“My addiction built steadily and, before I realized it, I had become a morning as well as an afternoon drinker."
"I decided to stop drinking. I lay awake most of that night, and by noon the next day every bone in my body ached. In a blind panic, I nervously poured a glass full of gin, my hands shaking so violently that I spilled half the bottle. As I gulped it down, I could feel the agony gradually lessening. Then I finally knew the terrible truth: I was hooked. I couldn’t quit.” —Faye
What Is Alcohol?
Alcohol is a chemical substance used to make beverages such as wine and beer. It is classified as a psychoactive drug and more specifically, a depressant. Psychoactive drugs impair brain function, leading to alterations in the behavior, judgement, and feelings of an individual. Depressants slow down mental activity in the central nervous system, the area of the body consisting of the brain and spinal cord.
ABV (alcohol by volume; what percent of the drink consists of ethanol) across different alcoholic beverages.
Photo by drinkiq
What Is Ethanol?
Ethanol, the main component of alcohol, is a colorless liquid that is quickly absorbed from the digestion tract following consumption. Ethanol for consumption differs from ethanol used industrially, for instance in gas, since ethanol for consumption (in alcohol) is produced through fermenting sugars with yeast while industrial ethanol is produces through the hydration of ethylene. Hydration of ethylene is a process that involves reacting ethylene, a naturally found gas, with water; ethanol is produced as a result.
Effects
Overconsumption of alcohol can cause decelerate breathing and heartrate. Other short term effects include slurred speech, drowsiness, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, impaired vision, unconsciousness, blackouts, and more found here. In the long term, alcohol can severely detriment your health and body, as illustrated in the diagram below.
Why Alcohol is Addicting
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism describes alcohol addiction as a “chronic relapsing disorder associated with compulsive alcohol drinking, the loss of control over intake, and the emergence of a negative emotional state when alcohol is no longer available.” When the ability to exercise self-control over alcohol intake is lost, an alcohol use disorder or AUD can form. The image below summarizes how an alcohol addiction gradually forms.
Alcohol addiction begins with a rewarding experience. When an individual first consumes alcohol, a part of their brain known as the basal ganglia is triggered, yielding effects such as reduced anxiety and euphoria. The basal ganglia are a clump of densely compiled neuron masses that are found near the cerebral base and communicate with other parts of the brain such as the cerebrum and thalamus, which control emotion and judgement. As drinking becomes more frequent, the basal ganglia form a mentality in the brain that alters the way a person reacts to alcohol-related stimuli. For example, the sight of glassware or an advertisement for alcohol that were uninfluential before could cause a current habitual drinker to crack open a beer.
Following this elastic and energetic peak comes a phase of deficit and withdrawal. A person who frequently consumes more than the recommended daily alcohol limit trains their basal ganglia, or reward system to expect alcohol multiple times a day. If left unfulfilled, an individual will struggle more to enjoy everyday life without alcohol, because they won’t be receiving nearly enough rewarding stimulation in their basal ganglia as a can of beer provides. Reduced arousal of the basal ganglia also leads to more activity within the extended amygdala, a section of the brain responsible for producing stress, resulting in the prevalence of negative feelings such as distress and anxiety. Once a drinker has reached the withdrawal stage, they begin to consume alcohol purely for the sake of deterring depressing feelings, rather than for provoking positive ones.
They also develop a constant or near-constant urge to consume more alcohol. This type of continuous anticipation weakens an individual’s prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain responsible for decision-making and other executive functions, because when a substance is involved an addict is more prone to making impulsive decisions that yield short-term benefits, rather than thinking logically and keeping the future in mind.
How does Alcohol Abuse Damage the Brain?
Alcohol abuse can cause structural and functional damage within the brain. Commonly, people suffering from an alcohol addiction (80%) will have insufficient levels of vitamin B1 (which provides nutrients to the brain); this is because alcohol inhibits vitamin B1 absorption within the digestive system.
A lack of vitamin B1 can develop into more dangerous brain disorders. For instance, The Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a disease that consists of a short-term condition known as Wernicke’s encephalopathy and a long-term condition known as Korsakoff’s psychosis, is closely associated with alcohol use disorder.
Individuals with Wernicke’s encephalopathy have trouble with muscle coordination, experience paralysis in optic nerves, and face confusion often. On the outside, this can appear as having trouble walking or being forgetful. In most cases, only one or two symptoms of this disease will appear, rather than all three. Eighty to ninety percent of people with an alcohol use disorder and Wernicke’s encephalopathy will also develop Korsakoff’s psychosis, which causes issues in learning and memory.
The reason why alcohol use disorders are closely connected with memory issues is because chronic alcohol use and vitamin B1 shortage most severly damages the cerebellum (see image below), a region in the brain responsible for movement coordination, judgment, and learning.
Photo by Cleveland Clinic
Why Adolescents Face the Biggest Risk
When it comes to alcohol, and drugs in general, adolescents are at a greater risk of harm than adults. The majority of an individual’s development, both physical and mental, occurs during the adolescent years. Unfortunately, a combination of both their underdeveloped decision-making skills and peer pressure can lead teens to try alcohol. If drinking becomes a habit early on, an individual has a higher chance of developing an alcohol use disorder later on in life compared to if they started drinking after 21.
Cases of Alcohol Overdose Among Adolescents
Takeimi Rao – Death by Alcohol Poisoning
The vodka consumed by Rao likely consisted of 40-50% ethanol, as compared to 2%-6% in beer. It overloaded Rao’s digestive system, preventing her liver from ridding her body of alcoholic toxins, which allowed them to enter her bloodstream. As a result, the amount of alcohol in her blood increased, which caused her brain activity to slow down and eventually terminate, leading to a fatal blackout.
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Disclaimer: This information is intended for educational use only, and should not be construed as professional advice.