Alcohol Use & Effects
Alcoholic beverages are drinks which contain ethanol (though it is commonly referred to as simply "alcohol"). Alcoholic beverages are classified into three groups: beer, wine and spirits (hard alcohol, liquors). No matter the group, the drink, or the percentage of ethanol content, alcohol has an effect on those who consume it.
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Considerations
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Although the general effects of alcohol use can be summarized and reported in a generalized way, the exact effects of alcohol will differ from user to user. This is due to the way it is metabolized once consumed: alcohol is absorbed by the stomach when drunk and travels to the tissues via the bloodstream. Given that each drinker has his own unique biological makeup upon which the process of metabolizing alcohol depends (body height, weight, overall mass, age and gender), each drinker can experience any number of effects, and at differing intensities, when engaged in alcohol consumption.
Initial Behavioral Effects
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Alcohol use produces several behavioral effects upon initial consumption--effects that actually contribute to alcohol's social popularity. At the forefront of these effects is alcohol's ability to lower inhibitions; in fact, the loss of inhibitions is perhaps the most visible effect of alcohol on an individual and can be observed at Blood Alcohol Levels as low as 0.1 percent (according to UCLA research conducted by Dr. Richard Olsen on specific GABA receptors of the brain). This is also the primary reason for alcohol's popularity at social events. Similarly, outgoing behavior, diminished impulse control and outrageous performances are all behavioral consequences of alcohol use and its disinhibiting effects.
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Perpetual Behavioral Effects
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The immediate effects of alcohol use on the drinker's behavior, the loss of inhibitions and impulse control, can intensify as the individual continues to consume alcohol. Moderate alcohol intake, or intake beyond the individual's "limit," leads to talkativeness and dizziness. If alcohol continues to be consumed by the individual, talking and dizziness develop into greater behavior impairments: rambling and slurred speech, nausea, loss of balance and coordination, vomiting and sleep difficulties.
Post-Consumption Effects
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Perhaps one of the most notorious effects of alcohol use is the physiological effect that develops for drinkers the day following heavy consumption: the hangover. Hangovers are characterized by fatigue, headaches, thirst, nausea and dizziness. These effects are produced by the body's reactions to the primary ingredient in alcoholic beverages: Ethanol. Ethanol is a psychoactive, depressant substance that the brain will fight to expel. In doing so, the brain releases a number of neuro-chemicals that can cause side effects such as nausea, shakes and sensitivity to light and sound (features of a hangover). Ethanol is also a diuretic: it makes the body produce and eliminate more urine. When it does, the body removes water needed to maintain homeostasis (balance), resulting in dehydration (another feature of the hangover).
Dependency
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With prolonged use of alcohol in heavy amounts, individuals put themselves at risk of developing an addiction and/or dependency upon alcohol. Dependency is characterized by the nature of consumption (extensive, long-term intake of alcoholic beverages) and the withdrawal symptoms that are produced by an abrupt cessation of such consumption: tremors (shakes), anxiety, convulsions and auditory or visual hallucinations. The level and intensity of alcohol use by those with a dependency often leads to permanent damaging effects on the dependent's brain, liver and other vital organs. These include black-outs and memory impairments; liver poisoning, cirrhosis, and failure; improper balance of fluids in the kidneys; stomach and pancreas irritation, ulcers and vomiting; and overburdened heart functions leading to irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure.
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