Abnormal Psychology

Substance Use Disorders 405

9.8 • Blood Alcohol Concentration and Its Effects Different blood alcohol concentrations are on

average associated with different effects. People may be motivated to drink alcohol because of the way it can

affect thoughts, feelings, and behavior, but the same effects can impair functioning and, with repeated use, lead

to alcohol abuse. As shown in the graph on the right, alcohol’s effects—both desirable and undesirable—may

be experienced within a few minutes and last a number of hours. The more someone has had to drink, the more

impaired he or she will be for a longer period of time.

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Figure 9.8g9

Changes in thoughts,

feelings, and behavior

Impaired functions

and activities

(continuum)

Blood alcohol

concentration

(percentage)

Relaxation

Sense of well being

Loss of inhibition

Pleasure

Numbing of feelings

Nausea

Sleepiness

Emotional arousal

Mood swings

Anger

Sadness

Mania

Aggression

Reduced sensations

Depression

Stupor

Unconsciousness

Death possible

Coma

Death

0.01 – 0.05

0.06 – 0.10

0.11 – 0.20

0.21 – 0.30

0.31 – 0.40

0.41 and greater

Blood alcohol concentration (percentage)

0

123456

0.02

0.01

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

0.07

0.08

0.09

0.10

Time (hours)

Alertness

Visual tracking

Judgment

Coordination

(especially fine motor

skills)

Reasoning and

depth perception

Social Factors

behavior

(e.g., obnoxiousness)

Speech (slurred)

Balance

Temperature

regulation

Bladder

control

Breathing

Heart rate (slowed)

generally translates into four or more drinks for women, fi ve or more for men;

one drink is equivalent to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of

80-proof liquor) (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism National

Advisory Council, 2004). Binge drinking is likely to occur when a person sets out to

get drunk (Schulenberg et al., 1996). Repetitive binge drinking can lead to alcohol

abuse or dependence.

The prevalence of binge drinking differs across the United States, often because

of the type of colleges predominant in a state. For instance, students at colleges

in California are less likely to binge drink than are college students in other states.

California students tend to be older and are more often married (Wechsler et al., 1997),

which may lead them to drink more responsibly. Men binge drink at higher rates

than do women, and women at coeducational schools binge drink at higher rates than

women at women’s colleges (Dowdall, Crawford, & Wechsler, 1998). Binge drinkers

are at increased risk for dangerous alcohol-related behaviors, such as driving while

impaired (Wechsler et al., 1998), having unprotected sex, and engaging in more

sexual activity than they would have when sober (Wechsler et al., 2002).

Alcohol Dependence

Chronic drinking leads to tolerance and withdrawal, and hence alcohol dependence.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2005), alco-

hol dependence is marked by four symptoms:

craving• , which is a strong need, or urge, to drink;