Currently generates clinical concern the use and
abuse of drugs, and this behavior is the result of an interaction between the individual, their culture, their society,
pharmacology and the availability
of certain substances.
Currently, one of the most consumed substances
in order to induce the perception of changes, emotion and behavior is ethyl alcohol or ethanol. Alcoholic
beverages are produced for this
purpose and are also a source of
calories used by marginalized
groups.
The privileged place for the meeting of the
harmful consequences of heavy drinking
is the Emergency Service.
We inferred hence to be absolutely
essential to understand
the clinical, social and psychological
aspects of alcohol use to adequately meet the ever-increasing
number of intoxication by alcohol.
Effects of acute alcohol poisoning
A "hangover"
of alcohol seems to be the
way that our body
has to remind us of the dangers
of excessive alcohol consumption.
A hangover is always associated with acute alcohol intoxication; It begins about 6 to 8 hours
after consumption (period in which the concentration of alcohol in blood decreases
and returns to zero on average) and can last
up to 24 h.
It is characterized by adverse physical and mental effects,
with a variety of symptoms of "sickness", the most common are: headache, nausea, problems concentrating, dry mouth, dizziness, gastrointestinal
discomfort (yes... you shit yourself…), fatigue, tremors, lack of appetite, sweating, drowsiness,
anxiety, and irritability.
However, there is a wide variation of these symptoms
(from person to person and from
time to time), preventing an accurate definition of the hangover.
There are several hypotheses to explain the onset and severity of the
hangover. Besides the amount of alcohol consumed, other factors related to
consumption itself (the consumption time interval or the type of beverage) may
influence the appearance of the hangover.
Psychological factors also appear to be involved, as well as vulnerability to
alcohol dependence (such as genetic predisposition)
For example, the children of dependent parents, vulnerable to addiction, have more severe hangovers than children of non-dependent on comparable terms of frequency
and quantity of alcohol consumed.
The presence of some personality traits in subjects with
family history of alcoholism, have been related to the severity of hangover. Such a situation would favor the consumption of alcohol, because,
coupled with genetic vulnerability, individuals could consume more alcohol in order to relieve the symptoms of hangover.
However, other studies are needed to establish a relationship between various factors (genetic and psychosocial), the effects of alcohol and hangovers.
Regarding the prevalence of hangover
in the general population, it is assumed
that it is very high.
Some studies show that 75% of people who consumed intoxicating doses of
alcohol had hangover at least once in life.
While 50% of frequent drinkers (consuming
one or two drinks per day,
according to the study) had a hangover
the last year, 90% of episodic heavy drinking
students (defined by the study as the consumption of five or more drinks on a single occasion) had suffered from a hangover.
Overall, the research suggests that the hangover is a very prevalent
phenomenon, but there are few epidemiological studies to determine more precisely and specifically, the
actual hangover prevalence in
different populations.
Alcohol
poisoning treatment
Light alcohol
intoxication.
It requires
treatment, and generally follows
a full recovery. The
individuals who show very depressed will receive
psychological support to recovery,
since it is known that about 25% of successful suicide attempts
are accompanied by high alcohol levels.
Alcoholic stupor.
It is usually of short duration and, if the vital levels remain
stable, do not justify specific measures.
The patient should be kept under observation for advanced signs of CNS depression.
Alcohol
poisoning
If the patient is restless, overexcited and aggressive, you should
use the contention and, if
necessary, should be employed
sedatives, with care
not to raise the CNS
depression.
Alcoholic coma
The treatment of alcoholic coma is directed mainly towards life
support. If possible, the patient
should be monitored and treated
in Intensive Care Unit, as this
is a condition that presents immediate danger of life.
General measures
keep the patient in the lateral position to prevent
suction of secretions; the patient
warm; periodically assess vital signs
and intervene as needed; decompression of the stomach; keep the respiratory system permeable;
oxygen, and in some cases intubation.
Probably the hangover is one of the negative
consequences of acute alcohol
intake more experienced
by the general population.
However, this phenomenon has not been fully elucidated, despite
its high prevalence (mainly young people) and the
economic costs generated by it.
Scientific research continues slowly, mainly being limited
by the lack of a validated
instrument to measure the
hangover (due to the high
variability and subjectivity
of symptoms). Furthermore, most of the reported studies in humans to date, it has not been able to evaluate a large sample of people, generally having less than 200 individuals.
Other factors such as the impact of gender, food and smoking
on the severity of the hangover
also deserve attention in the future.
There are several aspects that need to be clarified in order to prevent and reduce the clinical and economic negative consequences, and social issues
related to the hangover.
