Information on Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol consumption dates to prehistoric times. The first beverages used a fermentation method to create the alcoholic content. Wine and beer are still made that way today. The distillation process, which makes it possible to formulate high alcohol content hard liquor, was discovered in Medieval Europe during the 12th century.

Absorption of Alcohol into Your System: When you have a drink, the alcohol is absorbed into your body quickly via the bloodstream. The amount or type of food in your stomach can slow this process. For instance, high-carbohydrate and fatty foods reduce the absorption rates. Once alcohol enters your bloodstream, the liver breaks it down. You get drunk or start feeling tipsy when you consume the alcohol faster than your liver can process it. The alcohol reduces your breathing rate and heart rate. Anticipate feeling the effects 10 to 60 minutes after your first drink.

Short-Term Effects: While a few drinks can make you feel euphoric and sociable, too much alcohol can be fatal. One or two drinks can cause impaired motor coordination, prolonged reaction time and a slower thought process. This significantly reducing your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.

Complications with Medication: Medication plus alcohol can have unexpected consequences. Less than one drink can intensify the effects of some prescription and over-the-counter medications. This can cause poor concentration and decreased motor skills. Over-the-counter cough medicine and allergy medication leave you especially susceptible to the effects of alcohol. Prescription medications that can cause problems if you drink alcohol are labeled with a sticker on the outside of the bottle. Your pharmacist can provide information about mixing specific medications and alcohol.

Nutrient Depletion: :Alcohol consumption can decrease your body's ability to digest nutrients. Once alcohol enters your system, it decreases the amount of digestive enzymes that the pancreas secretes. The alcohol can damages the lining of your stomach and intestines and disrupt the transfer of nutrients into the bloodstream.

Cautions: Alcohol consumption increases your chance of illness, accidents and death. The National Institutes of Health warns that you are more likely to fall, drown, crash your car, get pregnant, contract a sexually transmitted disease or kill someone after you have consumed alcohol. Chronic alcohol can cause liver and pancreas problems, along with a higher risk of cancer in your head, neck, stomach and breasts.

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References:
1 National Institutes of Health: Alcohol Use
2 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: Harmful Intereactions: Mixing Alcohol with Medicines
3 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: Alcohol Alert: Alcohol and Nutrition
4 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: Health Risks and Benefits of Alcohol Consumption