Central nervous system depressants are among the most commonly abused recreational drugs. Barbiturates, benzodiazepines, methaqualone (Quaalude), and related drugs are included in this group. Alcohol, or, more correctly, ethyl alcohol or ethanol, is also sometimes included with this group because it shares many properties with barbiturates and benzodiazepines. The street name for the drugs in this group is "downers," and they produce disinhibiting, antianxiety, and sleep-promoting effects that many people find pleasurable.
Tolerance and withdrawal symptoms accompany chronic alcohol abuse. The most serious withdrawals produce trembling, seizures, hallucinations, delirium, and even death. Alcohol abuse contributes to fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis, the ninth leading cause of death in Americans. The regular use of alcohol is also associated with increased risk for various cancers, cardiovascular disorders, hypertension, neurological problems and accidents. Studies have shown that heavy drinkers are 50 percent more likely to die than others in their age cohorts. Because of their sedative effects barbiturates and benzodiazepines, even when prescribed by physicians, are also among the leading causes of accidents and arrests for driving under the influence of drugs.
There are no treatment substitutes for alcohol but pharmacological treatment includes the antagonist drug Ro15-4513 which reduces the desired effects of alcohol but, since it does not reduce toxicity, could be dangerous if people sought to achieve the effects by increasing intake. In addition two deterrents are sometimes used to treat alcohol addiction. Both disulfiram and calcium carbimide inhibit the enzyme that metabolizes alcohol and produce unpleasant side effects. There is little evidence of the effectiveness of using disulfiram, whose effects last for two weeks, to promote sobriety. Calcium carbimide, which is only effective for 24 hours...