Chapters 6,
7 & 8
A word I learned in this chapter was Benzodiazepines. This word refers to a class of heterocyclic organic compounds used as tranquilizers, such as Librium and Valium. I learned these kinds of drugs are strong and can be very dangerous if not taken in the right doses.
Within chapter 7 Alcohol: Pharmacological effects I
learned about types of Alcohol and its effects, such as physical effects such
as liver and other organ disorders and even mental effects. I learned that a tolerance
can occur and may lead to dependency. I learned that ever drink you have has an
effect that comes with it and 0.08% is legal intoxication after that it’s not
good for you at all. It basically goes downhill. I found it interesting that
there is no explanation of a hangover; I personally always thought that alcohol
dehydrates you, and when you drink too much and go right to sleep, the alcohol
causes effects of dehydration. Water always helps me. I also thought it was
interesting to read that alcohol moderately can reduce cardiovascular disease
for men over 50, Very surprising. I learned that there are medications out
there to help people with alcohol dependency, like, Naltrexone.
A word I learned in this chapter was Cirrhosis. This
word refers to a chronic disease of the liver marked by degeneration of cells,
inflammation, and fibrous thickening of tissue. I learned that this is a
disease related to alcohol when too much is consumed over a long period of
time. And it’s irreversible.
A word I learned in this chapter is Speakeasies. This word refers to a place where illegal alcoholic beverages were consumed and sold during the prohibition era. I learned that these kinds of places no longer are needed and no longer exist.
I was very interested in the drinking ages so I wanted to look into our own drinking age per state and found a very interesting chart or map that shows that each state has a little bit different laws when it comes to underage drinking such as Texas, there its parent discretion which I found kind of shocking I always thought every state was the same when it came to underage drinking. Below are the link and the chart.