How Alcohol May Affect Human Behaviour4.
A young man started behaving in an aggressive and abusive manner after hehad a number of alcoholic drinks at a party. The next day he was behaving quitenormally and was quite concerned when shown a video of his behaviour theprevious night. Explain how alcohol may affect human behaviour. Some Facts(1)Australian industry loses more than one billion dollars a year because ofsickness caused by alcohol. Alcohol plays a part in more than 50% of serious crimes in Australia.
Inviolent crimes it plays an even bigger part: more than 75% of them are linked toalcohol. About half of the people killed in road accidents are killed becausesomebody has drunk to much. Effects of alcohol on human behaviourFrom the above facts it is clear that alcohol has a major impact on the lives ofAustralians. This is particularly more so because it is not illegal and becauseit is so widely used. The effects of alcohol on a individual’s body vary according to: (2)with the amount consumed. the way the alcohol is taken.
the individual’s body (size weight, health). the individual’s experience. the individual’s mood. the circumstance in which alcohol is consumed (with food, in a socialgathering, with other drugs etc. )The immediate effects of alcohol on an individual varies but can produce a widerange of effects including: (2)Loss of inhibitions.
Flushing and dizziness. General impairment of brain and nervous system functions. General loss of co-ordination. Impairment of motor (movement) skills. Staggering.
Slow reactions. Blurred vision and slurred speech. Aggression. General impairment of senses (e. g. touch, sight, speech, etc.
)Vomiting. Unconsciousness. Children and young people are usually more affected by alcohol than adults. Thisis because of their lower body weight and lack of tolerance. The disturbing aspect is that one is not generally aware of these changes.
Instead, the individual think’s he/she is behaving more efficiently than normal. In fact, performance is much poorer. In relation to Topic (4) the change in behaviour in the young man at the partyfollowing a number of alcoholic drinks can now be explained. As shown aboveyoung people are generally more affected by alcohol than adults. The loss ofinhibitions and aggressive behaviour can by typical changes after alcoholconsumption.
It is not surprising that when shown a video of his behaviour the previous nightthat he was quite concerned about his aggressive behaviour. Again as mentionedpreviously one of the effects of alcohol is that one is unaware of the changestaking place. As the young man was behaving normally the following day he did not have ahangover. A hangover is a body’s reaction to being poisoned by alcohol andpartly the body’s withdrawal. (1) A hangover does not usually follow theconsumption of small amounts of alcohol. Bibliography(1) Drug and Alcohol Services Council, Alcohol’, 1990.
Information SheetNumber 8, October 1990(2) Commonwealth Department of Health, Alcohol’, 1986. The drug offensive, AFederal and state initiative, 1986Outlines of sources consultedDrug and Alcohol Services Council, Alcohol’, 1990. Information Sheet Number 8,October 1990 This information sheet provides brief general information onalcohol, its dangers, its effects and use. It also lists problems caused byalcohol to some key body organs. This an informative handout and as such doesnot, and indeed, I believe, should not provide detailed statistics on thematters raised. It is useful that a further information contact point isprovided for further information on this drug.
Commonwealth Department of Health, Alcohol’, 1986. The drug offensive, AFederal and state initiative, 1986 This is an information sheet arising from theThe Drug Offensive’, which is a Federal-funded program. This provides generalinformation about the source of alcohol, some statistics on the drinking habitsof Australians and the interation of this drug with the law and sociaty. Theeffects both intermidate and long term are addressed in some detail. Considerable detail is provided on the definition and calculation of thatperameter. The information sheet concludes with a short Alcohol quiz’.
Whilstsome of the statistics provided on the alcohol content of some of the drinks isuseful, this detracts from the main message of this newsletter which is aboutthat alcohol is a drug and has dependance and bad effects on society. Inaddition the quiz at the end is unnecessary and makes it unduly long. Gibbons, Boyd, 1992Alcohol’. National geographic, Vol 181, No.2 3-35 Thisarticle talks about the effect of alcohol on families, the treatment ofalcoholics, effects of alcohol on the body and mind, the attitudes of alcoholfrom different social backgrounds and stories of alcoholic events/experiences.Many examples
