ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses alcohol with attention to its pharmacology—“pharmacodynamics”; “pharmacokinetics”; and related undesired, or harmful, effects and toxicities. Pharmacologically, alcohol is classified as a psychodepressant that belongs to the “sedative-hypnotic” subclass, which also includes the prescription sedative-hypnotics. Beverage alcohol is a colorless, flammable, and volatile liquid that is produced by fermenting various carbohydrate foodstuffs, including fruits, grains, and vegetables with the use of yeasts. Empirical findings in support of the psychodepressant actions of alcohol include the observation that as more alcohol is consumed during a drinking episode, drinkers do not become more wakeful, they become drowsier and, inevitably, uniformly fall asleep. Although only small amounts of alcohol are directly absorbed from the stomach, overall, absorption is rapid, and virtually complete from the small intestine. The rate of alcohol metabolism is linear with time and is minimally affected by variations in blood concentration.
