Synonyms
Definition
Alcohol is an organic chemical compound that is comprised of an alkyl group (carbon chain) and a hydroxyl group (oxygen–hydrogen bound molecule). More commonly it is used to refer to a class of beverages containing the chemical ethanol, a psychoactive drug that depresses the central nervous system.
Description
The term alcohol can refer to any organic chemical compound that includes one or more aliphatic hydroxyl groups (−OH) attached to an alkyl group (C n H n+1). While alcohols can exist in many forms, the term alcohol is more commonly used to describe the compound ethyl alcohol (or ethanol, abbreviated EtOH). As its name suggests, ethanol is comprised of an ethyl group (a two-carbon chain) and a hydroxyl group (an oxygen–hydrogen bound molecule), arranged in a straight chain and having the molecular formula C2H5OH (Fig. 1). Ethanol is the primary psychoactive ingredient found in most alcoholic beverages, and...
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References
Gordis, E. (1991). Alcohol research: promise for the decade (Report No. ADM-92-1990). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Halpern-Felsher, B. L., & Biehl, M. (2004). Developmental and environmental influences on underage drinking: A general overview. In R. J. Bonnie & M. E. O’Connell (Eds.), Reducing underage drinking: A collective responsibility (pp. 402–416). Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2005). The effects of alcohol on physiological processes and biological development. Alcohol Research & Health, 28, 125–131. Rockville, MD: Author.
National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2008). Ethanol (Compound Summary). Available from the PubChem Compound Web site. Accessed November 2008 http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2002). Making the link: Underage drinking and the developing brain. Rockville, MD: Author.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2007). Alcohol metabolism: An update. Alcohol Alert, 72, 2–6. Rockville, MD: Author.
Zakhari, S. (2006). Overview: How is alcohol metabolized in the body? Alcohol Research & Health, 29, 245–254.
Suggested Resources
For the most up-to-date research on specific topics related to alcohol, the reader is referred to the following internet resources:
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Accessed November 2008 http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). http://www.nida.nih.gov/
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Cooney, N. (2011). Alcohol. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_91
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