Alcohol intoxication

File:Sammunut suomalainen tampereella.jpg

A drunken man in Tampere, Finland.

Drunkenness, in its most common usage, is the state of being intoxicated by consumption of ethyl alcohol to a degree that mental and physical facilities are noticeably impaired. Common symptoms may include slurred speech, impaired balance, poor coordination, flushed face, reddened eyes and uncharacteristic behavior. Without being inebriated, a drinking person may be described as "buzzed" or "tipsy" while experiencing these symptoms to a lesser degree.

A person who is habitually intoxicated in this manner is sometimes labeled, correctly or incorrectly, an alcoholic, often referred to as a "drunk" (a shortened form of the more traditional term "drunkard") or colloquially by any number of slang terms, such as alkie, waster, wino, lush, soak, etc. The popularity of particular terms (like all slang) varies from region to region.

Cultural attitudes

Many cultures have social standards associated with drunkenness. Some cultures consider the ability to drink vast quantities of alcohol worthy of respect. Such an attitude could be regarded as pathological, as it may lead to alcoholism. In other cultures the act of refusing offers of alcoholic drinks may appear to be "spoiling the atmosphere" and a sign of disrespect (Bales, 1962)

Behavioural changes associated with drunkenness are, to some degree, both cultural and contextual. For example, people consuming non-alcoholic drinks that they believe to be alcoholic often exhibit drunk-like behavior on a par with their alcohol-drinking companions even though their own drinks contained no alcohol whatsoever. Similarly, those who are consuming an alcoholic beverage but believe it to be non-alcoholic tend not to act nearly so intoxicated. And in societies that do not believe intoxication leads to disinhibition, it leads to less disinhibition. [1]

People tend to feel the positive effects of alcohol as their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) rises to about 0.055%. If they drink more and their BAC rises above that level, the negative effects of drinking increase and hangovers are more likely to occur.

Religious views

Many religions groups permit the consumption of alcohol but prohibit intoxication, and some prohibit alchohol consumption altogether, such as Islam.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states in paragraph 2290: "The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others' safety on the road, at sea, or in the air." The Church does not prohibit the use of alcohol if it is done in moderation; and indeed, the ritual use of alcoholic altar wine during the Mass is central to the Roman Catholic liturgy.

Nearly every Protestant Christian denomination has a prohibition on drunkenness due to the Biblical passages condemning it (Proverbs 23:21, Isaiah 28:1, Habakkuk 2:15, et al).

Law

Laws on drunkenness vary between countries. In the United States, for example, it is commonly a minor offense for an individual to be so intoxicated in a public place that he is unable to care for his own safety or the safety of others. This degree of intoxication is considerably higher than the standard for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs ("drunk driving"), which commonly requires intoxication to the degree that mental and physical facilities are impaired.

In the United Kingdom, police forces frequently target those deemed too intoxicated and arrest them on a charge of "drunk and disorderly".

There are often many legal restrictions relating to sale and supply of alcohol, and particularly relating to those persons under eighteen years of age (twenty-one in some jurisdictions) or to somebody who is already intoxicated.

In Canada, in all provinces excluding Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec the legal drinking age is 19. In Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec the legal drinking age is 18.

Quotations

• "I'm not so think as you drunk I am" Major Margaret Houlihan. M*A*S*H

• "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has this advice to offer on drunkenness: 'Go to it,' it said, 'and good luck.' "
• "You're drunk, disgustingly drunk!" "And you're ugly, disgustingly ugly! But tomorrow I'll be sober." -A drunken Winston Churchill in reply to Bessie Matlock.

• "That plant looks kinda sexy..." Shannon Woodell
• "You have a kangaroo back in YOUR ROOM?! Can I see it?....Do you work out?...Wait, what's your name again?" Andrea Kirby.

[Photos can be found under alcoholics ;)]

See also

• Effects of alcohol on the body
• Addiction
• Alcoholic beverages
• Alcoholism
• Beer goggles
• Ethanol
• Hangover
• Pub crawl
• Squeans
• List of iconic drinkers
• Drunken Fist

Further reading

• Bales, Robert F. Attitudes toward Drinking in the Irish culture. In: Pittman, David J. and Snyder, Charles R. (Eds.) Society, Culture and Drinking Patterns. NY: Wiley, 1962, pp. 157-187.
• "Out of It. A Cultural History of Intoxication" by Stuart Walton. (Penguin Books, 2002) ISBN 0-14-027977-6
• "Modern Drunkard" magazine - a humorous magazine about drink and the art of getting drunk