Alcohol (Health and Medical Issues Today)

This text provides up-to-date, comprehensive, and accessible information about alcohol use in western society and other cultures. In 2009, President Barack Obama hosted a friendly "beer summit" on the White House lawn in an attempt to diffuse a racially charged incident between a Caucasian policeman and an African American professor. In the United States, beer and other alcoholic beverage companies are often the main advertisers during television sporting event coverage. A study has found that 44 percent of American college students participate in binge drinking, while the NHTSA reports that over 31 percent of traffic fatalities involve a driver with an illegal blood-alcohol content level. In our culture, consumption of alcohol is both widely accepted as a healthy social norm and condemned as a crime. Alcohol provides information about how alcohol acts upon the body, the social problems related to alcohol use, medical disorders connected to alcohol use, alcohol use throughout world cultures and the American population, and public policy issues. This book also contains sections on adolescent and college student alcohol use. Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 8 Series Foreword 10 Preface and Acknowledgments 12 Part I: History and Scientifc Background—Alcohol: An Overview 14 Chapter 1: Alcohol: The Basics 16 Chapter 2: Alcohol Taken Together with Other Drugs 28 Chapter 3: Key Terms and Definitions 34 Chapter 4: Risk Factors for Alcohol Misuse and Worsening of Abuse 38 Chapter 5: Phases and Stages of Alcoholism: Theoretical Considerations 46 Chapter 6: Alcohol and Social Problems 52 Chapter 7: Alcohol and Medical Problems 62 Chapter 8: Alcohol and Sexuality 76 Chapter 9: Alcohol and the Family 80 Chapter 10: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) 86 Chapter 11: Treatment and Recovery 92 Chapter 12: Alcohol Use among Women 116 Chapter 13: Alcohol Use among Adolescents 124 Chapter 14: Alcohol Use among College Students 132 Chapter 15: Alcohol Use among Older Adults 138 Chapter 16: Alcohol Use among Ethnic Minorities 144 Part II: Controversies 152 Chapter 17: Alcohol-Policy Perspectives 154 Chapter 18: Key Issues and Controversies 168 Chapter 19: Rates of Alcohol Consumption Worldwide 182 Chapter 20: Culture and Alcohol Use 188 Part III: References and Resources 196 A Screening and Assessment Instruments 198 B Alcohol Periodicals and Journals 210 C Additional Resources 212 D Chronology 214 References 228 Index 254 ISBN:,9780313372476,EISBN:,9780313372483 ABC-CLIO This Text Provides Up-to-date, Comprehensive, And Accessible Information About Alcohol Use In Western Society And Other Cultures. • Provides A Chronological Presentation Of Alcohol Consumption In World Cultures, American Society, Public Policy, And Related Issues • Includes A Bibliography And Index To Facilitate Further Reading And Direct Access To Information On Specific Topics Alcohol use is firmly entrenched in popular culture; its abuse is even often tolerated. Yet the consumption of alcohol is directly tied to major public health issues and socioeconomic problems throughout society, and the related costsÑin both dollars and loss of human lifeÑare staggering