How alcohol affects the body and mind

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Many of us do not represent the effect of alcohol quite correctly and make mistakes that are unforgivable for the body, and then pay the price with a hangover, headache and social problems. Therefore, we decided to figure out how alcohol actually affects the body, coordination and perception of reality.

This article will not provide advice on "how to drink more while staying sober" or "how to avoid a hangover." But there will be interesting research data and interesting facts that may come in handy in the future. We read, educate ourselves and try to avoid mistakes.

Alcohol works differently on full stomachs, young girls, some Asians, and those who have taken aspirin

Our body perceives alcohol as a poison and, like any organism, begins to urgently fight it, producing the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (the main supplier is the liver).

The enzyme starts to work actively when alcohol reaches the lining of your stomach.

The production of this enzyme is not the same for everyone: it depends on gender, genetic predisposition and age. That is why men get drunk much more slowly than women. But with age, this ability decreases, and if earlier you could calmly drink your girlfriend and at the same time remain sober, then by the age of 60 your significant other will be drunk much slower than you.

Studies have also shown that the body's perception of alcohol depends on genetics. Asians, due to a certain genetic predisposition, also do not take alcohol very well and quickly get drunk. The same can apply to people of other races if their genes are affected by a mutation.

If almost everyone in your family through one of your parents has a negative attitude towards alcohol, the likelihood that you will not be friends with him is very high.

We also misinterpret the effects of alcohol on a full stomach a little. It is commonly said that food absorbs alcohol, but that is not the case. Yes, eating in the stomach helps fight intoxication, but not because it "absorbs" it. When you eat, the valve between the stomach and small intestine closes - the body knows the food needs to be digested well, so the enzyme has plenty of time to work on alcohol.

If you decide to drink a glass on an empty stomach, alcohol almost non-stop passes the stomach and enters the small intestine, the surface area of which is more than 200 square meters. There is where to roam, right?

Also, you should not combine alcohol and aspirin, unless you are just a hangover lover. Aspirin reduces enzyme production.

Studies from the 90s of the 20th century showed that the blood alcohol level of those who took a couple of aspirin tablets before drinking was 26% higher than those who did not take the medicine.

To some extent, alcohol prolongs life

Of course, this does not apply to chronic alcoholics. Almost every month, new studies appear that prove that moderate alcohol consumption prolongs life.

Everyone at least once came across in magazines advice on drinking a glass of dry red wine a day or at least a couple of times a week (if there are no contraindications).

Experimental results showed that mortality among those who completely abstained from alcohol is higher than among those who drank moderately and even among those who drank quite a lot (69%, 41% and 61%, respectively).

Popular theories are based mainly on the antioxidants and resveratrol compounds found in wines, and on increasing the body's production of good cholesterol (HDL).

Of course, the link between alcohol and longevity is not direct, but indirect. For shy people, it plays a kind of social lubrication role and relieves mild stress (in moderation, of course).

Recently, sociologists and epidemiologists have conducted research on long-term loneliness and its effect on life expectancy. Loneliness in the literal sense of the word is life-threatening, since a person is by nature a social being and is used to living in a group (except in special cases).

Alcohol does not kill brain cells, it suppresses them

The 100% alcohol used to sterilize instruments really kills brain cells and neurons, and everything else.

If you drink a standard dose, only 0.08% alcohol will reach your brain with blood, and if you go to a large party, then your brain will receive 0.25%. These percentages do not affect the brain cells in any way (chronic alcoholism and its effect on the cells of the liver and other organs is a completely different story).

As evidence, we can cite the example of a study in 1993. Brain cell samples were taken from two people, an alcoholic and a teetotaler, who died from causes unrelated to alcohol intake. As a result, there were no special differences between them in the structure and density of cell groups.

Alcohol can be compared to a hand grenade.

When you drink alcohol, your brain receives signals from glutamate (an excitatory acid). Penetrating into your receptors, it disrupts their ability to transmit signals normally, which ultimately affects your speech, coordination, perception of reality, etc.

Substances such as cocaine and LSD act exclusively on certain areas of the brain and work like snipers. In this case, alcohol can be compared to a hand grenade.

Under the influence of alcohol, people tend to perceive all actions of others as deliberate

Since drinking alcohol changes your perception of reality, it may seem to you that the random actions of people were not accidental at all, but deliberate. Therefore, in already heated companies, heated disputes so often arise.

An interesting experiment was carried out: 92 men were forced to walk a certain distance for 3 hours without food. Then they were given juice to drink in unmarked glasses (just juice and juice with alcohol). After that, 30 minutes later, they were asked to rate the actions (she accidentally deleted her email, she tripped on a rope, she was looking for her keys, etc.) - whether they were intentional or accidental.

Almost all participants, regardless of the dose of alcohol taken, if the effect was unambiguous, determined it correctly. But as soon as the actions became ambiguous, the participants who drank the juice and alcohol tended to believe that the action was intentional.

Alcohol is a terrible sleeping pill

Quite a large number of people believe that alcohol is an excellent sleeping aid. In fact, this is not at all the case. Especially if you drank caffeinated drinks before drinking.

In fact, drinking alcohol can disrupt REM sleep (your brain will actively adapt to the effects of ethanol molecules), and as a result, you will either constantly wake up or not be able to sleep at all.

Your brain will not be able to fall into deep sleep and rest properly.

No sex

Another common misconception is that after drinking alcohol, your sex will be wild. Yes, alcohol awakens desire, but the show itself may not take place.

If you drink in moderation, you will be fine. But if you miscalculated a little, do not expect that you will get something magnificent and unforgettable.

Alcohol dilates the arteries and "relaxes" the body as a whole, and for some parts of the body in this case it is not very good. We will not repeat ourselves about inadequate perception and coordination problems.