Kontakt 2006, 8(2):358-365 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2006.057

Drug named alcoholBiomedicine

Radka Sandorová^*, Jaroslava Samková, Jan Holejšovský, Stanislav Vodvářka

Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, katedra radiologie a toxikologie

Alcohol is the most extensively used drug and alcoholism presents the most important source of social, economical and health problems in many countries. The target of the present work was to accumulate data about the situation in the Czech Republic and particularly in the South-Bohemian Region. Alcoholism is a chronic, very frequently progressive disease, which can be even fatal. The alcoholism is typically caused by a physical dependence on the drug alcohol, but there is also a participation of genetic, psychological and social factors. Alcohol is a factor which brings a contribution to almost half mortalities in traffic accidents and which leads to many health problems. The scope of the article is aimed at the history of alcohol and its consumption, at mechanisms of biological effects of alcohol and origination of dependence and at health consequences of the alcohol consumption. Problems of relationships of man to alcohol are furthermore discussed in the article, and terms teetotaller (abstainer from alcoholic drinks), consumer, drunkard and person dependent on alcohol are explained, thus elucidating the point from which man becomes an alcoholic. A further part of the article is focused on alcohol in transportation and its contribution to the statistics of traffic accidents and on problems of drinking alcohol in pregnancy with explaining its danger for the developing foetus and elucidating the origination of foetal alcoholic syndrome. The data accumulated indicate that in the Czech Republic, 3/4 women drink alcoholic drinks before pregnancy, provided that one third of them continue drinking in the first three months of their gravidity. It is necessary to realize that drinking alcohol in pregnancy, particularly in the period when the woman yet does not know her pregnancy, presents a great risk for the foetus. This fact offers a big opportunity for improving information in young women. The article is also aimed at relationships between alcohol and criminality, since alcohol is a considerable criminogenic factor in offences against decency, but also in other types of delinquency and particularly in violent criminal offences. Alcohol takes part in traffic accidents to a great extent, particularly in the most severe accidents associated with fatal or severe injuries. Information presented in this review was taken from Czech special monographs focused on alcoholism, most recent international information from journals and statistical data of the Police of the Czech Republic.

Keywords: alcohol; alcoholism; abuse; drug; foetal alcoholic syndrome

Published: December 15, 2006  Show citation