Thus, college fraternities and sororities may encourage alcohol intoxication. This condi- tion is also frequent on certain dates of cultural significance (e.g., New Year’s Eve) and, for some subgroups, during specific events (e.g., wakes following funerals). Other subgroups encourage drinking at religious celebrations (e.g., Jewish and Catholic holidays), while still others strongly discourage all drinking or intoxication (e.g., some religious groups, such as Mormons, fundamentalist Christians, and Muslims).
Historically, in many Western societies, acceptance of drinking and drunkenness is more tolerated for males, but such gender differences may be much less prominent in recent years, especially during adolescence and young adulthood.
Intoxication is usually established by observing an individual’s behavior and smelling alcohol on the breath. The degree of intoxication increases with an individual’s blood or breath alcohol level and with the ingestion of other substances, especially those with sedating effects.
Functional Consequences of Alcohol Intoxication
Alcohol intoxication contributes to the more than 30,000 alcohol-related drinking deaths in the United States each year. In addition, intoxication with this drug contributes to huge costs associated with drunk driving, lost time from school or work, as well as interpersonal arguments and physical fights.
Other medical conditions. Several medical (e.g., diabetic acidosis) and neurological condi— tions (e.g., cerebellar ataxia, multiple sclerosis) can temporarily resemble alcohol intoxication.
Sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic intoxication. Intoxication with sedative, hypnotic, or anxiolytic drugs or with other sedating substances (e.g., antihistamines, anticholinergic drugs) can be mistaken for alcohol intoxication. The differential requires observing alco- hol on the breath, measuring blood or breath alcohol levels, ordering a medical workup, and gathering a good history. The signs and symptoms of sedative-hypnotic intoxication are very similar to those observed with alcohol and include similar problematic behavioral or psychological changes. These changes are accompanied by evidence of impaired func- tioning and judgment—Which, if intense, can result in a life-threatening coma—and levels of incoordination that can interfere with driving abilities and with performing usual activities. However, there is no smell as there is with alcohol, but there is likely to be evi- dence of misuse of the depressant drug in the blood or urine toxicology analyses.
Alcohol intoxication may occur comorbidly with other substance intoxication, especially in individuals with conduct disorder or antisocial personality disorder.
A. Cessation of (or reduction in) alcohol use that has been heavy and prolonged.
B. Two (or more) of the following, developing within several hours to a few days after the cessation of (or reduction in) alcohol use described in Criterion A:
Autonomic hyperactivity (e.g.. sweating or pulse rate greater than 100 bpm).
Increased hand tremor.
Insomnia.
Nausea or vomiting.
Transient visual, tactile. or auditory hallucinations or illusions.
Psychomotor agitation.
Anxiety.
Generalized tonic-clonic seizures.
C. The signs or symptoms in Criterion B cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
D. The signs or symptoms are not attributable to another medical condition and are not better explained by another mental disorder, including intoxication or withdrawal from another substance.
Specify it:
With perceptual disturbances: This specifier applies in the rare instance when hal- lucinations (usually visual or tactile) occur with intact reality testing, or auditory, visual, or tactile illusions occur in the absence of a delirium.