Alcohol and Your Body

This page was reviewed or revised on Thursday, August 27, 2009.

If you have ever seen a person who’s had too much to drink, you know that alcohol affects the body. What you may not know is that the effects of alcohol differ from person-to-person, male to female.

What is Alcohol?

Alcohol may be the world's oldest known drug. Fermented grain, fruit juice and honey have been used to make alcohol (ethyl alcohol or ethanol) for thousands of years. The production of products containing alcohol is big business in today's society and the consumption and abuse of alcohol has become a major public health problem.

Alcohol is a depressant, meaning it slows the function of the central nervous system. Alcohol actually blocks some messages trying to get to the brain and alters a person's perceptions, emotions, movement, vision, and hearing.

Alcohol can exaggerate behaviours and moods. Someone who drinks can be the “life of the party” or the “joke of the party.” People who have overdrink may stagger, lose coordination, and slur their speech and they will most likely be confused and disoriented. Depending on the person, intoxication can make someone very friendly and talkative, sad, tired and pass out, or very aggressive and angry. Too much alcohol can lead to some common, unpleasant feelings the next day - headache, upset stomach and tiredness.

Drinking alcohol slows reaction times, and that’s why people are told not to drink and drive. People who are drunk may think they are OK when they are not. They may act totally out of character. 

When large amounts of alcohol are consumed in a short period of time the blood alcohol content exceeds what the body can handle and alcohol poisoning can result. Alcohol poisoning is exactly what it sounds like - the body has become poisoned by large amounts of alcohol. Violent vomiting is usually the first symptom of alcohol poisoning. Extreme sleepiness, unconsciousness, difficulty breathing, dangerously low blood sugar, seizures, and even death may result. 

How Your Body Handles Alcohol

• After the first drink is swallowed, alcohol travels to the stomach and small intestine.

• 90% of the alcohol goes into the blood; 10% of alcohol leaves the body quickly (breath, sweat and urine).

• When alcohol hits the brain, thinking and movement slows down instantly.

• How much you drink and the alcohol content depends on how the brain is affected.

• If the alcohol level in the blood is too high, a person may pass out. Because alcohol slows all body functions, breathing will slow and could cause death.

‘Sobering’ Up

Only the liver can remove alcohol. It takes the liver about one (1) hour to break down and clear one (1) standard drink. Cold showers, walking, black coffee, fresh air or vomiting will not sober a person. Time is the only cure. After a night of heavy drinking, some people may have a blood alcohol level the next day that is over the legal limit to drive.

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