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Q. How does alcohol effect the human body?

Alcohol affects different people in different ways. Here are some characteristics that may have an affect on how an individual responds to alcohol: gender, mood, body weight, type of alcohol, full/empty stomach/speed of consumption, and/or use of medication or other drugs. But for most people the effects of alcohol are going to be determined by simple volume. The less a person consumes the less of an effect they will experience.

When a person drinks alcohol, unlike eating foods that need to be digested, the alcohol immediately enters the bloodstream. The molecular structure of alcohol is so small that it can be absorbed or transferred into the blood through the walls of the stomach and small intestine.

The liver is designed to break down the alcohol into harmless products and then it is excreted. However the liver can only handle so much alcohol at a time. For the average person the liver and small intestine can handle alcohol at a rate of about one drink an hour.

If the body receives alcohol at a faster rate than one drink per hour, the alcohol simply stays in the body, waiting it's turn to be metabolized. Since there is more alcohol than can be metabolized, the result is increasing levels of intoxication.

Intoxication can impair judgment, lower inhibitions, increase risky behaviors and possibly cause alcohol poisoning.

Resources: www.du.edu/duhealth and www.bacchusgamma.org