JUST THE FACTS

Alcohol

Q: What does alcohol do to the body?

A: Alcohol enters the bloodstream through the stomach and intestine. Once in the bloodstream, it is carried to other parts of the body quite quickly. In fact, it reaches the brain almost immediately. Alcohol stays in the body until it is metabolized (broken down) by the liver and eventually leaves the body through breath, sweat and urine.

Q: How does what's happening inside the body show up on the outside?

A: The brain is the body's control centre and so alcohol has a dramatic impact on the way we behave. The more alcohol in the blood, the greater the impact. Judgment, inhibitions, reaction time, coordination, vision, speech, balance, walking and standing are all affected by alcohol.

Q: What does alcohol do to moods?

A: Beer commercials make it seem like drinking beer will make you feel great but it is hard to know how people will act after drinking alcohol. A lot depends on the drinker's mood and where they are drinking. After a couple of drinks, one person might be more relaxed, another depressed, another more wild, another angry. In general, you'll feel more of what you were feeling before you started drinking. People who are depressed can feel even worse. Sometimes, you will feel whatever you expect the alcohol to make you feel.

Q: So is alcohol an upper or a downer?

A: Definitely a downer. It might seem like alcohol makes people more relaxed, outgoing, and active but these traits show up because alcohol is reducing the activity of the brain. Anything that lowers brain activity is a downer. This explains why alcohol slows reaction time and leads to poor judgment when driving.

Q: Is it dangerous to take other drugs with alcohol?

A: It is important to be very careful about mixing two kinds of drugs. Remember alcohol is a drug.  Some drugs will cause serious problems when used with alcohol. Remember street drugs (illegal drugs) are sometimes mixed with other substances, so you may not know what you are buying. If you don't know what you're buying, you can't be sure what will happen when you mix these street drugs with alcohol.

Tranquilizers and antihistamines are two types of legal drugs known to be dangerous - and in some cases fatal - when taken with alcohol.

Q: What are some of the other long-term effects of heavy drinking?

A: Besides damaging the liver, heart and brain, heavy drinking can lead to loss of appetite, vitamin deficiencies, stomach ailments, skin problems, sexual problems and memory loss.

Q: What happens when pregnant women drink?

A: Alcohol can damage a developing baby's brain and body. This can result in a condition known as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), a term used to describe a set of symptoms seen in some children whose mothers drank while pregnant. FAS is a disability that affects how a baby looks, thinks, acts and learns. FAS is a lifelong disability meaning its effects do not diminish as the baby grows into an adult.

© Watari Youth Day Treatment Program

Adapted from 2001-2002 AADAC – Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, corp.aadac.com

Additional Source Uppers, Downers, All Arounders