The Affects Alcohol Has on the Nervous System

From the thirsty person's point of view Alcohol looks heavenly when it is ice cold in a tall mug, with cloud like froth humming over the rim. For most a beer can simply scrub away the fatigue of the day. Nevertheless a heavenly thing like Alcohol has a well known life-threatening effect on the body's nervous system.

Alcohol is a natural mix of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. It is a fickle, transparent liquid that has a trivial characteristic odor. It is composed from the fermentation of sugars and starches and widely used, either pure or denatured as an intoxicating beverage.

The nervous system consists of two main divisions, the central nervous system - the brain and the spinal cord and the peripheral nervous system- the cranial, spinal, autonomic nerves sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The spinal cord directs sensory information from the peripheral nervous system, both somatic and autonomic, to the brain. It carries out motor information from the brain to the body's skeletal muscles, smooth muscle, cardiac muscle and glands. The brain gathers sensory contributions from the spinal cord as well as from its own nerves. It assigns most of its volume and computational power towards handing out its various sensory inputs and instructs appropriate, coordinated, motor outputs. Ultimately the nervous system is the body's center of every day operations.

Alcohol enters the body when it is consumed through the mouth. Only a small amount of alcohol stays in the stomach, the rest heads towards the small intestine. The small intestine is a part of the gastrointestinal tract, which is located between the stomach and the colon (large intestine). The small intestine is the gateway for absorption of practically all nutrients into the blood. Through the walls of the small intestine alcohol enters the bloodstream. After alcohol is immersed into the bloodstream, it streams swiftly throughout the body. Although alcohol is bound to water because of hydrogen bonding, its unique hydrophilic qualities make it an ideal molecule for rapid entry and exit from the brain.

In the human body the central nervous system is damaged by alcohol more then any other bodily system. Alcohol decreases the central nervous system's activity, and reduces anxiety, tension, and inhibitions - alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. If alcohol is consumed in large amounts, especially on an empty stomach making it easier for alcohol to rush into the bloodstream, the possibilities of being poisoned or becoming intoxicated greatly exist. Immense amounts of alcohol can result in loss of motor control and cognitive faculties, euphoria and unconsciousness. The more a person stays unconscious due to heavy drinking the more likely it is that that person will receive miniature brain hemorrhages.

Each hemorrhage is a point were brain cells die from lack of oxygen. Clinical symptoms of the central nervous system being high with alcohol are diminution of attention, emotional instability, decreased sensatory response, increased reaction time, impaired balance, disturbance of vision and perception of color, form, motion and dimensions, muscular in coordination, impaired consciousness, depressed reflexes, subnormal body temperature, impaired circulation and respiration and possible death from respiratory arrest. During alcohol intoxication memory dysfunctions vary from momentary episodes of forgetting to critical amnestic syndromes, which are accompanied by structural changes in the brain. "Blackout" is one of the most common and dangerous form of memory loss during alcohol intake. One the whole "blackout" is complete amnesia that can last from hours to days depending on the length of the drinking spree.

In serious, long term drinkers there is a shortage of B- vitamins (especially thiamine) which interrupts nerve operations, the results of this grave deficiency on the brain generates Wernicke's encephalopathy. The symptoms of Wernicke's encephalopathy are instability of speech and gait, bewilderment and eventual coma. A syndrome known as the Korsakoff syndrome, which is distinguish by amnesia, apathy and disorientation, can be the result of additional deficiencies of thiamine. Great amount of thiamine deficiency in alcoholics can also lead in heart failure due to reduced pumping efficiency in the heart, usually combined with edema - fluid collection in the tissues. Alcoholics are prone to suffer from psychiatric illnesses starting at anxiety and/or depression, and ending at paranoia and/or dementia. These mental disorders can lead to attempts of and actual suicide.

Alcohol reaches different parts of the nervous system, which include the spinal cord, cerebellum, cerebral cortex, reticular formation and on many neurotransmitter systems. It can cause damage to the frontal lobes, reduce brain size and increase the size of the ventricles. Millions of brain cells, which can not be repaired or replaced, can be severely damaged due to drinking over an extensive period of time. The effect of alcohol on the peripheral nervous system results in a disorder called polyneuropathy. The symptoms of Polyneuropathy are pain, cramps, numbness, tingling, and weakness in the legs and hands. The warmth a drinker feels after alcohol is consumed reflects the increased blood flow to the skin. This sensation of increased warmth is actually associated with a loss of body heat. As peripheral blood vessels enlarge, the expanded surface area discharges more heat. Hence, even though one may feel warmer after drinking, the actual heat loss may lower body temperature. Reduced transmission in acetylcholine systems, increased transmission in GABA systems and increased formation of beta-endorphin in the hypothalamus are some of the neurochemical effects of alcohol.

When a pregnant women drinks alcohol, the alcohol is passed onto the new born to be. FAS also known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, is a crucial health problem that is found in babies whose mothers drank while being pregnant. Babies that are born with FAS usually have smaller heads, deformed facial features, abnormal joints and limbs, the weigh less and are shorter then normal, problems with learning, poor coordination, short memories and heart defects. Other drastic affects of FAS could be Low IQ, epilepsy, organ dysfunctions, learn difficulties, abnormal hyperactivity, language devolvement can be delayed, problems at school - not being able to keep relations with peers and some distinctive abnormalities include cleft lip and palate. The problems that associate with FAS do no have any limits- a child can be drastically damaged or he or she can only have some of the above problems. The possibilities range, the best way to avoid this tragedy is through avoiding of alcohol.

Extensive alcohol drinking can lead to addiction and cause additional neurological disorders. Trying to get clean and stay clean from alcohol is harder then some may think. Withholding from alcohol after one's body is dependent on it can raise problems of sleep, nausea, seizures and hallucinations. The astonishing fact is that the above problems are most of the effects alcohol has only on the nervous system.