Alcohol is said to be a gift from the gods. Gifts of this nature can be both a blessing and a curse. Like fire before it, alcohol can warm you and it can burn you, with only a couple degrees of separation. Alcohol has the ability to make us lose our inhibitions and feel invincible while we are under its spell. It also has the ability to make us lose our lunch and feel immovable when we are under its heel. From euphoria to nausea, alcohol can be both friend and foe, poison and elixir.
Even with the threat of the physical and mental impairment that occurs with the consumption of alcoholic beverages, people by the millions continue to consume alcohol at an elevated rate –especially during the Holidays.
The only real way to avoid impairment is abstinence, but it can be made more manageable through moderate consumption. In order to maintain moderate consumption, it’s important to remember the many different factors which determine how drinking will affect you:
- Body weight/body type - In general, the less you weigh the more you will be affected. However, for people of the same weight, a well muscled individual will be less affected than someone with a higher percentage of body fat. Individual metabolism rates also come into play.
- Fatigue/lack of sleep - If you are tired, the effect of alcohol will be greater than if you are well rested.
- Food (or lack of) - The less you have in your stomach, the more you will be affected. The alcohol absorption rate can be speeded up or slowed down, based on the amount of food within one's stomach at the time of consumption (as much as 20 percent of consumed alcohol is absorbed through the stomach, the rest through the intestines. High protein and fatty foods eaten prior to drinking are effective in slowing alcohol absorption in the stomach).
- Medication / Illness - If you are taking medication, or even sick and not on medication, it could increase the effect of alcohol.
- Bad mood - foul moods or depression can actually increase alcohol's effect.
Also be aware of these important factors:
- Alcohol content - It's not how many drinks you have, it's how much alcohol you consume. Obviously, some drinks are more potent than others.
- Drinking time - The longer you take to consume each drink, and the longer you wait between drinks, the less effect they will because this gives your body more time to metabolize the alcohol.
- Carbonation - It is a fact that carbonation increases the assimilation of alcohol into the bloodstream; a particularly important point for those who consume beer, cider, sparkling wine or other carbonated beverages.
Note: Alcohol is metabolized out of the human bloodstream at a rate of 20 to 30 milligrams of alcohol per deciliter of blood, per hour. The simple translation is for every drink you ingest, it takes approximately one hour to completely rid your body of the alcohol.
Special note to women: While this may sound chauvinistic, gender may be a factor in alcohol metabolism. Alcohol absorption study findings suggest that women may metabolize alcohol less efficiently than men, a difference that leads to higher blood alcohol concentrations in women over a shorter period of time.
Marty Nachel - Marty Nachel is a freelance writer, a published author, a certified beer judge and an award-winning homebrewer. His book titles include ...
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