Question

Alcohol is consumed for social, religious, familial, and even business reasons. Over half of American adults enjoy at least one alcoholic drink per month. Moderate consumption has been associated with some health benefits. Overconsumption results in serious health issues and other negative consequences. Individuals suffering from alcohol use disorder have impaired control over their drinking even though they are aware of the negative academic, social, familial, professional, legal, and/or personal impacts their usage can have. They may neglect their social, personal, and/or work obligations.

Learn about Koren’s experience with drinking by clicking on the image below. After reading this case study, answer the questions on the right.

The New York Times Bestseller "Gripping ... one of the best acounts of addiction, the college experience, or what it means to be an average teenage girl in America. A.'Entertainment Weekly smashed STORY OF A DRUNKEN GIRLHOOD KOREN ZAILCKAS oren Zailckas was a shy, insecure girl raised in an upscale town in the Boston suburbs. She started drink- ing at the age of 14, and almost from her first sip, there was no turning back. During a socially awkward adolescence, Koren found it difficult to be at ease around other people, par ticularly girls her own age. When she drank, she became asser- tive and friendly. She bonded with other girls and met tons of guys. Throughout her high school and college years, alcohol was her crutch and best pal. Koren didn't think of herself as an alcoholic, but she was a binge drinker. She drank herself into her first blackout with a thermos full of vodka at the age of 16. She woke up in her bed- room wearing a hospital Johnny and a pink plastic bracelet on her wrist. The bracelet was compliments of her local hospital emergency room. The Johnny had replaced her vomit-covered clothes from the night before. Her stomach had been pumped. Her parents had carried her from the back seat of the family car to her bedroom in the middle of the night. They were devastated. As a freshman entering college, Koren used beer and liquor to make friends and be accepted. She pledged a sorority for the sisterhood and booze. She frequently drank herself into a state of numbness and allowed sorority sisters and male friends to make many of her decisions. She was often the last girl to leave the party because she was too drunk to know that she should have left an hour before. After college graduation, Koren continued her drunken lifestyle in New York City. She worked hard during the day and drank hard at night. One morning she woke up in a strange bed, in a strange condo, next to a stranger from the cab ride the night before. For Koren, this was rock bottom. She realized that her chronic drink- ing was a magnet for like-minded people who similarly abused alcohol and were as damaged in life as she. But she wanted a good life. She wanted sound friendships and self-confidence, and she recognized that she wasn't going to achieve these goals with alcohol. At that moment, she decided to get help. Through guidance from an addiction counselor and her own drive to quit drinking, Koren stopped her destructive behavior and began surrounding herself with a healthier circle of friends. Today, she is sober, and has a new lease on life. You can read more about Koren's struggles and triumphs in her best-selling book, Smashed (Penguin, 2006).

Part A

How might excessive drinking have impacted Koren’s nutrition status and health?

Select all that apply.

The calories from alcoholic beverages could have increased risk of weight gain, particularly around the stomach.

The calories from alcoholic beverages would have reduced the risk of malnutrition.

Fats would not have been metabolized properly and could have built up in the liver.

Absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K may have been reduced.

The alcohol intake would have decreased the risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease.

Part B

Although Koren had severe alcohol use disorder, even those who are moderate drinkers can benefit from strategies to help them temper their intake. Which of the following strategies would you recommend for someone trying to keep his or her drinking to safe levels?

Drink coffee to help ameliorate hangover symptoms and increase speed of recovery.

Only drink in social settings.

Switch to drinking light beers instead of regular beers.

Alternate alcoholic beverages with nonalcoholic beverages.

Part C

Koren’s experience most fully supports which of the following statements?

Drinking habits improve with age; only college students are at risk for binge drinking.

Drinking should always be avoided because of the negative impact on health.

If someone plans to consume many drinks in one night, he or she should decrease or avoid drinking alcoholic beverages on other nights to achieve moderate overall consumption.

Social drinking is not always moderate drinking.

Answer 1

Part A

The right options are

"The calories from alcoholic beverages could have increased risk of weight gain, particularly around the stomach."

Reason :- Any extra calorie we consume is stored as fat and this can lead to weight gain, particularly around the stomach.

"Fats wouldn't have been metabolised properly and built up in the liver."

Reason :- Alcohol disrupt the lining of stomach and also disrupt a lot of transport mechanism, as well as utilization of them by our body.

"Absorption of Fat soluble vitamins like A, E, D, K may have been reduced."

Reason :- Since fat absorption is lowered/disrupted, fat soluble vitamins are also not absorbed properly by the body.

Part B

Right options are

Only drink in social settings.

Reason :- We all know alcohol is bad for health and we should minimize the consumption of it. So just prefer to do light drinking in social settings.

Alternating alcoholic beverage with nonalcoholic beverage is a great way to reduce the consumption of alcohol even though you will still be consuming a lot of calories but at least some of the bad effects of alcohol can be avoided like this  

Part C

Right options are :-

Drinking should always be avoided because of the negative impact on health.

Reasoning :- We all know the ill effects of alcohol on our body, then why do we insist on drinking such thing? Not only it make us lose our body control it also effect our nutrition intake and result in weight gain too along with a damaged liver

Social drinking is not always moderate drinking.

Reasoning :- Koren went out and drank a lot, it was obvious she was drinking in social settings like in sorority and nobody was wise enough to tell her to stop. It doesn't matter whether you are drinking alone or in a social setting, it may lead to you drinking a lot more than which is wise and healthy.