ABSTRACT
Alcohols and aldehydes are carbon compounds containing hydroxyl or carbonyl groups. The chemicals affect biological processes directly or indirectly. Direct action of these compounds involves interaction of the parent molecules with the substrates of biological pathways. Indirect action interferes with metabolic products of the parent chemical. Alcohol-mediated psychomotor disruption and subsequent deaths stand third among the leading preventable causes of death in the United States, causing an estimated 88,000 annual deaths. Ethanol is a socially accepted recreational drug due to its legal approval and ubiquitous availability. The management of chronic intoxication and addiction presents significant obstacles to the treatment of ethanol-related diseases. Psychological, medical, and pharmacological interventions, combined with abstinence, are the resources available for treatment of chronic alcoholism. Methanol is readily available at various concentrations in numerous industrial and household products, including windshield washer fluid and paint thinner.
