Wozniak K M, Linnoila M
DICBR, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration (ADAMHA), Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
Recent Dev Alcohol. 1992;10:235-72. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4899-1648-8_12.
Alcohol dependence is a major public health problem. Studies have shown that a person dependent on alcohol often coabuses other substances, such as cocaine. Cocaine is a powerful stimulant whereas ethanol is generally considered to be a depressant, with some stimulating properties. The subjective effects of these two substances in a dependent individual may often appear to be more similar than they are different. Animals also self-administer both substances. Basically, although both substances have anesthetic properties and both act to functionally increase catecholaminergic function, especially that of dopamine, there are some differences in their actions. Both alcohol and cocaine have various effects on several neurotransmitters and systems, which ultimately interact to produce the feeling of well-being avidly sought by many individuals today. This drive often eventually produces a dependence which has associated social and medical consequences. It seems likely that the neurochemical changes that ensue following abuse of these substances underlie the phenomena of dependence, tolerance, and subsequent withdrawal. The apparent similarities and differences between these two substances will be reviewed in this chapter.
酒精依赖是一个重大的公共卫生问题。研究表明，依赖酒精的人常常会同时滥用其他物质，比如可卡因。可卡因是一种强效兴奋剂，而乙醇通常被认为是一种抑制剂，但也有一些刺激特性。在一个依赖者个体中，这两种物质的主观效应往往看起来相似之处多于不同之处。动物也会自行摄取这两种物质。基本上，尽管这两种物质都具有麻醉特性，且都能在功能上增强儿茶酚胺能功能，尤其是多巴胺的功能，但它们的作用存在一些差异。酒精和可卡因对多种神经递质和系统都有不同影响，这些影响最终相互作用，产生了如今许多人热切追求的幸福感。这种驱动力往往最终会导致一种依赖，而这种依赖会带来相关的社会和医学后果。滥用这些物质后随之发生的神经化学变化似乎是依赖、耐受性以及随后戒断现象的基础。本章将对这两种物质之间明显的异同进行综述。
