Alcohol Quiz: Test Your Medical IQ
Q:What is the "French paradox"?
Q:What is the "French paradox"?The correct answer is: A An idea that wine-drinking French die less from heart disease Explanation: The French paradox refers to the observation that the French have a lower mortality rate from heart disease than Americans, even though they eat similar amounts of high-fat foods, exercise less, and smoke more. Studies have shown that the frequency of wine drinking was independently related to a lower incidence of deaths due to coronary heart disease and respiratory diseases.
Q:Long-term heavy alcohol consumption can cause:
Q:Long-term heavy alcohol consumption can cause:The correct answer is: D All of the above Explanation: Some problems with alcohol can occur after drinking over a relatively short period of time. Other problems such as liver disease, heart disease, certain forms of cancer, pancreatitis, and alcoholic hepatitis often develop more gradually and may become evident only after long-term heavy drinking.
Q:What is dipsophobia?
Q:What is dipsophobia?The correct answer is: C Fear of alcohol Explanation: Dipsophobia describes an abnormal and persistent fear of drinking alcohol. Sufferers of this fear experience undue anxiety about addiction to alcohol and the effect this addiction can have on their bodies. (However, their abstinence from alcohol certainly should not be criticized.) Fear of alcohol is termed "dipsophobia," a word derived from the Greek words "dipsa" (thirst) and "phobos" (fear). "Dipsa" is also used to form the words "dipsomania" (an abnormal craving for alcohol) and "dipsosis" (a medical condition characterized by abnormal thirst).
Q:Symptoms of alcohol poisoning can include coughing blood.The correct answer is: • True Explanation: Symptoms of alcohol poisoning can include vomiting, coughing up blood, gasping for breath, passing out, and seizures. In the event that you are with someone who is experiencing these symptoms as a result of alcohol consumption, it is important to call 911 right away.
Q:What are symptoms of alcoholism?
Q:What are symptoms of alcoholism?The correct answer is: A Craving, loss of control, physical dependence, and tolerance Explanation: Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms:
Q:Alcohol can be stored in the body and the brain.The correct answer is: • False Explanation: The nutrients protein, carbohydrates, and fat can be stored in our bodies, but alcohol cannot. For this reason, it takes priority over everything else in order to be metabolized; doing so means that all of the other processes that should be taking place are being interrupted. Other nutrients need to be broken up prior to being absorbed, whereas alcohol is absorbed as is.
Q:If a woman and a man are the same weight, the woman will have a higher BAC because:
Q:If a woman and a man are the same weight, the woman will have a higher BAC because:The correct answer is: B Women tend to have more fat on their bodies Explanation: Women's bodies, on average, have more fat and less water than men's bodies. Using the same logic, this means that a woman will reach a higher BAC than a man of the same weight when both drink the same amount of alcohol.
Q:How long does it take to have enough alcohol in your blood to measure?
Q:What is the effect of alcohol on food?
Q:What is the effect of alcohol on food?The correct answer is: B Alcohol causes people to eat more Explanation: Studies have shown that in the short term, alcohol stimulates food intake and can also increase subjective feelings of hunger. Other studies have shown that the stimulatory effects of alcohol on food intake are controlled by hormonal regulation of satiety and satiation, such as the hormone leptin. Regardless of the cause, the outcome is the same; people consume more food when they have consumed alcohol.
Q:The smell of alcohol on the breath indicates a high blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
Q:The smell of alcohol on the breath indicates a high blood alcohol concentration (BAC).The correct answer is: • False Explanation: There is a very poor correlation between the strength of the smell of alcohol on the breath and the BAC. Pure alcohol has very little smell. It is the metabolism of other substances in alcoholic beverages that produces most of the smell. This explains why a person who drinks large amounts of high-proof vodka (a more pure form of alcohol) may have only a faint smell of alcohol on the breath. On the other hand, a person who drinks a modest amount of beer may have a strong smell of alcohol on the breath.
Q:At a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.10%, we can infer that:
Q:At a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.10%, we can infer that:The correct answer is: D All of the above Explanation: At 0.05% BAC: Loss of emotional restraint, vivaciousness, mild impairment of judgment
Q:There are many types of alcohol. Intoxication as we know it is caused by:
Q:There are many types of alcohol. Intoxication as we know it is caused by:The correct answer is: B Ethanol Explanation: Alcohol is a generic term for ethanol, which is a particular type of alcohol produced by the fermentation of many foodstuffs – most commonly barley, hops, and grapes. Ethanol produces intoxication because of its depressive effects on various areas of the brain, causing these impairments in a progressive order as the person gets more and more drunk. Other types of alcohol commonly available such as methanol (common in glass cleaners), isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), and ethylene glycol (automobile antifreeze solution) are highly poisonous when swallowed, even in small quantities.
Q:What does it mean to "metabolize" alcohol?
Q:What does it mean to "metabolize" alcohol?The correct answer is: D To eliminate alcohol from the body Explanation: Metabolism, or elimination, is the method by which the body processes alcohol (and everything else you eat or drink). Some of the alcohol is converted to other substances (such as fat, as in "beer belly"). Some is burned as energy (and converted to water and carbon dioxide). A small amount is excreted unchanged (in your breath and urine). The liver metabolizes about 90% of the ethanol. The lungs excrete about 5% during exhalation (breathing out). Alcohol excretion by the lungs forms the basis for Breathalyzer testing. Another 5% is excreted into the urine.
Q:What is cirrhosis?
Q:What is cirrhosis?The correct answer is: C Both A and B Explanation: Causes of cirrhosis include long–term, heavy use of alcohol, chronic viral hepatitis, blocked bile ducts, inherited diseases, and certain medications. In cirrhosis, the relationship between blood and liver cells is destroyed. Even though the liver cells that survive or are newly formed may be able to produce and remove substances from the blood, they do not have the normal, intimate relationship with the blood, and this interferes with the liver cells' ability to add or remove substances from the blood. The inflammation and repair that is associated with the dying liver cells causes scar tissue to form.
Q:A child who suffers the effects of being exposed to alcohol in the womb will exhibit distinct facial features.
Q:A child who suffers the effects of being exposed to alcohol in the womb will exhibit distinct facial features.The correct answer is: A Usually not Explanation: Individuals who exhibit the distinct facial features associated with being exposed to alcohol in the womb have full-blown fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and are usually exposed to the most excessive amounts of alcohol on a frequent basis. Much more often, people with a history of alcohol exposure before birth show no outward physical signs of the exposure. Rather, they tend to exhibit behavioral, emotional, and learning problems.
Q:Two glasses of wine consumed by a pregnant woman twice per week has been found to be safe for the developing fetus.
Q:Two glasses of wine consumed by a pregnant woman twice per week has been found to be safe for the developing fetus.
Q:About how many people die each year due to alcohol abuse in the United States?
Q:Teens whose parents closely monitor their activities are less likely to use alcohol.
Q:Teens whose parents closely monitor their activities are less likely to use alcohol.The correct answer is: • True Explanation: Research shows that the influence of peers on teen alcohol use is strong, but it is mediated by family characteristics, like parental tolerance of alcohol, alcohol use by siblings, and by how closely parents monitor their teen's activities. Parents who are perceived as being more tolerant of their teen using alcohol or who monitor their child's activities less closely tend to have teens who are far more likely to use alcohol. Adolescents who have an older sibling who uses alcohol are more than 70% more likely to use alcohol as well.
Q:In the U.S., you are legally intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of:
Q:In the U.S., you are legally intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of:The correct answer is: D .08. Explanation: In the U.S., you are legally intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration of .08. Time is the only way to eliminate alcohol from your system, so cold showers and coffee will not sober you up. Trying to get someone who is drunk to feel and appear more alert can cause a false sense of sobriety and result in many problems. 1 / 21
Auto Next Question: Reviewed by Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD on September 7, 2010 Images provided by: 1. iStock 2. iStock 3. iStock 4. iStock 5. iStock 6. iStock 7. iStock 8. iStock 9. iStock 10. iStock 11. iStock 12. iStock 13. iStock 14. iStock 15. iStock 16. iStock 17. iStock 18. iStock 19. iStock 20. iStock 21. iStock Sources: MedicineNet: Alcohol and Nutrition MedicineNet: Alcohol, Some Sobering Facts Medterms: Dipsophobia WebMD: Alcohol Abuse and Dependence – When to Call a Doctor Government: Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism WebMD: Alcohol Intoxication WebMD: Cirrhosis – Topic Overview MedicineNet: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome WebMD: Parents Affect Teens' Drug Decisions. Keeping Close Parental Watch Helps Deter Use WebMD: Understanding Alcohol Abuse: The Basics. This tool does not provide medical advice. See additional information: THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the RxList Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911. © 1996-2013 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Popular Collections: |
Alcohol Quiz: Test Your Medical IQReviewed by Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD on September 7, 2010 This tool does not provide medical advice. See additional information: © 1996-2013 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Popular Collections: |


