Psychology2016

Consciousness 167

If you are concerned about your own drinking or are worried about a friend or
loved one, there is a free and very simple online assessment at this site on the Internet:
http://www.alcoholscreening.org.

I have friends who insist that alcohol is a stimulant because they

feel more uninhibited when they drink, so why is it considered a

depressant?

Alcohol is often confused with stimulants. Many people think this is because alco-
hol makes a person feel “up” and euphoric (happy). Actually, alcohol is a depressant that
gives the illusion of stimulation, because the very first thing alcohol depresses is a per-
son’s natural inhibitions, or the “don’ts” of behavior. Inhibitions are all the social rules
people have learned that allow them to get along with others and function in society.
Inhibitions also keep people from taking off all their clothes and dancing on the table at a
crowded bar—inhibitions are a good thing.
Many people are unaware of exactly what constitutes a “drink.” Ta b l e 4. 4 explains
this and shows the effects of various numbers of drinks on behavior. Alcohol indirectly
stimulates the release of a neurotransmitter called GABA, the brain’s major depressant
(Brick, 2003; Santhakumar et al., 2007). GABA slows down or stops neural activity. As
more GABA is released, the brain’s functioning actually becomes more and more inhib-
ited, depressed, or slowed down. The areas of the brain that are first affected by alcohol
are unfortunately the areas that control social inhibitions, so alcohol (due to its simula-
tion of GABA) has the effect of depressing the inhibitions. As the effects continue, motor
skills, reaction time, and speech are all affected.
Some people might be surprised that only one drink can have a fairly strong effect.
People who are not usually drinkers will feel the effects of alcohol much more quickly
than those who have built up a tolerance. Women also feel the effects sooner, as their

Table 4. 4 Blood Alcohol Level and Behavior Associated With Amounts of Alcohol

A drink is a drink. Each contains half an ounce of alcohol.

So a drink is...

• 1 can of beer (12 oz.; 4–5% alcohol)


• 1 glass of wine (4 oz.; 12% alcohol)


• 1 shot of most liquors (1 oz.; 40–50% alcohol)
  At times “a drink” is really the equivalent of more than just one drink, like when you order a drink with more than
  one shot of alcohol in it, or you do a shot followed by a beer.
  Average Number of Drinks Blood Alcohol Level Behavior
  1–2 drinks 0.05% Feeling of well-being, uninhibited, poor judgment,
  coordination, and alertness
  Impaired driving
  3–5 drinks 0.10% Slow reaction time
  Muscle control, vision, and speech impaired Crash risk
  greatly increased
  6–7 drinks 0.15% Major increases in reaction time
  8–10 drinks 0.20% Loss of balance, fine motor skills, legally blind and
  unable to drive for up to 10 hours
  10–14 drinks 0.20% and 0.25% Staggering and severe motor disturbances
  10–14 drinks 0.30% Not aware of surroundings
  10–14 drinks 0.35% Surgical anesthesia
  Lethal dosage for a small percentage of people
  14–20 drinks 0.40% Lethal dosage for about 50% of people
  Severe circulatory/respiratory depression
  Alcohol poisoning/overdose
  SOURCE: Adapted from the Moderate Drinking Skills Study Guide (2004). Eau-Claire, WI: University of Wisconsin.

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