How does alcohol make you drunk?
Ethanol molecules are made out of a few carbon atoms. And it is responsible for drunkenness. It is simply referred to as alcohol.
Ethanol is an active ingredient in alcoholic beverages. Its simplicity helps it to sneak across membranes and nestle into many different nooks.
Then it produces a wide range of effects compared to other clunkier molecules
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So how does ethanol cause drunkenness?
It has dramatically different effects on different people. So to find out answers to this question we need to follow alcohol on its journey, through the body.
Alcohol lands in the stomach and is absorbed into the blood through the digestive tract, especially the small intestine. The contents of the stomach impact alcohol’s ability to get into the blood. Because after eating the pyloric sphincter, which separates the stomach from the small intestine, closes.
So the level of alcohol that reaches the blood after a big meal, might only be a quarter that from the same drink on an empty stomach. From the blood alcohol goes to the organs. Especially those that get the most blood flow. That means to the liver and the brain.
Alcohol hits the liver first and the enzymes in the liver break down the alcohol molecule in two steps.
First, an enzyme called ADH turns alcohol into acetaldehyde, which is toxic. Then an enzyme called ALDH converts the toxic acetaldehyde into non-toxic acetate.
As the blood circulates the liver eliminates alcohol continuously. But this first pass of elimination determines how much alcohol reaches the brain and other organs.
Brain sensitivity is responsible for the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral effects of alcohol. It is also known as drunkenness.
Alcohol turns up the brain’s primary brake, it is the neurotransmitter GABA and turns down its primary gas, which is the neurotransmitter glutamate.
This makes neurons much less communicative. And users feel relaxed at moderate doses. Fall asleep at higher doses. And can impede the brain activity necessary for survival at toxic doses.
Alcohol also stimulates a small group of neurons that extends from the midbrain to the nucleus accumbens. This region is important for motivation.
Like all addictive drugs, it prompts a squirt of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens which gives users a surge of pleasure.
Alcohol also causes some neurons to synthesize and release endorphins. Endorphins help us to calm down in response to stress or danger. Elevated levels of endorphins contribute to the euphoria and relaxation associated with alcohol consumption.
And finally, as the liver’s breakdown of alcohol outpaces the brain’s absorption, drunkenness starts to fade away.
Individual differences at any point in the journey can cause people to act more or less drunk. For example, a man and a woman who weigh the same and drink the same amount during an identical meal will still have different blood alcohol concentrations or BACs.
How does alcohol make you drunk, for women!
This is because women tend to have less blood, and generally have a higher percentage of fat, which requires less blood than muscle.
So, when a smaller blood volume carries the same amount of alcohol, that means the alcohol concentration will be higher for women.
Also, genetic differences in the liver’s alcohol processing enzymes also influence BAC. When a person drinks regularly it can increase the production of these enzymes, contributing to tolerance.
On the other hand, those who drink excessively for a long time may develop liver damage, which has the opposite effect.
Genetic differences in dopamine, GABA, and endorphin transmission may contribute to the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder.
People with naturally low endorphin or dopamine levels may self-medicate through drinking. And some people have a higher risk of excessive drinking due to a sensitive endorphin response that increases the pleasurable effects of alcohol.
Some people have a variation in GABA transmission. That makes them especially sensitive to the sedative effects of alcohol. That decreases their risk of developing disordered drinking.
The brain can adapt to chronic alcohol consumption by reducing GABA, dopamine, and endorphin transmission, and enhancing glutamate activity.
Because of these things, regular drinkers tend to be anxious, have trouble sleeping, and experience less pleasure. So these structural and functional changes can lead to disordered use when drinking feels normal, but not drinking is uncomfortable, establishing a vicious cycle.
Both genetic and previous experiences impact how a person experiences alcohol. This means some people are more prone to certain patterns of drinking than others, and a history of consumption leads to neural and behavioral changes.
What do you think about this article? How does alcohol make you drunk? Leave your comments down below. And let’s discuss marijuana in a different article.