Effects of Alcohol on the Body

Effects of Alcohol on the Body

Alcohol begins to be absorbed in the stomach. Here about 20 percent of the alcohol a person drinks passes through the stomach lining into the bloodstream. The remaining 80 percent moves with other stomach contents into the small intestine.

After entering the bloodstream from the small intestine alcohol is carried to the liver. Liver cells make enzymes that begin to break down the alcohol molecules. This process reduces alcohol’s poisonous effects on the rest of the body. But the liver can only work on small amounts of alcohol at a time. In an average adult, the liver breaks down about 18 milliliters of alcohol per hour. This is about the amount of alcohol found in a can of beer. So if a person drinks more than one can of beer in an hour, the level of alcohol in the blood rises.

Increased alcohol in the blood causes blood vessels to widen. This causes the drinker to feel warm and full of energy. As a person continues to drink, different parts of the brain are affected , especially the part that controls judgment and memory. A high level of alcohol in the blood causes the brain centers that control muscles, speech and vision to shut down. The drinker walks unsteadily, slurs words and sees poorly.

Other organs are also affected by alcohol. Large amounts of alcohol slow down the lungs and heart. Thus a drinker may lose consciousness. In extreme cases, breathing stops and the person dies. Alcohol and other drugs that slow down body functions are called depressants.