EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL
be healthy; don't drink
THE MOMENT YOU CONSUME ALCOHOL IT STARTS
The moment you swallow alcohol your body is effected. Alcohol can mix with both fatty and watery substances. This means that it can go anywhere in the body. Alcohol affects every cell of the body. From the stomach and the intestines, it moves rapidly into the bloodstream. From the blood, it enters every cell. Within minutes after the first sip of a drink, ethanol is affecting the brain, muscles, nerves, glands and small vessels of the skin. It also passes through the liver. Excessive long-term drinking harms the body systems and organs. The heart, pancreas, liver, and brain are some organs that may be affected. Other causes of alcohol abuse are abnormal changes in the blood; kidney, bladder, and gland damage; lung damage, and skin rashes and sores. Alcohol also can cause the pancreas to stop producing insulin. Pregnant women that drink can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. This is a cluster of birth defects including permanent mental and physical retardation and abnormal faces.
Liver
Changes alcohol into waste, but can only handle one drink per hour. The excess overflows into the bloodstream. Excessive long-term drinking can cause Cirrhosis. If the liver is injured, the whole body will suffer. One of the worst effects of liver damage is high blood pressure. High blood pressure can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. It also weakens the body's defense against infection.
Lungs
Excretes a little ethanol from the bloodstream as the gas exhaled in the breath.
Blood Vessels
Alcohol releases nerves and blood vessels to the skin. The skin appears flush and warm.
THINGS YOU WOULDN'T USUALLY DO
Alcohol also causes delirium is a state of mental confusion usually with hallucinations and continual movement. Since you are drunk, you don't reason and you start doing things you wouldn't normally do. These are usually things you will eventually regret such as picking a fight, unsafe driving which can lead to accidents, and unplanned sex.