The effects of alcohol are directly related to its concentration in the blood (Blood Alcohol Level) depending on a number of factors like the speed at which a person drinks, presence of food in stomach, his weight, the type of beverage, situation etc.
- The weight of the drinker is also a factor related to the effect of alcohol. People with higher weight shall have higher BAC, because of the way alcohol circulates in the body fluid.
- Some beverages have higher alcoholic content than other, beer has usually 4-8 percent alcohol (ethanol) where as distilled spirit have 40-60 percent.
- New or inexperienced drinkers may drink much more than what they can handle. Surrounding situation can also have an impact on the effect of alcohol.
Short and Long Term health Hazards
Short term effects of alcoholism are those which disappear within a few hours after the intake of alcoholic beverage. Alcohol affects the brain and nerve cells, which in turn affect human behavior. The brain is highly sensitive even to low dose or concentration of this depressant. The disturbances which result are shown in the activities of the organs, controlled by the brain. The most prominent short term effect of alcohol is that it temporarily removes or suppresses normal inhibitions. It acts as a psycho-anaesthetize, temporarily erasing painful feelings of anxiety. Worry, tension, frustration and also anger.
Long Term Effects: When large doses of alcohol are taken over a long period of time, it proves disastrous, impairing both length and quality of life. The long term effects include cirrhosis of liver, Pancreatitis, ulcers, gastritis, cardiomyopathy, and polyneuritis.
Tolerance for alcohol increases if a person continues to drink excessively for a long period of time. A situation comes when a heavy drinker becomes physically and psychologically dependent on alcohol.
Large dosage of alcohol decreases appetite and the quantity of food ingested and thus promotes under nutrition. By interfering with the absorption of folic acid it may lead to Folic Acid Deficiency Anemia. Sex life is also affected adversely by prolonged use of alcohol.
Let’s Not Forget This Also: Alcohol causes about half of all night time road accidents. It causes a third of all industrial accidents. It is an important factor in marriage break-up, child abuse and crime. If you drink one bottle of wine a day your chances of being killed by drink in the next year are one in 1,333.