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If you feel the physical need to drink alcohol on a regular basis, you may be suffering from alcoholism. Recovery Connection coordinators can answer your questions about addiction, withdrawal, alcohol detox, and addiction treatment. Don’t let alcohol destroy your body, your mind and your life. Call now and get help today.
There are many forms of alcohol: beer, wine, vodka, rum, and more. Alcohol is a natural liquid that is derived from fruit, grains, and vegetables through a fermentation process which uses yeast, sugars and or starches. The ingredient in alcohol that creates the drug effect or intoxication is called ethyl alcohol or ethanol. There are no alcoholic drinks that have 100% ethanol. Such levels of alcohol consumed by a human being would be dangerous. However, some alcoholic drinks such as rum or whiskey contain up to 90% ethanol.
Alcohol enters the body and is metabolized by the liver and then passes into the body (the brain and the organs) through the blood stream. The liver can absorb only a small amount of alcohol at a time leaving the remaining to circulate throughout the body. It is considered a central nervous system depressant as it reduces heart rate and respiration and slows brain activity which in turn affects the ability of the brain to respond to messages and functions normally.
Alcohol effects the GABA and NMDA receptors of the brain thus interrupting normal communications between other cells, muscles, organs and other systems by:
This is only a partial list of the immediate effects of alcohol consumption. The impact of alcohol on the body is far more expansive than this brief list. The effects of alcohol on the body and brain can be enormous and damage can be permanent or long lasting depending upon a person’s age, race, physical health, environmental conditions and genetics, nutritional intake, the amount of alcohol consumed and how often it is consumed.
When alcohol is consumed in large quantities in a short period of time, even if it is during a single binging episode, the body can be poisoned. Alcohol poisoning can be extremely dangerous and can lead to death if not treated early. The body’s response to alcohol poisoning is intense and can include:
Often a person who is suffering from alcohol poisoning will be asleep or unconscious, and/or vomit and choke to death. It is a sad reality but true.
Yes, regular consumption of alcohol can be addictive. The amount required to become addicted varies from person to person based upon the criteria mentioned earlier. Addiction is considered a chronic, progressive disease. Once the brain adapts to the alcohol and the alterations it creates in brain function, the body will require more of it, developing a tolerance.
The body’s tolerance for alcohol will continue to increase despite the serious, negative, health and social consequences of drinking regularly; this phase is part of developing an addiction to alcohol. Without enough alcohol, strong physical cravings set in. Without the immediate consumption of more alcohol to satisfy the body’s need for this drug, the body will begin to experience withdrawal symptoms.
Abruptly stopping the consumption of alcohol after a person is addicted is dangerous. Withdrawal symptoms and alcohol detox must be closely monitored by medical personnel with knowledge of alcoholism. It is not recommended that a person try to detox at his or her home as medical intervention may be needed. Seizures, tremors, or death may result from unsupervised alcohol detox.
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