Frequently Asked Questions About Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse

There are many frequently asked questions around the subjects of alcoholism and alcohol abuse that can be answered in a simple format. Understanding the answers to these questions can give others the tools they need to understand those who suffer from alcoholism or alcohol abuse and allow those who have succumbed to alcohol abuse or the disease, alcoholism to seek out the help and support they need to overcome the hold alcohol has on their lives.

Most of the questions concerning alcoholism and alcohol abuse center around understanding what the definition is for both and the consequences of abusing alcohol or becoming dependent on alcohol are to the individual and to those who are close to them. Doctors and other professional healthcare providers can give other valuable information regarding any specific questions you have about alcohol abuse or the disease, alcoholism.

What is alcoholism?

The disease alcoholism is also sometimes referred to as "alcohol dependence". Alcoholism is a chronic disease that has no cure but that can be managed. The disease involves a strong craving for alcohol, withdrawal symptoms when alcohol is not available and an increasing level of tolerance for alcohol and an inability for the individual to stop drinking or to limit the amount of alcohol consumed at will without help and support from professionals who understand the disease and how to manage it. The person suffering from alcoholism needs to learn how to control the craving for alcohol, and what impaired control means as well as physical dependence and tolerance and how managing these symptoms can lead to the ability to manage the disease, alcoholism.

Is alcoholism really a disease?

Alcoholism is a disease, which is chronic and progressive. It is a serious health risk to suffer from alcoholism as well as an economic hardship as many individuals suffering from alcoholism lose jobs and relationships leading to financial ruin. There are symptoms to the disease alcoholism that involves cravings for alcohol, an intolerance level that continues to increase over time, and an inability to control how much alcohol is consumed or the ability to stop drinking alcohol without support from professionals.

There are genetic and environmental risk factors that put some individuals at a higher likelihood of getting the disease alcoholism.

What is alcohol abuse?

Alcohol abuse is different from suffering from the disease, alcoholism. Alcohol abuse is when an individual fails to perform the responsibilities of home, work or school as a direct result of drinking alcohol, gets into trouble with the law while drinking, operates dangerous machinery while drinking alcohol, or continues to drink alcohol despite the direct evidence that doing so is causing problems in a relationship or has caused harm to others. These patterns are caused directly by the drinking and occur within a 12-month period of time.

Individuals who are abusing alcohol do not suffer the same cravings or withdrawal symptoms that those with alcoholism suffer from.

Alcohawk PT500

The Alcohawy PT500 (Q3I-PT500-GB) is one of the flagship models in the Alcohawk series.  The PT models feature PT Core fuel-cell sensors which is less prone to interference from acetone compared to the semi-conductor oxide models of breathalyzer.  The PT500 is menu-driven and will allow you to monitor blood alcohol concentrations up to 0.400 % (BAC).

The backlit LCD is large and easy to read (no matter what state you are in), and is the ideal unit for professional testing situations.

The Alcohawk PT500 has obtained FDA 510k premarket clearance for consumer use.

Using the PT500 is easy.  Turn the machine on using the On/Off button, and press enter.  The unit will calibrate, and then display a blow now signal.  The person then takes a deep breath and blows into the mouthpiece for around 5 seconds.   The unit will then show you the test result on the large LCD screen.

The majority of people who reviewed this item on Amazon gave it a full 5 out of 5 score.  The only negative review was from someone who said the unit never worked – maybe a defective unit?

Alcohawk ABI digital breathalyzer

The Alcohawk ABI digital alcohol breath tester (Q3I-10000) promised quick and accurate results.  It is operated with a single button press with results being displayed in seconds on the 2 digit display.  This model features an innovative airflow sensor to make sure that the breath sample is from the deep lung air needed to give an accurate test result.

The machine is sensitive in the the range of 0 – 0.400% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) with a quoted accuracy of +/- 0.01% at 0.02% BAC.  The Alchoawk ABI uses semi-conductor oxide technology.

The Alcohawk range of breathalyzers have a technology built in (called sensor recognition) to look for various abnormalities in the sensors.  This all adds to the accuracy of this range of tester.

The Alcohawk ABI is cleared for consumer use by the FDA, DOT and NHTSA.

The majority of people who left reviews on Amazon about this unit were satisfied with its performance, though on or two were less happy, with a couple of people complaining that it needed recalibration quite quickly and there is no way to do that yourself – you need to take it in for a service and that costs money.

Alcohawk Elite Digital Alcohol Detector

The Alcohawk Elite model of breathalyzer quickly gives accurate results with professional quality.  The Elite model is cleared by the Department of Transport (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) have cleared this model as a breath alcohol screener.

The machine makes sure that the air breathed into it is deep lung air, which is essential to accuarate measurements as this is where the alcohol in the breath is mainly found.

The Alcohawk Elite was developed for personal use as well as professional use, though perhaps the fuel-cell technology breathalyzers would be a better option for professionals.  The Elite model has a temperature display to make sure that the test is performed under optimal conditions.

The Alcohawk Elite works with a simple one button press. The blue lit LCD display will then show the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC).

I would strongly urge you to read customer reviews of the Alcohawk Elite breathalyzer on Amazon because the majority of people who purchased this unit at the US site were not happy with it.  Comments like the unit not even registering any alcohol after a drink, and don’t waste your money, must give you cause for concern.

Alcohawk Precision Digital Alcohol Breath Tester

The Alcohawk Precision is a quick and accurate way of determining blood alcohol concentration (BAC). It operates with a single button press, and has an airflow sensor to ensure sufficient breath is captured for an accurate reading.  It can measure BAC in the range 0.000 – 0.400% using its semiconductor sensor and 4 digit ruby red L.E.D. digital display.

The machine is well built and robust because of the impact resistant material used to build it – are thinking that drunk people will drop it a lot   At least one review on Amazon did question the build quality though.

The Alcohawk Precision is a fine instrument to carry in your car, in case you go to a party and need to make sure you are under the legal limits for driving.

The machine comes with 5 mouthpieces which can be disposed of if required, though washing them is more economical.  You’ll also get a carry case.

This model meets the DOT / NHTSA specifications and has FDA 510K clearance.

I highly recommend that you read the reviews on Amazon before purchasing.  The majority of people are very happy with the Alcohawk Precision, but a few are not so pleased with their purchase.

Alcohawk Pro

The Alcohawk Pro (Q3I-11000) is the professional model in the Alcohawk semi-conductor technology range.  It comes with 5 disposable mouthpieces (though I suspect most people will wash them rather than just use the once), a carry case, wrist strap, battery, car adaptor etc.

This model is simple to use with a single push button.  The Alcohawk Pro has an innovative Flow Check breath monitoring technology to make sure the breath is sufficient for an accurate measurement (from the deep lungs required for accurate testing).  If the machine detects that the breath was not sufficient for an accurate reading, an error message is displayed and the test needs to be re-administered.

The Alcohawk Pro is used by a range of professionals including the police, hospitals, schools and personal use. because it is one of the most accurate semi-conductor based breathalyzers available.  Accuracy levels of +/- 0.01% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at 0.1% BAC are quoted.

This model is DOT / NHTSA approved & 510k certified by FDA.

Before buying an Alcohawk Pro, I would read some of the reviews at Amazon, as some people are not convinced of its accuracy, while others seem very happy with the product.

FAQ – Breath alcohol level detectors

What is a breathalyzer?

A breathalyzer is a machine that can estimate blood alcohol concentration (BAC) based on the concentrations of alcohol in a sample of deep lung air.   The word breathalyzer is actually a brand name, but has become a word in common usage to describe any machine that can measure BAC.

The police have been using breathalyzers for some time to detect alcohol in drivers bloodstream.  It is vital that the machine are accurate, since high levels of alcohol in the blood can make the driver very dangerous on the roads.  It is undoubtedly more accurate to take a blood sample and analyze that, but this really isn’t practical in the field.  The same applies to urine samples which can be used to find the concentration of alcohol in the blood.  They are also not very practical.  Therefore breathalyzers offer the best compromise, giving accurate estimates of blood alcohol concentration without invading a person’s body.

How do breathalyzers work?

When a person drinks alcohol, the alcohol is absorbed into the blood.  As the blood passes through the lungs, some of the alcohol will pass through the capillary network of the lungs into the alveoli (alveoli are small spaces in the lungs which give the lungs its large surface area.  They are responsible for gaseous exchange).  The concentration of alcohol that passes into the lungs is obviously related to the concentration of alcohol in the blood.  The higher the blood alcohol concentration, the higher the concentration of alcohol found in the lungs.  The ratio of breath alcohol to blood alcohol is something like 2000 : 1.

When a person breaths into a breathalyzer, the air from deep in the lungs passes over sensors in the breathalyzer.  These sensors measure the concentration of alcohol in the breath, and then using a calculation, can estimate how much alcohol there is in the blood.

How accurate are breathalyzers?

The accuracy of the breathalyzer depends upon the machine itself, but generally the more expensive the breathalyzer, the more accurate it will be.  Some figures quoted for the Alcohawk range of machines suggest these machines are accurate to +/- 0.01%.  However, you should read the specifications from the manufacturer of  of your particular machine.

Alcohawk Slim Digital Breathalyzer

The Alcohawk range of breathalyzers are one of the most popular and accurate with a model for everyone.  The Alcohawk Slim digital (Q3I-2500) is one of their semi-conductor technology breathalyzers, meaning its easily affordable and compact, so its slim enough to fit into a shirt pocket.  It requires 2 AA batteries for operation.

The Alcohawk Slim is operated with a single push button, and provides fast and accurate readings.  It has an electronic airflow sensor built into it to ensure that the sample that is breathed in is a deep lung sample (required for accurate calculation of blood alcohol concetration – BAC).

The Alchohawk Slim can detect blood alcohol between 0.000 – 0.400% BAC with a B.A.C. sensor accuracy of +/- 0.02% and displays the results with a 2-digit display.

The folding mouthpiece on the Alcohawk Slim is replaceable, and packs of 50 can be bought separately.  However, if you are using the tester for your own personal use only, there may be no need to buy extra mouthpieces, as the ones that come with the machine can be washed and re-used.

This model is perfect for anyone wanting to personal alcohol breath tester with professional accuracy.  The Alcohawk Slim meets DOT/NHTSA model specs for breath alcohol screeners and has FDA 510k pre-marketing clearance.

Customer reviews of the Alcohawk Slim Digital breathalyzer have been very favorable over at Amazon.  With its automatic calibration when its turned on (taking around 60 seconds, though sometimes a little longer), quick accurate readings and low cost, people are loving this breath alcohol tester.

A lot of people who bought the Alcohawk Slim, did so for peace of mind.

Alcohawk Digital Alcohol Tester

The Alcohawk breath alcohol level detectors are quickly becoming one of the most popular breathalyzer products to meet a range of personal and professional needs.

Breathalyzers are digital alcohol breath testers that can accurately measure the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) from a breath sample.  They work by measuring the breath alcohol content (BrAc) when the user blows into the mouthpiece.  Breath passes over sensors which measures BrAc, and the breathalyzer converts this data into BAC using a simple equation which relies the fact that the alcohol level in the breath of the lungs is a known proportion of the alcohol level in the blood.

Most breath-testers come with replaceable mouthpieces, so they can hygienically be used by several people.  Of course the law enforcement people rely on this.

Choosing a breathalyzer is not as straight forward as you would imagine as there are many different makes and models, each designed with slightly different applications in mind, but most can provide quite accurate measurement of blood alcohol levels.

These machines range from heavy duty professional units, to home units and even keychain breathalyzers.

Here we are just concerned with the Alcohawk models, and there are two series of Alcohawk breathalyzer:

Alcohawk SC Series alcohol detectors, which use semi-conductors for a lower cost personal and home unit.  These come in a range of models called:

• Alcohawk Slim – sleek & compact breath alcohol tester.  One button operation and folding mouthpiece make it an good one to carry around with you.
• Alcohawk Slim 2 – Another compact digital alcohol tester with folding mouthpiece.  This model has increased accuracy over the Slim Alcohawk.
• Alcohawk Precision – This model meets DOT standards with 4 digit LED display.
• Alcohawk ABI – This model meets DOT standards with 3 digit LED display.
• Alcohawk PRO – Dot standard breathalyzer with state of the art semiconductor oxide sensor.  The PRO has a sensor to check that the breath ws sufficient for accurate measurement of alcohol.
• Alcohawk Elite – Similar to the PRO but with a temperature sensor and blue-lit LCD screen.

Alcohawk PT Series alcohol detectors, which utilize fuel-cell technology for increased accuracy.  These units are recommended for professional use to test for the presence of alcohol at threshold blood alcohol levels like 0.02% or 0.08%.  These units come in a variety of models called:

• Alcohawk PT400 – the basic fuel-cell sensor breathalyzer model.
• Alcohawk PT500 – All the features of the Alcohawk PT400, but with pressure sensor to test for adequate pressure during the test.  This meets DOT standards.
• Alcohawk PT500P – Similar to the Alcohawk PT500 but with wireless printing.
• Alcohawk PT750 – Similar features to the others in the Alcohawk PT series, but with 1000 test memory, password protection, air blank tests, USB port, etc.

Things to look for when choosing a breath alcohol detector:

1. DOT (Department of Transport) approval.
2. FDA 510k clearnace for personal testing.

You can find some reviews of these breathalyzers by clicking the links to the individual models listed above.  We’ll try to provide more information on each unit as well as an indication of price and shipping.