Alcohol (drug)

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This page is about ethanol as a recreational or psychoactive substance. For the chemical class, see Alcohol (chemistry). For types and characteristics of alcoholic beverages, see Alcoholic beverage. For the substance in general, see Ethanol.

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Ethanol
Skeletal formula of ethanol
Ball-and-stick model of ethanol Space-filling model of ethanol
Clinical data
Pronunciation/ˈɛθənɒl/
SynonymsAbsolute 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
  • X (Contraindicated in pregnancy)
Dependence
liability		Moderate[1]
Addiction
liability		Moderate (10–15%)[2]
Routes of
administration		Common: By mouth
Uncommon: Suppository, inhalation, ophthalmic, insufflation, injection[3]
Drug classDepressant; anxiolytic; analgesic; euphoriant; sedative; emetic; diuretic; general anesthetic
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability80%+[6][7]
Protein bindingWeakly or not at all[6][7]
MetabolismLiver (90%):[4][5]
• Alcohol dehydrogenase
• MEOS (CYP2E1)
MetabolitesAcetaldehyde; acetic acid; acetyl-CoA; carbon dioxide; water; ethyl glucuronide; ethyl sulfate
Onset of actionPeak concentrations:[4][6]
• Range: 30–90 minutes
• Mean: 45–60 minutes
• Fasting: 30 minutes
Elimination half-lifeConstant-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 action6–16 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]
Identifiers
IUPAC name
CAS Number
PubChem CID
IUPHAR/BPS
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
PDB ligand
E number
ECHA InfoCard
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC2H6O
Molar mass46.07 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
Density0.7893 g/cm3 (at 20 °C)[10]
Melting point−114.14 ± 0.03 °C (−173.45 ± 0.05 °F) [10]
Boiling point78.24 ± 0.09 °C (172.83 ± 0.16 °F) [10]
Solubility in waterMiscible mg/mL (20 °C)
SMILES
InChI

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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

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ Neuropharmacology of alcohol addiction. British Journal of Pharmacology 154 (2) (May 2008). p. 299–315. doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.30.
  3. ↑ 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. ↑ 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. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Principles of Forensic Toxicology (2003)Amer. Assoc. for Clinical Chemistry. p. 161–. ISBN 978-1-890883-87-4.
  6. ↑ 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. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ The clinical pharmacology of alcohol. California Medicine 113 (3) (September 1970). p. 37–45.
  9. ↑ Alcohol and Drug Abuse as Encountered in Office Practice (26 November 1990)CRC Press. p. 74–. ISBN 978-0-8493-0166-7.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (2011). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. p. 3.246. ISBN 1439855110.
  11. ↑ Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (2013). p. 61–65. ISBN 978-1-4419-1004-2. doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_626.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ 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

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