Alcohol (drug)
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| Pronunciation | /ˈɛθənɒl/ | ||
| Synonyms | Absolute alcohol; alcohol (USP); cologne spirit; drinking alcohol; ethanol (JAN); ethylic alcohol; EtOH; ethyl alcohol; ethyl hydrate; ethyl hydroxide; ethylol; grain alcohol; hydroxyethane; methylcarbinol | ||
| Pregnancy category |
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| Dependence liability | Moderate[1] | ||
| Addiction liability | Moderate (10–15%)[2] | ||
| Routes of administration | Common: By mouth Uncommon: Suppository, inhalation, ophthalmic, insufflation, injection[3] | ||
| Drug class | Depressant; anxiolytic; analgesic; euphoriant; sedative; emetic; diuretic; general anesthetic | ||
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| Pharmacokinetic data | |||
| Bioavailability | 80%+[6][7] | ||
| Protein binding | Weakly or not at all[6][7] | ||
| Metabolism | Liver (90%):[4][5] • Alcohol dehydrogenase • MEOS (CYP2E1) | ||
| Metabolites | Acetaldehyde; acetic acid; acetyl-CoA; carbon dioxide; water; ethyl glucuronide; ethyl sulfate | ||
| Onset of action | Peak concentrations:[4][6] • Range: 30–90 minutes • Mean: 45–60 minutes • Fasting: 30 minutes | ||
| Elimination half-life | Constant-rate elimination at typical concentrations:[8][5][4] • Range: 10–34 mg/dL/hour • Mean: 15-18 mg/dL/hr At very high concentrations (t1/2): 4.0–4.5 hours[7][6] | ||
| Duration of action | 6–16 hours (amount of time that levels are detectable)[9] | ||
| Excretion | • Major: metabolism (into carbon dioxide and water)[6] • Minor: urine, breath, sweat (5–10%)[4][6] | ||
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| Chemical and physical data | |||
| Formula | C2H6O | ||
| Molar mass | 46.07 g·mol−1 | ||
| 3D model (JSmol) | |||
| Density | 0.7893 g/cm3 (at 20 °C)[10] | ||
| Melting point | −114.14 ± 0.03 °C (−173.45 ± 0.05 °F) [10] | ||
| Boiling point | 78.24 ± 0.09 °C (172.83 ± 0.16 °F) [10] | ||
| Solubility in water | Miscible mg/mL (20 °C) | ||
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Alcohol, is (an ingredient or) the active ingredient in alcoholic drinks such as beer, wine, and distilled spirits (hard liquor). Alcohol is sometimes called by its chemical name ethanol.[11]
Alcohol is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant. This means that alcohol lowers electrical activity of neurons in the brain.[12] This causes drunkenness.[13] Alcohol can also cause euphoria, decreased anxiety, sociability, sedation, and lowered cognitive, memory, motor, and sensory function.
Alcohol (drug) Media
A group of merry, dancing invalids discarding their medicines in favour of alcohol as a cure. Coloured aquatint by G. Hunt, 1827, after T. Lane.
Baby with fetal alcohol syndrome, showing some of the characteristic facial features.
Facial flushing. Before (left) and after (right) drinking alcohol. A 22-year-old East Asian man who is ALDH2 heterozygous showing the reaction.
Deaths from alcohol and drug use disorders.
Symptoms of varying BAC levels. Additional symptoms may occur.
One of the signs of a severe hangover is a headache
The 2010 DrugScience study ranking various illegal and legal drugs based on statements by drug-harm experts. Alcohol was rated to be the 4th most harmful drug to users, the drug most harmful to others, and the most harmful drug overall.
Alcohol use disorders deaths per million persons in 2012** 52*
Chlordiazepoxide (trade name Librium) is the most commonly used benzodiazepine for alcohol detoxification.
Alcohol is the leading cause of direct deaths from drug overdoses.
Related pages
References
- ↑ WHO Expert Committee on Problems Related to Alcohol Consumption: second report. (2007). Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization. p. 23. ISBN 978-92-4-120944-1. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ↑ Neuropharmacology of alcohol addiction. British Journal of Pharmacology 154 (2) (May 2008). p. 299–315. doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.30.
- ↑ Subjective and neural responses to intravenous alcohol in young adults with light and heavy drinking patterns. Neuropsychopharmacology 37 (2) (January 2012). p. 467–77. doi:10.1038/npp.2011.206.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Pharmacology of ethanol. Pharmacology & Therapeutics 36 (2–3) (1988). p. 335–427. doi:10.1016/0163-7258(88)90109-x.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Principles of Forensic Toxicology (2003)Amer. Assoc. for Clinical Chemistry. p. 161–. ISBN 978-1-890883-87-4.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Principles of Addiction: Comprehensive Addictive Behaviors and Disorders (17 May 2013)Academic Press. p. 162–. ISBN 978-0-12-398361-9.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Clinical pharmacokinetics of ethanol. Clinical Pharmacokinetics 13 (5) (November 1987). p. 273–92. doi:10.2165/00003088-198713050-00001.
- ↑ The clinical pharmacology of alcohol. California Medicine 113 (3) (September 1970). p. 37–45.
- ↑ Alcohol and Drug Abuse as Encountered in Office Practice (26 November 1990)CRC Press. p. 74–. ISBN 978-0-8493-0166-7.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (2011). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. p. 3.246. ISBN 1439855110.
- ↑ Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (2013). p. 61–65. ISBN 978-1-4419-1004-2. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_626.
- ↑ A review on alcohol: from the central action mechanism to chemical dependency. Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira 61 (4) (August 2015). p. 381–387. doi:10.1590/1806-9282.61.04.381.
- ↑ 10th Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health: Highlights from Current Research. National Institute of Health (June 2000)National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. p. 134. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
Further reading
- IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Alcohol Drinking (1988)International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Other websites
- ETOH Database Search. hazelden.org.
- The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism maintains a database of alcohol-related health effects. ETOH Archival Database (1972–2003) Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Science Database.
- Harmful Interactions. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
- WHO fact sheet on alcohol
- ChEBI – biology related
- Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes signal transduction pathway: KEGG – human alcohol addiction