alcohol safe and legal
Alcohol, Safe and Legal?
As a future health psychology professional, you may be asked to present information, take a position, or offer a professional personal opinion to the general community or public on psychopharmacological issues affecting current events or the “hot topic†of the time.
Alcohol is a legal drug, and there is scientific evidence that, at low levels, there are genuine health benefits to alcohol, and therefore is considered “safe.†For this Assignment, consider whether alcohol’s health benefits mean alcohol can be viewed any differently from any other drug
- Is there an appropriate use for alcohol?
- Do the health benefits of alcohol mean alcoholics can be treated differently than those with other addictive disorders?
Submit by Day 7 a 1- to 2-page Op-Ed (opposite editorial) article focusing on the following:
- Choose a position and defend with specific references to the Learning Resources and scholarly literature from your own research and resources.
Support your Assignment with specific references to the Learning Resources and any additional references you used.
Readings
- Advokat, C. D., & Comaty, J. E., & Julien, R. M. (2019). Julien’s primer of drug action: A comprehensive guide to the actions, uses, and side effects of psychoactive drugs (14th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers/Macmillan.
- Chapter 5, “Ethyl Alcohol and the Inhalants of Abuse†(pp. 135-174)
- Chapter 13, “Anxiolytics, Sedative Hypnotics, Anesthetics, and Anticonvulsants†(pp. 489-524)
- Hancock, S. D, & McKim, W. A. (2018). Drugs and behavior: An introduction to behavioral pharmacology (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
- Chapter 6, “Alcohol†(pp. 119-145)
- Chapter 7, “Anxiolytics and Sedative-Hypnotics†(pp. 148-166)
- Spinella, M. (2001). The psychopharmacology of herbal medicine: Plant drugs that alter mind, brain, and behavior. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Chapter 7, “Psychotherapeutic Herbs†(pp. 260–277)
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse. (n.d.). Drugs of abuse.Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse
- U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. (2012, June). Drug fact sheets. Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/dea/druginfo/factsheets.shtml Note: Look for specific drugs listed and click on the links to open individual drug fact sheets.
