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Alcohol and Health
Important facts & figures
Alcohol
Ethyl alcohol or ethanol
 An intoxicating by-product of
fermentation, which uses yeast to
change the sugars in food into alcohol
(grains, fruits…)
 Alcohol content is expressed as a
percentage of volume or weight
 Central nervous system depressant

Proof
The value is twice the percentage of
alcohol in the solution
 The percentage is how much alcohol
is in water
 Pure alcohol is 200 proof or 100%
alcohol
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What’s a drink?
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Shot -1.5 oz
40% alcohol
80 proof
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Wine - 5 oz
11% alcohol
22 proof
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Beer or wine cooler -12 oz
4% alcohol
8 proof
*Malt liquor – looks and tastes like beer, contains 50%
more ethanol
What’s a drink?

Popular beverages measured by the
number of drinks in each serving
Drink
1 Solo beer
1 Solo wine
12 oz beer
Cosmopolitan
L I Ice Tea
Rum & Coke
Shots
3
5
2
#of drinks
1.5
3.5
1
3
5
2
Alcohol & Your Body

Mouth and Esophagus
Is an irritant to the delicate linings of
the throat and food pipe
 It burns as it goes down
 Cancer
 Dulls the taste and smell, reduces
desire to eat

Alcohol & Your Body
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Stomach & Intestines
Approximately 20-25% of the alcohol
goes through the walls of the stomach
directly into the bloodstream
 The remainder goes into the small
intestine, where it passes through the
intestinal walls and into the
bloodstream
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Alcohol & Your Body

Stomach & Intestines
Critical factor on the rate of absorption
into the bloodstream is dependent on
the emptying time of the stomach (ie
food present)
 Causes irritation to the lining of the
stomach, resulting in ulcers
 Blocks absorption of the key vitamins
in the small intestine

Alcohol & Your Body

Heart
Affected by the lack of vitamins
 Pumping action of heart is weakened
 Heart failure can result from long time
use
 Causes inflammation of the heart
muscle

Alcohol & Your Body

Liver

95% of alcohol is broken down in the liver

Breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde by the
enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, and then into acetic
acid by the enzyme acetaldehyde dehyrdogenase.

Next, the acetate is converted into fats or carbon
dioxide and water. The fats are mostly deposited
locally which leads to the characteristic “beer belly".

Prefers fatty acids as its fuel – but when alcohol is
around, the liver is forced to use it instead
Alcohol & Your Body

Liver
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Inflames the cells of the liver, causing them
to swell and blocking the tiny canal to the
small intestine.
Fatty acids build up as plaques around liver
cells and those cells begin to die, leading to
Cirrhosis
If damaged then certain toxins build up,
leading to Jaundice
Alcoholism is the main reason for cirrhosis of
liver
Alcohol & Your Body

Brain
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Ethanol is quickly absorbed into the
bloodstream and reaches the brain
As a small molecule, it is able to cross the
blood-brain barrier
Depresses many functions of the brain and
nervous system, such as
• Coordination, orientation, alertness, breathing,
processing of information and making decisions
Alcohol & Your Body

Brain
Reduces the amount of brain tissue
and increases the size of the
ventricles
 Can kill brain cells which never return
 Deprives the brain of vitamins and
other food substances
 Deficiencies of Thiamine can lead to
serious mental disturbance

Alcohol & Your Body

Bladder & Kidneys
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Inflames the lining of the bladder, making it
unable to stretch properly
Causes increased loss of fluids because it is
irritating – causes dehydration
Depresses the antidiuretic hormone which
causes the kidneys to reabsorb water –
causes the loss of water
Leads to vitamin deficiencies
Alcohol & Your Body

Reproductive System

Sexual functioning can be impaired and deteriorate
• Male prostate gland may swell which inhibits
performance
• Inhibits ability to climax during intercourse for men and
women
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Can result in impotence and infertility (long term)
Higher risk of breast cancer for women
Irregular periods for women may develop
Birth control pill may speed up absorption rate of
alcohol
Alcohol & Your Body

Immune System
Lowers the effectiveness of the
immune system
 Increased risk of developing
viruses/flu

Factors that Influence

Determines how the alcohol will make
you feel
Alcohol content – It is not how many
drinks you have – it is the alcohol
content that is important
 Body weight – generally, the less you
weigh, the more affected you will be
by the alcohol

Factors that Influence
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Age
Gender
Amount of food eaten
Other drugs or medicines taken
Fatigue – stronger effect of alcohol when
tired
Emotional state – mood can make a
difference in how you react – does not alter
BAC
Drinking time
Factors that Influence
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Men
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Higher muscle mass
Higher alcohol
enzyme
More water
Breakdown alcohol at
a faster pace than
women
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Women
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Higher fat content
Less alcohol enzyme
Less water
Breakdown alcohol at
a slower pace than
men
Menstruation
Birth control pills
Tolerance

Your body’s way of adapting to alcohol use
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Humans develop tolerance when their brain
functions adapt to compensate for the
disruption caused by alcohol in both their
behavior and their bodily functions

The person drinks more to get the high –
can lead to problems and addiction
Effects – In low doses
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A relaxing effect
Reduces tension
Lowers inhibitions
Impairs
concentration
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Slows reflexes
Impairs reaction
time
Reduces
coordination
Effects – In medium does
Slurred speech
 Drowsiness
 Altered emotions
 Loss of coordination

Effects – In high doses
Vomiting
 Breathing difficulties
 Unconsciousness
 Coma

BAC

Blood Alcohol Concentration
The amount of alcohol in the
bloodstream
 Measured in percentages
 Example: Having a BAC of 0.10
percent means that a person has 10
drops of alcohol per 100 drops of
blood in they body
 10% of the blood content is alcohol

BAC
With each sip of alcohol, your BAC
rises
 BAC refers to your body’s ability to
process the alcohol in your
bloodstream regardless of how you
feel
 Your BAC can pass the legal limit
before you feel it

BAC
No two people will react to the same
drink in the same way
 There are many factors that determine
how alcohol will make you feel
 Remember that BAC is a constant
and CANNOT be changed once the
alcohol goes into the body
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BAC
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How to calculate your BAC
BAC = (150/body weight) (%ethanol/50) (ounces consumed) (0.025)
Example: 175 lb man who drinks four 12 oz cans of beer
(150/175) (4/50) (48) (0.025)
= .86 x .08 x 48 x .025 = .08% BAC
BAC
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Remember…
BAC continues to rise 30-90 minutes
after the drinking has stopped
 Alcohol leaves the body approximately
one drink per hour
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Determining BAC using a
Breathalyzer
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How is it possible to determine the level of alcohol
concentration in the blood by using a person's breath?
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Unlike milk or fruit juice, the body does not digest alcohol.
Rather, it is absorbed through the membranes in a person's
mouth, throat, stomach, and intestines.
Once absorbed by the body, the alcohol passes
immediately into the bloodstream, where it circulates until it
is expelled through evaporation in the lungs.
Evaporation occurs because alcohol is "volatile" in a
solution, meaning that its molecules do not combine with
the liquid that it mixes with.
Due to this volatility, as the blood passes through the lungs,
some of the alcohol passes over the alveoli (the lungs' air
sacs), allowing it to be released by the person's breath.
Determining BAC using a
Breathalyzer
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The expulsion of the evaporated alcohol through the
breath permits the BAC to be accurately measured,
since the percent alcohol being expelled contains the
same level of alcohol that is contained in the blood.
The amount of alcohol in 2,100 ml of expelled breath
is exactly equivalent to the amount of alcohol in 1 ml
of blood.
With these equivalent measures in mind, it is possible
to attain an accurate measure of the driver's
intoxication, based on the figures set for legal limits.
• http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/breathalyzerp
ol_sext.htm
The morning after the night
before…

Hangover

A lot of theories about why they occur
• Accumulation of acetaldehyde
• Dehydration
• Depletion of important enzyme systems
needed to maintain routine functioning
• Metabolism of different types of alcohol
beverages
• Congeners – natural by-products of
fermentation
How do you sober up?

Take a couple minutes to think of
ways you’ve heard to sober up
quickly…
What you need

Rest and time!
The Problem
Binge Drinking
Binge Drinking
Greater than 4 drinks “in a sitting” for
women
 Greater than 5 drinks “in a sitting” for
men

Alcohol Poisoning
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Main signs
Low respirations (less than 8 breaths
per minute)
 Unarousable
 Slurred speech
 Passed out
 Vomiting
 Cold, sweaty, and/or bluish skin/nails
(late sign)
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What to do
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Call for help! Never leave them alone!
Public safety, VEMS, Residence Life,
911 (depends on location)
 Place person on their side
 Do not feed or give water (or coffee)
or medications
 Do not walk them around
 Never let someone “sleep it off”
without monitoring them
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