What Alcohol Does to Your Body and Brain
Alcohol is a depressant that works on your central nervous system. In some people, alcohol may produce an initial feeling of stimulation, but the effect is short-lived. As you drink, your body and brain are slowly sedated. Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, affects your thoughts, emotions and judgment. It decreases reaction time and can impair speech and muscle coordination. Alcohol makes some people feel sleepy or dizzy; some, overtly friendly and talkative; some, morose and depressed; others, angry, even violent. Too much alcohol can severely depress vital centers in your brain. Binge drinking can cause coma and death.
It is important to understand that the effects of alcohol are highly individual and dependent on sex, body size, weight and a number of biologic, genetic, emotional and psychological factors (see our previous post). The amount of alcohol in each drink and the time between drinks also affect the body’s reaction. You cannot gauge your response to alcohol by a friend’s experience. Some people exhibit symptoms of drunkenness after only one drink; others can have three or four drinks before they show any signs of impairment. One of the more serious problems with alcohol is that it impairs brain function and judgment. A person may not feel drunk when, in actuality, he is already exhibiting signs of impairment.
Short term effects of alcohol consumption include dizziness and talkativeness, progressing to slurred speech, motor impairment, disturbed sleep, nausea and vomiting as more alcohol is consumed. Hangovers, which often occur after moderate to heavy drinking, can cause headache, nausea, thirst, dizziness and fatigue.
Long term effects of alcohol consumption can include:
- permanent liver damage that can cause loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, jaundice and eventual irreversible and progressive destruction of the liver
- cancer, particularly of the esophagus, larynx, liver, pancreas and colon
- gastrointestinal problems, including nausea, diarrhea and ulcers
- malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies
- sexual dysfunction, including erectile dysfunction in men and interruption of menstruation in women
- cardiovascular problems, including high blood pressure and damage to the heart muscle which can lead to heart attack or stroke
- diabetes complications
- bone loss, increasing risk of fractures
- fatigue
- neurological complications, including short term memory loss, confusion, dementia and numbness in hands and feet
- lowered resistance to disease
Mothers who drink — even small amounts — put their unborn children at severe risk of being born with fetal alcohol syndrome which can cause birth defects. Defects can include mental retardation and developmental disabilities, sometimes severe, as well as irreversible physical abnormalities, including small head, heart defects and shortening of the eyelids. Additionally, the children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk of becoming alcoholics themselves.
Next time: The price alcohol abuse enacts on society.
