Alcohol and the Body
Physiology of the Human Body and the Effects of Alcohol
Knowing the uses and abuses is just as important as
reading the instructions on a bottle of pills. You should know how
your body handles alcohol, how much is safe to consume, and how your
body gets rid of it. When you drink, small amount of alcohol enters
directly into your bloodstream through he lining of the mouth and
throat. The remaining amount of alcohol is absorbed by the stomach
or intestine. At this point the alcohol is then dispersed uniformly
throughout the body. Its effects are similar to ether or chloroform,
affecting all parts of the body controlled by the brain. Your ability
to make appropriate judgments and to exercise self-control is affected.
Alcohol must be broken down in order to leave the system. More than
90 percent of the alcohol is oxidized in the liver and the remainder
is discharged through the lungs and kidneys. It takes just as long
for he experienced drinker to eliminate alcohol as it does for the
inexperienced drinker.
Behavior as a Result of Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol affects everyone in different ways, depending
on your mood, physical condition, personality and the company you
keep. If you are getting over an illness or have had little sleep,
he effects will be magnified. If you are stressed out, drinking will
only compound your feelings of anxiety and possibly lead to aggressive
or hostile behavior. Your social environment will also play a factor.
A few drinks with your friends will make you feel drunker than a few
drinks with your family. Tolerance is simply learning to compensate
for some of the more obvious symptoms of drinking. While experienced
drinkers can learn to act normally when talking or walking, they cannot
control the effects of alcohol on skills demanding fine motor coordination
or precise judgment. A physical tolerance can be obtained by prolonged
regular drinking. The liver becomes more efficient in breaking down
alcohol. As a result more alcohol may be needed o produce he mode-altering
effects experienced in the earlier stages. There is an established
sequence of symptoms associated with intoxication. The first mental
process that is affected are those connected with training or previous
experiences, such as driving. A few more drinks will cause familiar
and habitual tasks requiring little thought are impaired. Muscular
control and reflexes are become depressed as even more alcohol is
introduced into the system. At this point a subject could become hostile
or aggressive. Beyond this point there is a great risk of falling
into a stupor and eventual coma. If the coma persists for more than
10 hours, death by asphyxiation due to the paralysis respiratory center
of he brain. Poisoning takes place at BAC's above 400mg%.
Alcohol's Effects upon Driving Ability
Driving performance has been know to be impaired at
a BAC level of 50mg%. Alcohol impairment of performance in divided
attention tasks is most likely due to an impairment of the information
processing. Driving an automobile is usually taken for granted as
being a relatively easy task, not requiring much conscious effort
or critical judgment. Yet the sensory functions of the body bombard
he brain with required information which must be assimilated and processed
such that smooth, controlled operation of the automobile results.
The sensory functions themselves are deteriorated and may not be supplying
complete or correct information to the brain. A person's motor skills
are impaired, and yet due to the depressant effects that person will
feel less inhibited and more self-confident about his driving skills.