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When a person consumes alcohol, the first thing that happens is that it is processed through the stomach and small intestines. It then enters the bloodstream and subsequently reaches your heart and brain. It also affects your tissues, muscles, and nervous system. Besides the physiological effects that alcohol has on its way through your body, it also interrupts your cognitive abilities, which is why alcohol doesn’t mix well with driving, operating machinery, or really any action that requires logical thinking. These temporary effects may feel sensational at first, but overuse can lead to prolonged health problems and even death.
When a person ingests alcohol at a rate higher than the liver can oxidize it, it essentially starts to drown their internal system. Keep in mind that alcohol is processed through the bloodstream at a much quicker rate than the metabolic processes that take place within the stomach, which is why alcohol has a compound effect. Each drink that you put into your system adds to the effect of the previous drink and this is largely due to the fact that “The liver can only break down a certain amount of alcohol per hour” . When a person drinks more alcohol than their liver enzymes can process in a given period of time, the excess alcohol adds to the feeling of drunkenness and increases the BAC level.
“Blood alcohol content” or concentration (BAC) is a measurement used to identify the amount of alcohol in a person’s system and it is the most reliable test to determine a person’s capacity to competently engage in otherwise simple tasks. The test is used by legal, medical, and other professionals to determine the concentration of alcohol in a person’s bloodstream. This simple test can be done using a breathalyzer, a tool which a person blows into that analyzes the amount of ethanol in the oxygen. Blood alcohol concentration may not seem like such a serious factor because alcohol is socially acceptable in moderation, however prolonged use of alcohol or overconsumption of alcohol can have detrimental effects on the human mind, body, and spirit.
References
El Dabe Law Firm. (2016, May 16). What is Blood Alcohol Content? Retrieved from Blood Alcohol Calculator: http://bloodalcoholcalculator.org/featured-article/what-is-blood-alcohol-content/
Health Promotion Agency. (n.d.). What happens when you drink alcohol? Retrieved May 16, 2016, from Alcohol.org.nz: http://alcohol.org.nz/alcohol-its-effects/about-alcohol/what-happens-when-you-drink-alcohol
