Alcohol accompanies us at different moments of life – from the most joyful to the saddest ones. At the same time, information about what actually happens to the body during alcohol consumption remains a mystery for most of us. In this article you’ll find out what happens to your body when you drink alcohol.
How does the body perceive alcohol?
The effect of alcohol on the body is largely due to genetics. Each of us has a gene responsible for the metabolism of alcohol – alcohol dehydrogenase. This enzyme is responsible for how quickly ethyl alcohol is excreted from the body, how strong the poisoning and intoxication will be.
In addition, this gene is responsible for the formation of alcohol addiction. For some, it is more active, for others it is less pronounced: someone loses control after just one shot, while others do not find relaxation even after a couple of bottles.
What happens in the body when alcohol enters it?
When we drink even one glass, ethyl alcohol is instantly absorbed into the bloodstream. It carries alcohol breakdown products throughout the body. What reactions occur in this case in the body?
Blood clots form: blood thickens, platelets and red blood cells stick together, and clogging of the vessels from the smallest to the main ones can occur.
Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs worse. Lack of oxygen in the brain leads to chronic hypoxia, increased fatigue, and headaches.
Alcohol is a toxin that causes the cells of internal organs to die. Intoxication can cause a variety of consequences, from a mild headache in the morning to severe reactions, when you cannot do without doctors’ help.
Dehydration adversely affects the functioning of all body systems.
Taking into account the individual reaction, alcohol is harmful to anyone. All internal organs receive their dose of toxins, and in particular:
Liver
It is the first to take a blow during an innocent gathering with a bottle of wine. The liver is the body’s filter that separates toxins from nutrients. When a lot of toxins enter at the same time, metabolic processes are disturbed – in particular, the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates.
Fats are deposited in liver cells, causing them to die off. The body does not tolerate emptiness and replaces them with scar tissue – this is how cirrhosis of the liver is formed. In case of regular consumption, a malignant tumor can form, a complete failure of the liver or a critical intoxication of the body can occur.
Brain
If you have a white-collar job, alcohol is the main enemy of your performance: for example, did you know that 100 g of vodka kills 8,000 brain cells? It has been scientifically proven that the brain shrinks in alcohol drinkers. Alcohol intoxication causes inflammatory and edematous processes, which slows down the person’s nervous and mental reactions.
After drinking, we begin to think worse. This is expressed not only in the impossibility to solve a mathematical problem, but also in an inadequate reaction to the world: the appearance of aggression or a change in behavior. In critical cases, alcohol abstinence occurs – an obsessive hysterical state.
Heart
Even a small amount of alcohol causes an increase in heart rate: the heart beats faster, resulting in increased wear. Fats deposited in the liver enter the cardiovascular system with blood, clog blood vessels and increase the risk of heart attack and thrombosis.
Digestive system
Alcohol burns the mucous membrane of the mouth, esophagus and stomach, causing severe irritation – therefore, even light alcoholic drinks are contraindicated in cases of gastritis and stomach ulcers.
