PSYC 3030 Chapter Notes -Gastritis, Teratology, Cardiovascular Disease
Document Summary
Alcohol is the most known, manufactured drug, and has been used the longest. Alcohol has had profound influences on the societies around the world in which it is used. Alcohol refers to several substances, example, isopropyl alcohol, methyl alcohol and ethanol. In this chapter we look at the many facets of alcohol use and abuse. Alcohol is drunk in three ways of alcoholic beverages: beer, wine, and hard liquor (aka distilled spirits) All of these beverages depend on the process of fermentation and then on the process of distillation1 for hard liquor. Fermentation begins when sugar is dissolved in water and exposed to air, which creates living environments for living microorganisms called yeasts. Yeasts multiple rapidly by eating the sugar, which is then converted to ethanol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide bubbles to the top of the mixture, leaving ethanol. As the yeasts grow, so does the percentage of ethanol 10 15 percent.