Affect of Alcohol on Men & Women

Many of us don’t realize the effect that alcohol has on our bodies. If you consume alcohol, it’s good to know what the limits we should follow and how alcohol affects our bodies. There are many sites where you can get this information and we have included links to some of them. 

One thing to keep in mind is that alcohol affects men and women differently and age also affects how our bodies react to alcohol. Women are affected more rapidly due to higher body fat and less gastric (stomach) enzymes than men. Therefore, when women of average size consume one drink, it will have almost the same effect as two drinks do for the average-size man. Eating little or skipping food will compound the effects of drinking alcohol, for both men and women.

There are many things both men and women can do to avoid problems with alcohol.  For example:

Don’t get disheartened if you enjoy drinking alcohol though. Alcohol has been found to not be fattening and research has demonstrated that for many women, drinking (responsibly) can lead to weight loss.

Alcohol and the Human Brain

Okay, you’ve probably been there or at least know someone who has. Been where you ask? Drunk, yes, that stumbling and slurring stage of inebriation where your balance, coordination and judgement are negatively affected. That point where we all know we shouldn’t drive but sometimes lie to ourselves by telling ourselves that we can. Enough about that, let’s get down to why that happens because the more you know about alcohol, the more responsibly you can make decisions about drinking. 

Alcohol affects our bodies and more specifically, our brains and nervous systems. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that send the signals that control behaviour, emotion and thought process. Alcohol alters the levels of neurotransmitters in your nervous system. There are two types of neurotransmitters, excitatory or inhibitory. Excitatory means that they increase brain electrical activity and inhibitory means that they decrease brain electrical activity. There’s a lot that goes on that would take us into biology but there are a couple things worth mentioning.  Alcohol increases the effects of a specific inhibitory transmitter which causes the stumbling and slurring.  It also inhibits an excitatory neurotransmitter that also slows you down.  Alcohol also increases dopamine production which is why you feel good when you’ve had a couple.

Okay, so that was the nervous system, now let’s talk about the brain (that mushy thing between your ears). There are primarily four regions of the brain that alcohol affects differently, the cerebral cortex, the cerebellum, the hypothalamus and pituitary, and the medulla. 

In the cerebral cortex, where consciousness and thought process are mainly, behavioural inhibitory centres are depressed by alcohol. This slows down information processing from all your senses and makes you feel uninhibited. It also makes it difficult to think clearly.

Movement and balance are affected in the cerebellum which is what causes the stumbling.

Sex. That got your attention. Well, it’s the hypothalamus and the pituitary that control your sexual arousal and performance. They do that by releasing certain hormones. You know what happens when you’ve had a little too much.

The human body is amazing. Think about those things your body does without you even thinking about them. It’s the medulla that controls those things. It also is where your consciousness is (that little voice in your head). The symptom of the medulla being affected by alcohol is sleepiness. It also slows breathing and lowers body temperature.

So now you know a little bit more about what alcohol does to your body. It’s now up to you to take this information and impress your friends after a couple drinks.

Cheers and please drink responsibly.