Effects of Alcohol on the Body

There are many effects of alcohol on the body but the effects of alcohol on the body vary greatly from one individual to the next and can ever vary in the same person depending on their circumstances surrounding alcohol consumption. For instance,  if an individual has had a full meal before consuming any alcohol, the concentration of alcohol in the drink, and how hydrated the individual is when consuming alcohol all play into the effects of alcohol on the body.

When alcohol is consumed in large amounts over a prolonged period of time severe damage can be caused to nearly every part of a person's body. Some of the damage can be reversed or minimized if alcohol consumption is brought under control, however, some damage is irreversible. To understand a little more about the effects of alcohol on the body we will take a look at what happens within the body when alcohol is consumed. About 20% of the alcohol from the initial drink that is consumed will be absorbed into the blood stream by small blood vessels in the stomach. The rest of the alcohol passes on into the intestines where the remaining 80% is absorbed into the blood stream.

Once in the blood stream the alcohol travels to the liver where liver enzymes break it down or metabolize the alcohol. The liver can metabolize approximately one standard drink (a 12 oz bottle of beer, 4 oz glass of wine, or 1.5 oz of 40% alcohol) per hour. When a person consumes larger amounts of alcohol that this, the liver can not keep up and the blood becomes saturated with alcohol. At this point the alcohol starts making its way into other body tissue and organs until it can be processed by the liver. Consuming large amounts of alcohol on a regular basis over a prolonged periods of time, alcohol abuse, can affect the brain, esophagus, heart, joints, muscles, and virtually every other major organ in the body.

Now that we have talked about the effects on alcohol on the body from a technical perspective we will take a look at some of the short term effects of alcohol on the body and behavior of an individual consuming alcohol. The effects of alcohol on the body correlate to the blood alcohol concentration level (BAC), but again how one person acts at a specific BAC level does not mean that another person will have the exact same response or reaction at the same BAC level. Thus the effects of alcohol on the body at certain BAC levels can still vary to some degree. At the lowest levels of blood alcohol concentration, what many refer to as a "buzz", individuals generally feel an increase in self confidence and sociability. At this stage one may also have a shorter attention span, impaired judgement, and a loss of some fine motor skills.

As the blood alcohol concentration level increases large motor skills are impaired, memory and comprehension as well as other senses begin to be noticeably affected. By the time BAC levels reach about 18-30% one will reach a point at which one would be considered "wasted" the person will likely experience profound confusion, dizziness, and obvious impairment of many of their senses. Above about 25% BAC one reaches a stage that can result in unconsciousness, vomiting, decreased heart rate, and respiratory depression. The combination of these effects of alcohol on the body can be life threatening and should be taken very seriously.

BAC above 35% is extremely dangerous and is generally when a person experiences alcohol poisoning, at this point medical help is essential. This stage is marked by unconsciousness (coma), depressed reflexes, life-threatening respiratory depression (shallow breathing), and decreased heart rate. Most alcohol poisoning deaths occur when BAC levels are above 35%. For individuals seeking treatment for alcohol abuse or alcoholism visit 4DrugRehab.com to find an alcohol treatment center near you. For someone experience any of the symptoms listed for BAC levels above 35% seek emergency medical treatment immediately.

 Sources: bloodalcoho.info, wikipedia.org