Alcohol abuse is a major public health problem. It is estimated by the National Institutes of Health that about 15 percent of Americans abuse alcohol. Ten percent of male drinkers and 5 percent of female drinkers can be characterized as alcoholics. The Centers for Disease Control classifies alcoholism as a chronic disease. Alcohol abuse is harmful to your health and interferes with personal relationships. Long-term alcohol abuse can damage your organs and brain.
What is Alcohol?
Dr. Eric H. Chudler, research associate professor and director of education and outreach for the University of Washington in Seattle, explains that alcohol is among the world's oldest known drugs. It is made by fermenting--or chemically breaking down--grains, fruit juice, honey and potatoes---all various sources of sugars. After this process, consumption of alcohol will affect the brain, which, according to David J. Hanson, Ph.D., of the State University of New York at Potsdam, classifies it as a drug. To support this assertion, Dr. Hanson cites the SOLVO Biotechnology glossary's definition, "Any substance that by its chemical nature alters structure or function in the living organism is a drug."
How it is Metabolized
Alcohol works by depressing the central nervous system. It enters the body through the mouth and gains access to the bloodstream mostly through the small intestine and in the stomach. Your heart pumps the alcohol throughout your body and from there it reaches the brain.
Affect on the Body
In low doses, reports the University of Washington's Dr. Chudler, alcohol has a relaxing effect. It can reduce feelings of tension and anxiety. It lowers inhibitions, impairs concentration and slows reflexes. It impairs your reaction time and reduces your coordination.
In moderate doses, alcohol slurs your speech, causes fatigue and changes your emotions. It can cause bouts of anger, rage and even feelings of happiness and euphoria.
In large amounts, alcohol can cause vomiting, breathing difficulties, unconsciousness, hypothermia, seizures, coma and death.
Getting Drunk
Getting intoxicated, or drunk, according to the CDC, is the result of consuming large amounts of alcohol. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, known as the NIAAA, reports that women achieve higher concentrations of alcohol in their blood and become intoxicated with smaller amounts of alcohol compared to men. This is because females have lower levels of water in the body than men do.
Once intoxicated, alcohol affects your ability to walk, see and speak. Your reaction time is slowed and memory is impaired. The NIAAA indicates that intoxication can occur after having one or two drinks for some; for people who drink chronically, it takes more amounts of alcohol to achieve the same effect.
Addiction
According to Above the Influence, a campaign by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, after you take your very first drink, a chemical change occurs in the brain that can lead to addiction. With each additional drink, you increase your chance of developing a dependence on alcohol. Addiction and dependence is a chronic disease.
Alcohol affects chemicals in the brain. It interferes with neurotransmitters that send and receive information. Alcohol also targets the brain's reward system and releases a flood of chemicals that control thoughts, emotions, motivation and feelings of pleasure. Because our brains are wired to repeat pleasurable activities, some people develop a lifelong dependence and addiction to alcohol.
