to fit in with the ____ they imagine are drinking.

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Real friends will not pressure you into engaging in ____ behaviors.

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Many young people are often uncomfortable with alcohol ____.

Preventing Alcohol Use

Making the decision now to not drink alcohol is the best way to protect your brain, body, and mental and emotional health from the effects of alcohol. Various strategies and skills can help people prevent alcohol use. These include education programs, developing refusal skills, and monitoring mental health. In addition, federal and state governments regulate alcohol in several ways to decrease underage use.
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Which of the following is the best way to protect your brain, body, and mental and emotional health from the effects of alcohol?

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Which of the following strategies can help people prevent alcohol use?

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Who regulates alcohol to decrease underage use?

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What reasons were mentioned for preventing alcohol use?

Education Programs and Refusal Skills

Schools have developed many education programs to decrease risky drinking, especially in underage drinkers. These programs might mention the health risks and physical effects of alcohol use on the body. They might mention the risk of strained personal relationships, which can occur when a person drinks too much. The programs emphasize the legal consequences of young people possessing alcohol.

Education programs can also disprove the beliefs some young people have about their peers’ alcohol use. Young people may believe that using alcohol is the norm among their peers, but the truth is very different. Many studies show that most young people do not drink. In fact, most young people wish there was less drinking in their environment. Educating young people about this fact can encourage them not to drink. For example, some colleges give new students information showing that many of their fellow students are also uncomfortable with how much drinking occurs on campus. Students who receive such information report drinking less alcohol than students who do not receive this information.

Some programs focus on helping young people feel better about themselves. Youths who lack self-confidence may choose to drink alcohol because they do not have the skills to stand up to peer pressure. Prevention programs may build teens’ self-esteem and teach strategies for resisting pressure to drink.You must also learn refusal skills. Even if you are aware of the negative consequences of alcohol use and have made the decision not to drink, alcohol may still be present in your environment. Though it is not the norm, some young people do use alcohol. Developing and practicing refusal skills can help when someone offers you alcohol (Figure 10.15).
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What do education programs about alcohol use emphasize?

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What do studies show about young people's alcohol use?

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Why do some young people choose to drink alcohol?

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Why is it important to develop refusal skills?

Pay Attention to Mental Health

Paying attention to your mental health is an important part of avoiding alcohol use and misuse. People often drink alcohol in an attempt to feel better. Alcohol may temporarily distract people from issues they are facing, but it does not make the issues go away. It can cause even bigger issues.

If you are struggling with negative feelings, stress, or mental health conditions, take steps to build your self-esteem, express emotions, adopt a positive mind-set, and manage stress. Some healthy ways of managing stress might include writing in a journal or spending time with friends. These approaches will help you reduce stress. You can also try to reframe negative events by viewing them as learning opportunities.

If you are struggling with a mental health condition or illness, do not try to self-medicate. Instead, seek help from a mental health professional. Talk to a trusted adult for help in finding this type of resource.
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Why is paying attention to mental health important for avoiding alcohol use and misuse?

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What are some healthy ways of managing stress?

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What should you do if you are struggling with a mental health condition?

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What does alcohol do to issues people are facing?

Government Approaches

The government seeks to make it difficult for young people to access alcohol. One of the most obvious and effective government approaches is setting the minimum legal drinking age at 21. Forbidding people who are younger than 21 years of age from purchasing alcohol makes it more difficult for young people to have access to alcohol. Additional methods used by the government are shown in Figure 10.16.
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What is one government approach to prevent access to alcohol?

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Why does setting the minimum legal drinking age at 21 make it more difficult for young people to access alcohol?

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According to the passage, what other methods does the government use to prevent young people from accessing alcohol?

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Which of the following is NOT a government approach to prevent access to alcohol?

Treating Alcohol Use

Alcohol use and misuse can lead to alcohol use disorders. When people have alcohol use disorders, they are often physically and psychologically addicted to alcohol and need professional treatment. Although breaking this addiction is difficult, there are a number of strategies that can help people quit drinking.

Detoxification

One of the first steps in recovery from alcohol is detoxification. This is the process of completely stopping all alcohol use to remove the substance from the body. Detoxification is a necessary step in recovering from alcohol misuse and addiction. This process, which is sometimes called drying out, may take up to a month. The process may or may not include time spent in the hospital. Detoxification can include severe withdrawal symptoms, such as intense anxiety, tremors, and hallucinations. A doctor may prescribe medications to lessen these symptoms.
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What is the first step in recovery from alcohol use disorders?

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How long can the process of detoxification take?

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What are some withdrawal symptoms that may occur during detoxification?

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What can a doctor prescribe to lessen withdrawal symptoms during detoxification?

Support Groups

Community support groups can be helpful tools for those overcoming alcohol misuse and an alcohol use disorder. Support groups are groups of people with a common struggle who share the obstacles they faced and examples of overcoming them.

Alcoholics Anonymous (also known as AA) is the most well known and widely used self-help program for people with an alcohol use disorder. The program includes a support group element. The goal of AA is to help people with an alcohol use disorder change how they think about drinking. This program involves going through 12 distinct steps, which are a set of guiding principles designed to help people recover from addiction.

According to AA, when a person with a severe alcohol use disorder consumes even a small amount of alcohol, the presence of alcohol in the bloodstream leads to an irresistible craving for more alcohol. Thus, the goal for recovery is never to drink any alcohol again.

During AA meetings, group members share with other group members any alcohol-related struggles they have experienced. This process of sharing their experiences may help people stop drinking. In addition, group members may work with a sponsor who provides support, empathy, and accountability.
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What is the goal of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)?

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Why is the presence of alcohol in the bloodstream dangerous for a person with a severe alcohol use disorder?

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How does sharing experiences during AA meetings help people stop drinking?

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What role does a sponsor play in AA?

Self-Management Strategies

Many programs that help people with alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorders also teach self-management skills. First, these programs focus on helping people become aware of why they drink. Understanding the motivations that lead someone to drink is an important first step in learning how to avoid alcohol.

Next, people develop skills for managing the situations that lead them to want to have a drink (Figure 10.17). People can use these types of self-management skills in combination with other treatments for alcohol. Self-management strategies can also be useful for people to avoid using and misusing alcohol, even if they do not have an alcohol use disorder. Other treatments may include attending AA meetings or undergoing detoxification.
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What is the first step in learning how to avoid alcohol?

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What do self-management strategies help people do?

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What treatment options can self-management strategies be used in combination with?

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Who can use self-management strategies to avoid using and misusing alcohol?

Helping Someone with an Alcohol Use Disorder

Loving and caring about someone with an alcohol use disorder can be very difficult. People who have loved ones or know someone with an alcohol use disorder may feel ashamed, angry, afraid, and guilty. Other people feel so overwhelmed by their loved one’s alcohol use disorder that they just deny the issue and pretend that nothing is wrong.

If you care about someone who has an alcohol use disorder, you must first get support for yourself. Try to find an adult you can talk openly and honestly with about the issue. This trusted adult may be a family member, school counselor, school nurse, doctor, religious leader, or coach (Figure 10.18). Tell this adult that you are worried about a loved one. Find time to speak with them in a quiet place. Calmly explain your concerns and ask for advice or assistance.
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Why is it important to get support for yourself?

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Who can you talk to about your concerns?

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What should you do when talking to a trusted adult?

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How might someone feel when they care about a person with an alcohol use disorder?