#BOB Health talk! Short term effects of alcohol

SHORT TERM EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL

Short-term effects of alcohol can take on many forms. The drug alcohol, to be specific ethanol, is a central nervous system depressant with a range of side-effects. Cell membranes are highly permeable to alcohol, so once alcohol is in the bloodstream it can diffuse into nearly every biological tissue of the body.

The concentration of alcohol in blood is usually measured in terms of the blood alcohol content. The amount and circumstances of consumption play a large part in determining the extent of intoxication; for example, eating a heavy meal before alcohol consumption causes alcohol to absorb more slowly.[1] Hydration also plays a role, especially in determining the extent of hangovers.[2] After excessive drinking, unconsciousness can occur and extreme levels of consumption can lead to alcohol poisoning and death (a concentration in the blood stream of 0.40% will kill half of those affected[3][4]). Alcohol may also cause death by asphyxiation from vomit.

Alcohol is an addictive drug that can greatly exacerbate sleep problems. During abstinence, residual disruptions in sleep regularity and sleep patterns[clarification needed] are the greatest predictors of relapse.

SLEEP

Alcohol bug affects balance, by changing the viscosity of the endolymph within the otolithic membrane, the fluid inside the semicircular canals inside the ear. The endolymph surrounds the cupula which contains hair cells within the semicircular canals. When the head is tilted, the endolymph flows and moves the cupula. The hair cells then bend and send signals to the brain indicating the direction in which the head is tilted. By changing the viscosity of the endolymph to become less dense when alcohol enters the system, the hair cells can move more easily within the ear, which sends the signal to the brain and results in exaggerated and overcompensated movements of body. This can also result in vertigo, or "the spins.

EFFECT BY DOSAGE

Different concentrations of alcohol in the human body have different effects on the subject.

The following lists the common effects of alcohol on the body, depending on the blood alcohol concentration (BAC). However, tolerance varies considerably between individuals, as does individual response to a given dosage; the effects of alcohol differ widely between people. Hence, BAC percentages are just estimates used for illustrative purposes.

Euphoria (BAC = 0.03% to 0.12%)

Overall improvement in mood and possible euphoria                

Increased self-confidence

Increased sociability

Decreased Anxiety

Shortened attention span

Flushed appearance

Impaired judgment

Impaired fine muscle coordination

Lethargy (BAC = 0.09% to 0.25%)

Sedation

Impaired memory and comprehension

Delayed reactions

Ataxia; balance difficulty; unbalanced walk

Blurred vision; other senses may be impaired

Confusion (BAC = 0.18% to 0.30%)

Profound confusion

Impaired senses

Analgesia

Increased ataxia; impaired speech; staggering

Dizziness often associated with nausea ("the spins")

Vomiting (emesis)

Stupor (BAC = 0.25% to 0.40%)

Severe ataxia

Lapses in and out of consciousness

Unconsciousness

Anterograde amnesia

Vomiting (death may occur due to inhalation of vomit (pulmonary aspiration) while unconscious)

Respiratory depression (potentially life-threatening)

Decreased heart rate (usually results in coldness and/or numbness of the limbs)

Urinary incontinence

Coma (BAC = 0.35% to 0.50%)

Unconsciousness (coma)

Depressed reflexes (i.e., pupils do not respond appropriately to changes in light)

Marked and life-threatening respiratory depression

Markedly decreased heart rate

Most deaths from alcohol poisoning are caused by dosage levels in this range.

Moderate doses

Ethanol inhibits the ability of glutamate to open the cation channel associated with the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of glutamate receptors. Stimulated areas include the cortex, hippocampus and nucleus accumbens, which are responsible for thinking and pleasure seeking. Another one of alcohol's agreeable effects is body relaxation, possibly caused by neurons transmitting electrical signals in an alpha waves-pattern; such waves are observed (with the aid of EEGs) when the body is relaxed.[citation needed]

Short-term effects of alcohol include the risk of injuries, violence and fetal damage.[11] Alcohol has also been linked with lowered inhibitions, though it is unclear to what degree this is chemical versus psychological as studies with placebos can often duplicate the social effects of alcohol at low to moderate doses. Some studies have suggested that intoxicated people have much greater control over their behavior than is generally recognized, though they have a reduced ability to evaluate the consequences of their behavior.[12] Behavioral changes associated with drunkenness are, to some degree, contextual.[13][14] A scientific study[weasel words] found that people drinking in a social setting significantly and dramatically altered their behavior immediately after the first sip of alcohol,[citation needed] well before the chemical itself could have filtered through to the nervous system.

Areas of the brain responsible for planning and motor learning are sharpened. A related effect, caused by even low levels of alcohol, is the tendency for people to become more animated in speech and movement. This is due to increased metabolism in areas of the brain associated with movement, such as the nigrostriatal pathway. This causes reward systems in the brain to become more active, which may induce certain individuals to behave in an uncharacteristically loud and cheerful manner.

Alcohol has been known to mitigate the production of antidiuretic hormone, which is a hormone that acts on the kidney to favour water reabsorption in the kidneys during filtration. This occurs because alcohol confuses osmoreceptors in the hypothalamus, which relay osmotic pressure information to the posterior pituitary, the site of antidiuretic hormone release. Alcohol causes the osmoreceptors to signal that there is low osmotic pressure in the blood, which triggers an inhibition of the antidiuretic hormone. As a consequence, one's kidneys are no longer able to reabsorb as much water as they should be absorbing, leading to creation of excessive volumes of urine and the subsequent overall dehydration.

Excessive doses

Acute alcohol intoxication through excessive doses in general causes short- or long-term health effects. NMDA receptors start to become unresponsive, slowing areas of the brain for which they are responsible. Contributing to this effect is the activity that alcohol induces in the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system. The GABA system is known to inhibit activity in the brain. GABA could also be responsible for the memory impairment that many people experience. It has been asserted that GABA signals interfere with the registration and consolidation stages of memory formation. As the GABA system is found in the hippocampus (among other areas in the CNS), which is thought to play a large role in memory formation, this is thought to be possible.

Anterograde amnesia, colloquially referred to as "blacking out", is another symptom of heavy drinking. This is the loss of memory during and after an episode of drinking. When alcohol is consumed at a rapid rate, the point at which most healthy people's long-term memory creation starts to fail usually occurs at approximately 0.20% BAC, but can be reached as low as 0.14% BAC for inexperienced drinkers.

Another classic finding of alcohol intoxication is ataxia, in its appendicular, gait, and truncal forms. Appendicular ataxia results in jerky, uncoordinated movements of the limbs, as though each muscle were working independently from the others. Truncal ataxia results in postural instability; gait instability is manifested as a disorderly, wide-based gait with inconsistent foot positioning. Ataxia is responsible for the observation that drunk people are clumsy, sway back and forth, and often fall down. It is presumed to be due to alcohol's effect on the cerebellum.

 

Hope I have been able to educate you a bit... *winks*