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Effects of
Alcohol
Alcohol is broken down in steps by enzymes until only carbon dioxide
and water remain as by-products. Alcohol is processed at
the rate of 0.3 ounce of pure ethanol per hour (less than 1 ounce of whiskey),
and unprocessed alcohol circulates in the body. (The alcohol from two
cocktails—each about 1.5 ounces—ingested before dinner is still
present in the body, in a diminished amount, 3 to 4 hours later.)
The liver's fixed rate of alcohol breakdown means that drinking
coffee or taking a cold shower does not speed the sobering process. Therefore,
giving coffee to a person who is drunk may produce a wide-awake drunk, a
chilling prospect if the drunk and friends are deluded into thinking the
drinker is sober enough to drive a car.
Within moments of ingestion, alcohol reaches the brain where it:
- Stimulates and agitates,
initially producing euphoria.
- Depresses and sedates,
producing calmness and tranquility.
- Anesthetizes
- Induces a hypnotic state
and sleep
Alcohol quickly
depresses inhibitions and judgment. As inhibitions are released the drinker may
feel friendlier, more gregarious, and more expansive. The suggestion to "have a
drink and loosen up" is based on the biology of alcohol in the body. Sexual
inhibitions may be released, which gives alcohol the reputation as an
aphrodisiac; in fact, alcohol impairs sexual function and performance, and
eventually blunts desire. Increased consumption may produce "Jekyll" and "Hyde"
personality changes in drinkers, leading to aggressiveness and cruelty. Radical
mood changes (such as bouncing from euphoria to self-pity) are also typical
characteristics of intoxication.
Alcohol adversely affects motor ability, muscle function, reaction
time, eyesight, depth perception, and night vision. Since these are the
abilities needed to operate a motor vehicle and since even moderate amounts of
alcohol impair these abilities, drivers should never— NEVER—drink and
drinkers should not drive.
As a drinker continues to drink, alcohol depresses lung and heart
function, slowing breathing and circulation. Death can occur if alcohol
completely paralyzes breathing. However, this state is seldom reached because
the body rejects alcohol by vomiting, or the drinker becomes comatose before he
or she can consume a fatal dose. Acute alcohol overdose leading to death occurs
most often in situations such as bars or college fraternities where individuals
may be encouraged to ingest large amounts of alcohol rapidly.
A hangover is a combination of physical symptoms:
- Headache: Blood vessels
in the head, dilated by alcohol, painfully stretch as they return to their
normal state.
- Upset stomach: Alcohol
irritates the gastric lining, leading to acute gastritis.
- Dehydration: Alcohol
acts as a diuretic, stimulating the kidneys to process and pass more water than
is ingested.
Hangover is a withdrawal state. If you medicate this withdrawal with
more alcohol, the alcohol will continue to circulate in the blood and will not
be perceptually eliminated. Taking amphetamines (uppers) merely masks hangover
symptoms.
The best prevention for a hangover is abstinence.
Since alcohol so easily permeates every cell and organ of the body,
the physical effects of chronic alcohol abuse are wide-ranging and complex.
Large doses of alcohol invade the body's fluids and interfere with metabolism
in every cell. Alcohol damages the liver, the central nervous system, the
gastrointestinal tract, and the heart. Alcoholics who do not quit drinking
decrease life expectancy by 10 to 15 years.
Alcohol also can impair vision, impair sexual function, slow
circulation, cause malnutrition, cause water retention (resulting in weight
gain and bloating), lead to pancreatic and skin disorders (such as middle-age
acne), dilate blood vessels near the skin causing "brandy nose," weaken the
bones and muscles, and decrease immunity.
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