HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLES
Drinking Alcoholic Beverages
To abuse a substance means to use it in a way that poses a threat to the safety & well-being of
the user/society/both
Alcoholism = An addiction to ethanol, the psychoactive agent in alcoholic beverages
o Psychoactive Substance = any substance that affects the brain & CNS functioning
5:1 ratio of men to women of alcohol consumption
Strong correlation w/ alcohol consumption & violent relationships
Neuronal activity of the brain becomes suppressed & reduces inhibitory controls on beh when
moderate to heavy lvls of alcohol is consumed, individuals become:
o More relaxed & outgoing
o Impaired motor coordination
o Difficulty thinking clearly
Even more alcohol is consumer:
o Producing distortions in perception
o Slurred speech
o Memory loss
o Impaired judgement
o Poor control of movement
Alcohol (b/c small fat & water soluble molecules) is rapidly absorbed from stomach to intestinal
tract & is quickly n evenly distributed throughout the body via the circulatory system
Blood alcohol lvls are affected by body mass and muscularity Larger person = more alcohol
Muscular person = more alcohol
Alcohol is metabolized by the liver in a constant rate (regardless of amount) metabolize
8.5grams/hr
0.3%-0.4% blood alcohol level = lose consciousness
0.5% blood alcohol level = neurons in the brain lose control of respiratory & circulatory system
stop functioning causing death
Delirium Tremens (DTs) – pattern of withdrawal symptoms that includes trembling, irritability,
hallucinations, sleeplessness, & confusion when attempt to quit drinking
o Some alcoholics become some dependent that stopping drinking produces convulsion &
sometimes death
Refer to page 521, Table 16.4 “Effects of Mixing Alcohol with Other Drugs”
Alcohol (like cigarettes) is prompted from 1. Imitation 2. Peer Pressure
Treatments: aversion therapy or extensive counselling
psychologists/counsellors aim to teach ind.s:
1. Identify environmental cues/circumstances that may cause addictive beh to occur/recur
2. Learn to behave in ways that are compatible w/ the undesirable beh
3. Have confidence that he/she can overcome addiction
4. View setbacks in overcoming the addiction as a temp & as learning experiences in which
new coping skills are acquired
Prevention programs for addictive beh is only moderately successful
Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) = Last stage of the illness triggered by Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
spread through tainted blood or sharing needles
Safe sex practices can reduce contracting STD:
o Limiting # of sexual partners
o Sexual history of sexual partners b4 engaging in sexual relations
o Using a condom
o Abstinence
4 main goals of prevention programs:
1. Teach ppl the relationship b/w beh & contracting STDs & AIDS
2. Familiarize ppl w/ safe se behs (proper use of condom)
3. Break down barriers to using safe sex practices (refusal to inquire about a partner’s
sexual history, idea that one is vulnerable to STD/HIV infection
4. Provide encouragement & support in order to motivate behs that reduce STDS & HIV
risks
Young ppl feel that they misfortune of STDs won’t happen to them (false sense of safety)
Decrease masculinity when using a condom
Falsely feel that they can tell if someone has STDs
Reactions to Contagious Diseases
Many ppl don’t feel comfortable sitting next to a person w/ AIDS for fear of catching it
Fear of Contagion =Negative beh of this sort occurs especially in a collective widespread of
social basis
o Fear of contagion occurs under 4 conditions
1. Disease is deadly
2. Disease appears suddenly
3. No apparent explanation
4. Ppl believe that many ppl are at risk contracting it
UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLES ARE PREVENTABLE: SELF – CONTROL
Self-Control = Behaviour that produces a larger, long-term reward (produced by another, necessarily
incompatible action) when ppl are faced w/ the choice b/w it and a smaller, short-term reward
= “prior commitment of action that precludes making this decision”
Howard Rachlin & George Ainslie created a model of self-control:
o When there is a choice b/w the small, short-term reward & larger, long-term reward
you will most likely chose the small, short term reward b/c at the moment it exceeds
the larger, long-term reward *avoid choice in 1st place
o Move the moment of decision to time before the choice = long-term reward has a
higher value
Ex. Forms of prior commitment: setting alarm the night before
Other self-control strategies: coping w/ situations of such temptation
Lack of success in effective commitment strategies that encourage ppl to make choices that
benefit their health
Health Psychology = The branch of psychology involved in the promotion and maintenance of sound
health practices
STRESS AND HEALTH
Stress = A pattern of physiological, behavioural, & cognitive responses to stimuli (real/imagined) that are
perceived as endangering one’s well-being
Stressors = Stimuli that are perceived as endangering one’s well-being
Stress is a product of natural selection
Behavioural adaptation that helped our ancestors flight or flee from wild animals & enemies
Biological Basis of Stress
Physical response to stressors is governed by autonomic nervous system, which is controlled by
the hypothalamus
When an ind senses a stressor, the hypothalamus sends signals to the pituitary gland, both
which respond by stimulating body organs to change their normal activities:
1. Heart rate Increases, blood pressure rises, blood vessels constrict, blood sugar levels rise,
& blood flow is directed away from extremities & toward major organs
2. Breathing becomes deeper & faster and air passages dilate, which permits more air to
enter the lungs
3. Digestion stops and perspiration increases
4. The adrenal glands secrete adrenaline (epinephrine) which stimulates the heart & other
organs
2 cases where these responses are maladaptive:
o Stress produces anxiety, which impairs one`s ability to perform tasks
o Effects of prolonged & severe stress
Selye`s General Adaptation Syndrome
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) = The model proposed by Selye to describe the body’s adaptation
to chronic exposure to severe stressors. The body passes through an orderly sequence of 3 physiological
stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
1. Alarm Reaction (1st confronted w/ the stressor)
Arousal of the autonomic nervous system
Resistance of stressor temporary drops below normal
Shock – impairment of normal functioning
2. Resistance (cont’d exposure to stressor)
Autonomic nervous system returns to normal
Resistance of stressor increases & plateaus @ above normal levels