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How Alcohol Affects A Person

• Alcohol takes as little time as three minutes after it has been swallowed to reach the brain. The exact amount of time varies among individuals.
• When alcoholic beverage is consumed, a small portion of the pure alcohol is absorbed directly and immediately into the bloodstream through the stomach walls.
• The rest of the alcohol is processed at a slightly slower rate through the small intestine and into the bloodstream.
• The alcohol-laden blood is pumped through the body by the heart where it eventually transports the alcohol to the liver which oxidises and breaks down the alcohol. 90 to 98 % of all alcohol ingested will be oxidised by the liver into water and carbon dioxide. The rest of the 2 to 8% of alcohol is excreted through our breath, urine, saliva, tears.
• The liver of a male is capable of breaking down the equivalent of one standard drink per hour or 80 grams of pure alcohol in 24 hours while the liver of a female is only half as efficient.
• As a guide to the amount of drinks one consumes within safety limit, listed are the alcohol strength of principal drinks:

 Hangovers

• The hangover is a symptom that results from having consumed too much alcoholic beverages.
• Hangover causes the body to suffer the following conditions:The dehydration is caused by the diuretic action of the alcohol. At the same time, the body’s natural anti-diuretic hormones are suppressed. This causes the body to lose more water that it otherwise would.
  • dehydration
  • low blood sugar
  • irritation of the stomach lining
• Besides making the person feel thirsty, dehydration also causes headaches. Combined with the effects of the toxin-like congeners, the effects are very acute and intense headaches occur. The person also becomes very sensitive to light and prefers the dark.
• Alcohol causes the body to produce insulin which burns up the blood sugar. This results in low blood sugar which shows up as drowsiness, faintness and hunger which manifest itself as shivering.

Tips for Hangovers

• However, we can ease the uncomfortable and painful symptoms associated with a hangover. The following actions can ease and give comfort:Rehydrating the body cells and organs allows the natural healing process to occur while glucose helps the body absorb the water faster as well as replenish the blood sugar.
  • drink lots of water
  • consume glucose dissolved in the water
  • take small doses of vitamin B and C
  • use mild analgesics like paracetamol
• Vitamin B and C generally helps the liver and the body’s nervous system cope with the symptoms while pain killers (analgesics) such as paracetamol (sold commercially as Panadol) help deal with the general pain and headaches.
• One of the best things to do if a person has had too much alcohol is to drinks lots of water with some glucose and vitamin B and C before retiring to bed to rest. Orange juice is a handy and easily available mixture of water, glucose and vitamin C.
• Taking paracetamol is not recommended unless necessary or until the symptoms manifest themselves and aspirins are not recommended as they are acidic in nature and may only irritate the upset stomach further.