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Alcohol and Human Health
Edited by Lesley Smart
104 pages
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60 full colour
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263x210mm
978-0-19-923735-7
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Paperback
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13 December 2007
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- Blends an integrated multidisciplinary approach with case studies to create a unique learning experience.
- Extensive learning features, including activities, chapter summaries, learning outcomes, in-text and self-assessment questions, Explanation and Enrichment boxes, references and further reading, offer full support for learning, making this the ideal resource for any student, regardless of prior scientific knowledge.
- Custom-developed multimedia content, on the associated DVD, enriches the learning process still further, helping you to get even more out of the resource.
- Online Resource Centre features additional materials for both lecturers and students, enhancing the book's value as a teaching and learning tool.
Alcohol has been drunk in human societies for at least ten thousand years, and today has become a common and accepted way to unwind from the pressures of life. But people are also aware that drinking alcohol has its dangers: it impairs our reaction times; it can damage our livers; it can increase the risk of developing certain cancers; and it can be addictive, ruining careers and lives. But there are counter-claims that small regular amounts of alcohol improve health and lengthen life. What is the truth?
Alcohol and Human Health is a
multidisciplinary account of the science behind drinking alcohol and its effects on human health. The book first puts the problems into perspective by looking at the global health and accident statistics relating to alcohol drinking. It then goes on to study the basic chemistry of the ethanol molecule, and explains how ethanol is absorbed and metabolised by the body, and how it damages the liver, kidneys and brain. The authors then explore the effects of drinking alcohol on behaviour, motor control and memory, and in the process, discuss the causes of addiction and the possibilities for treatment, using case stories to highlight the effects of excessive drinking. The book concludes by evaluating the evidence for the benefits of moderate drinking.
Alcohol and Human
Health is accompanied by a fully interactive DVD, which includes molecular models of key chemical structures featured in the book, together with animations of the alcohol 'journey' through the body illustrating its effects on the liver and at synapses in the nervous system. Also on the DVD are videos illustrating how the effects of alcohol and placebo can be investigated experimentally, and interviews with undergraduates discussing their attitudes to drinking and with recovering alcoholics and staff at Alcoholics Anonymous.
The Online Resource Centre features:
For lecturers who are registered adopters of the book:
- Figures from the book in electronic format, available to download
For students:
- Access to ROUTES, a searchable internet database of online resources compiled by academic staff and subject-specialist librarians.Readership: Undergraduates studying biomedical science, human biology, and health science, particularly those with an interest in public health. Also a valuable reference for health professionals requiring a straightforward introduction to the subject.
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Edited by Lesley Smart, Open University Contributors:
Lesley Smart and Sotiris Missailidi, Chemistry, Open University
Frederick Toates, Psychology, Open University:
Tom Heller, Health and Social Care, Open University
Elizabeth Parvin, Physics, Open University:
James Phillips, Basiro Davey, Biological Sciences, Open University
Brian Richardson, Eleanor Crabbe, Steve Best, Greg Black, Hendrik Ball, Multimedia, Open University
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"This is a marvelous book." - Doody's Notes "I found this a fascinating read and it will be of interest to anybody who wants to know more about alcohol and its effects, or who works with people who are using alcohol." - Education in Chemistry, 2008
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1: Alcohol and its effects on health
1.1 Alcohol has a long history
1.2 Problems in estimating alcohol consumption
1.3 Variations in alcohol consumption around the world
1.4 Alcohol, youth and gender - Rachel's story
1.5 Alcohol and the world's health
1.6 Economic costs of alcohol-related harm
2: The chemistry of alcohol
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The alcohol molecule
2.3 The properties of ethanol
2.4 The metabolism of ethanol in the body
2.5 The chemical reactions of ethanol
2.6 Does drinking alcohol make you fat?
3: Where does alcohol go in the body?
3.1 Absorption of alcohol from the gut
3.2 Transport of absorbed ethanol in the body
3.3 Ethanol from the gut first passes through the liver
3.4 The effect of ethanol on the kidneys
4: Alcohol - link to brain, behaviour and mind
4.1 How to understand why people drink alcohol
4.2 Psychological perspectives on drinking alcohol
4.3 Alcohol and the brain
4.4 Associations between alcohol, smoking and sex
4.5 Addiction to alcohol
5: How alcohol causes short- and long-term harmful effects
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Hangovers
5.3 Long-term problems for chronic alcoholism
5.4 Nervous system damage
5.5 Fetal alcohol syndrome
5.6 Treatment
6: Balancing harms with possible benefits
6.1 Is there a 'safe' level of alcohol intake?
6.2 Can moderate drinking bring any health benefits?
6.3 Final Comments
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The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
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