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ALCOHOL EDUCATION
THE BIPHASIC RESPONSE
(OR “MORE ISN’T NECESSARILY BETTER”)
Date Rape Drugs | Thinking
about moderating your drinking? | Calculate
Your BAC (Blood Alcohol Content)
What is the Biphasic Response?
- The biphasic response refers to the two physiological phases,
or sets of effects that alcohol produces. Feeling stimulated or
excited is characteristic of initial phase, followed by depressant
effects, such as feeling tired.
- The initial positive effects are associated with low but rising
BALs. The second-phase effects a re associated more with falling
BALs (regardless of your peak BAL, although the effects are more
profound when the peak is higher.).
Why Is the Biphasic Response Important?
- It allows you to test whether the conventional wisdom that
“more” means “better” is really true or
not.
- It helps you understand how tolerance affects you physiologically
when it comes to drinking alcohol.
Here’s What to Consider:
- As it turns out, if you want to hold onto a good buzz and not
lose steam midway through a party, you’re a lot better off
drinking slowly and moderately (not pushing a BAL over 0.55%)
and getting rid of your tolerance.
- You’re guaranteed a nasty hangover when you binge drink
(e.g. have a lot of drinks in a row, the way you may do if you
play drinking games.
- The more alcohol you drink and the higher your BAL, the more
alcohol acts as a depressant instead of as a stimulant.
- The more tolerance to alcohol you’ve got, the less likely
you are to experience the stimulating physiological effects of
alcohol.
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Source: Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students
(BASICS): A Harm Reduction Approach.
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