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encouraging people to make informed choices See what happens when you have a drink? What happens when you have a drink? Alcohol affects us all when we drink. But we don’t all react in the same way. The amount of alcohol that enters your system and how it is absorbed depend on things like how much and how quickly you drink, your size, your gender and whether you’re drinking on an empty stomach. The amount of alcohol in your blood is referred to as your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level. BAC increases when your body absorbs alcohol faster than it can eliminate it. The Brain The hypothalamus controls a number of functions, including sexual arousal and performance. When it is affected by alcohol, sexual arousal increases, but performance decreases. The hypothalamus also coordinates hormone production in the pituitary gland. One of these hormones is antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which works to reabsorb water in the kidneys. Alcohol restricts production of ADH, which means the kidneys produce more urine. Alcohol affects the nerve cells in the brain. This means it interferes with how the cells function and how the brain communicates with all other parts of the body. Different parts of the brain control different processes. Alcohol affects each of these areas in turn; as BAC increases, the effects get more pronounced. The cerebral cortex processes information from your senses; it also controls how you think and the movement of your muscles. When alcohol affects the cerebral cortex, you take longer to process information from your senses, become less inhibited and don’t think as clearly. The brain stem controls automatic body functions such as breathing, heart rate and consciousness. When alcohol reaches the brain stem, you become sleepy and, depending on how much alcohol you drink, you may even lose consciousness. As the concentration of alcohol in your blood increases, it may affect your heart rate, breathing and consciousness and can even lead to death. The limbic system is the part of the brain that controls memory and your emotions. When it is affected by alcohol, your emotions become exaggerated – for example, you could get more giddy, sad, or upset – and you start to forget things. The cerebellum coordinates fine muscle movements, including the muscles that help you keep your balance. As alcohol affects the cerebellum, you can become shaky and uncoordinated and unsteady on your feet. The Oesophagus Alcohol is absorbed into your blood and distributed around the body. The Liver The liver gets rid of about 90% of the alcohol in the body. The liver is the body’s major organ for handling substances that get into the body. The alcohol begins to be absorbed into your body through the linings of your mouth and oesophagus. The Bloodstream The body can’t store alcohol – it’s the liver’s job to break it down (‘metabolise’ it). The chemical name for alcohol is ethanol. First, an enzyme in the liver breaks down the ethanol into acetaldehyde, which the body recognises as toxic. That is why another enzyme and a substance called glutathione break down the acetaldehyde into non-toxic acetic acid. This can then be broken down further into carbon dioxide and water and expelled from the body. Major organs such as the liver, kidneys, lungs and brain absorb more alcohol. Organs such as the brain have special sensitivity to alcohol and its related compounds and therefore can be adversely affected. The absorption and distribution of alcohol throughout the body happens quickly – within a few minutes of taking a drink, alcohol reaches the body‘s organs. The liver can only deal with a limited amount of alcohol at a time. If too much alcohol is taken into the body, the liver’s store of glutathione runs out, leaving the toxic acetaldehyde to build up in the body. This can cause headache and nausea. The Stomach It can take three hours or more to remove the alcohol from just one drink from your system – the rate depending on factors such as your size and gender. The Lungs About 5% of the alcohol is eliminated from your body in your breath as you exhale. Your lungs take in air to bring oxygen to the body and get rid of waste carbon dioxide. The more you drink, the longer it will take. There’s nothing you can do to speed up the rate of metabolism. The Kidneys However, alcohol is mainly absorbed into the blood through the walls of the stomach (about 20%) and intestines (about 80%), mostly in the small intestine. The absorption process happens more slowly if you have food in the stomach or intestines. The alcohol is then distributed throughout the body in the bloodstream: it is dissolved in the liquid in the blood and, as the blood circulates around the body, it enters and dissolves into the liquid of every tissue of the body. The Intestines When the alcohol in the bloodstream reaches the lungs, some of it passes into the lungs’ air sacs and then evaporates into the air. It is then exhaled and eliminated from the body. This is the alcohol detected by breathalysers and that can be smelled on the breath. The kidneys eliminate about 5% of the alcohol in your urine. One of the functions of the kidneys is to maintain the correct composition of the blood. To do this, the kidneys filter your blood – all your blood will be filtered about 20 times a day. Then, useful things like proteins and amino acids are reabsorbed into the blood. Waste and excess products don’t get reabsorbed – they are excreted into the urine and then eliminated from the body. The kidneys also work to keep the volume of water in your body constant. Alcohol is a diuretic. If you drink too much, your body ends up eliminating more water than it absorbs – and you can become dehydrated, with dizziness and a headache, as a result. For more information visit: www.TalkingAlcohol.com Alcohol affects us all when we drink. But we don’t all react in the same way. TalkingAlcohol.com is about helping people make informed choices about alcohol. The amount of alcohol that enters your system and how it is absorbed depend on things like how much and how quickly you drink, your size, your gender and whether you’re drinking on an empty stomach. The amount of alcohol in your blood is referred to as your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level. BAC increases when your body absorbs alcohol faster than it can eliminate it. Human Atlas What is beer? Beer’ is the name used to describe the family of alcohol beverages brewed from malt and flavoured with hops. Talk to your children Parents are the single most important influence on whether or not teenagers decide to drink alcohol. Studies show that parents have the biggest influence on whether an underage person decides to drink alcohol. So, it’s important that your children know where you stand: that underage drinking is not acceptable. Keep talking Visit TalkingAlcohol.com to view a three dimensional animated human atlas on liver cirrhosis. Our contents database tells you exactly what you are drinking. Visit TalkingAlcohol.com for more information. Latest News 22 Apr 09 • Ireland/UK: Moves to limit cheap alcohol sales through joint effort - Read full story • M exico: Alcohol laws will tighten up - Read full story • Russia: New taxation scheme for distilleries proposed - Read full story • M other-child bond weakened by drink - Read full story Sign up to receive the latest news around the world on alcohol. Drinking and Driving Drinking and driving is a dangerous combination for you, your passengers, pedestrians, other drivers and anyone or anything that comes in your path. The more you drink, the more likely you are to become involved in an accident – possibly a fatal one. Driving requires a variety of skills because driving conditions change continually. A driver must maintain alertness, react quickly to hazards, see clearly and properly judge distance and speed. Alcohol impairs certain bodily functions, such as the sharpness of your vision, judgement and reaction time. When these functions are impaired, the likelihood of an accident is increased. Having a night out People need to be able to make informed decisions about alcohol consumption based on accurate, balanced information. They can then judge the personal risks and benefits of drinking alcohol. Watch alcohol debates Hear from an expert Ask a question Tell a friend Talk to your children Download factsheet Feedback Drink sensibly and you’ll enjoy yourself – and stay safe Meeting up with friends for a beer is the perfect way to relax and have a great time. But there are just a few things that you should remember. Be sensible Drinking too much (either in one sitting or over an extended period of time) can lead to serious health and social problems. These include: • Alcohol poisoning • Accidents, including car accidents • Brain or neurological damage • Risky behaviour • Alcohol dependence • Heart or cardiovascular problems • Poor academic performance •Absenteeism or poor performance at work the next day What can you do if friends start drinking at a party? What can you do if someone offers you alcohol? What can you do if the friend driving you home has been drinking? What can you do if a friend has been drinking and is sick or passes out? Talk through the range of choices available and try to reach agreement on which ones are most in line with your family values. This exercise will help prepare your son or daughter to face peer pressure and to react positively to potentially dangerous situations. Set a good example By drinking responsibly and observing your country’s alcohol laws, you will reinforce important family values for your son or daughter to follow. Visit TalkingAlcohol.com for more information. Pregnancy Drinking and driving is a dangerous combination. Discussion Forum Open conversations about alcohol encourage people to think about their drinking choices. A strong, positive relationship between parents and children is based on open, two-way communication. You can develop a positive relationship by talking with (and listening to!) your children every day about school, friends, interests and dreams. These conversations make it easier to talk about more serious subjects, like not drinking alcohol. Build confidence by role playing Pregnancy Alcohol should be avoided during pregnancy - even in small quantities on’t drink and drive - make other • D arrangements lcohol impairs your judgement, vision • A and reaction time • Drunk driving is illegal • G ender, body fat and the presence of food in your system affects your BAC level • B AC levels can continue to rise even after you have stopped drinking • O nly time will eliminate alcohol from your body Don’t ‘save up’ your drinks over the course of a week and then have them all in one go. Don’t put yourself at risk Alcohol is a depressant – it can affect your reason, judgement and coordination, and slows down your reaction time. This means that if you drink to excess, you’re putting yourself at risk. The results could be relatively minor – perhaps you might not realise that your jokes aren’t going down too well – or it might lead to serious risky behaviour, such as unprotected sex. •Having a beer is a great way to relax with friends •Be careful not to put yourself or others at risk •Remember to think about how you’ll get home Pregnant women should either not drink alcohol, or seek medical advice before they do, as there is currently no consensus on how much alcohol is safe for a pregnant woman to consume before causing risk to a foetus. When a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy, it is carried through her bloodstream, through the placenta and into the foetal blood. in brief • D rinking during pregnancy can affect foetal development • D rinking alcohol can cause FASD, a significant preventable cause of brain damage • M edical science has not established what a safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy might be • H eavy drinking by fathers may contribute to foetal problems • H eavy drinking may be associated with infertility in women over age 30 Social Situations Some situations need you to be at your best – particularly those which involve an element of risk or skill. Alcohol has been a part of social life and celebrations around the world for thousands of years, but it isn’t for everyone, every time or every place. If you’re going to be drinking, plan ahead. Alcohol can affect your reason, judgement and coordination. It slows down your reaction times, accelerates your pulse and dehydrates the body. So don’t put yourself in positions that leave you – or others – at risk. contact us TalkingAlcohol.com is about helping people make informed choices about alcohol. Now available in seven languages: Czech, English, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Russian and Spanish. If you would like to talk to us about our approach to responsible drinking in our local markets, please contact us. SABMiller plc (United Kingdom) Kristin Wolfe Email: [email protected] Africa and Asia Mitch Ramsay Email: [email protected] Europe (other than United Kingdom) Paweł Kwiatkowski Email: [email protected] United States Julian Green Email: [email protected] South Africa Janine van Stolk Email: [email protected] Latin America Juliana Ocampo Email: [email protected] Visit www.TalkingAlcohol.com www.sabmiller.com