{"id":46454,"date":"2015-12-28T07:15:45","date_gmt":"2015-12-28T12:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=46454"},"modified":"2016-07-14T16:04:27","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T20:04:27","slug":"alcohol-effects-drinking-too-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/alcohol-effects-drinking-too-much\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Body on\u2026Booze"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Your
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We\u2019re in the midst of the season to eat, drink and be merry<\/a> and with holiday parties and festive gatherings dotting your calendar, it\u2019s easy to drink more alcohol than usual. After all, celebrating often means champagne toasts and rounds of cocktails<\/a>, wine and beer \u2014\u00a0plus, imbibing a bit sometimes makes those family get-togethers and office parties just a little less awkward.<\/p>\n

But what really<\/em> happens to your body when you throw back a few drinks? We asked our experts to walk us through alcohol\u2019s effect on the average person. (Bear in mind that alcohol impacts everybody differently, based on your body composition, weight, sex, genetics and tolerance among other factors.)<\/p>\n

So without further delay, here\u2019s a breakdown of what happens to your body and brain \u2014 drink by drink.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How Bad Is Booze, Really? 6 Crazy Facts About Drinking Alcohol<\/a><\/p>\n

The First Drink<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For most people, one drink leads to a pleasurable buzz. \u201cIt makes you more likely to talk a lot, tell more jokes and interact with people,\u201d says Dr. George Koob, Ph.D., Director, National institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism<\/a>. That\u2019s because alcohol interacts with certain parts of the brain like the prefrontal cortex (responsible for executive function and decision-making), causing you to drop your guard. (If you\u2019ve ever blabbed a secret after a few too many, you\u2019re probably familiar with this effect!) Research<\/a> has also shown that alcohol increases the release of dopamine in your brain\u2019s reward center, particularly in men.<\/p>\n

“Downed three drinks in three hours? It\u2019ll take six hours for the alcohol to fully leave your system.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But here\u2019s a shocker: Unlike drugs like opioids (think: heroin or Vicodin), which act on only one receptor in the brain, alcohol touches all <\/em>parts of your brain. \u201cAlcohol can affect a whole range of systems and receptors,\u201d says Dr. Richard Saitz, MD, MPH<\/a>, professor of community health sciences and medicine at Boston University and Senior Editor of the Journal of Addiction Medicine<\/a><\/em>. \u201cIt slows down a lot of systems [in the body].\u201d Even one drink can impair things like reaction time, coordination and decision-making says Dr. Saitz. So reconsider driving if you plan to hit the road.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Science Shows You Drink More Alcohol on Gym Days<\/a><\/p>\n

Another Round?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We all know how it goes: One drink at a party often leads to two or three drinks<\/a>\u2026or more. But who\u2019s counting? Your body is. With each drink, alcohol accumulates in the body and its effects become more pronounced. According to Dr. Saitz, alcohol can even prevent the neurons in your brain from sending signals. This leads to an overall slowing of your behavior and reactions. (Which explains your slurred speech and why you can\u2019t think straight.)<\/p>\n

While your liver is busy metabolizing alcohol, your drinks continue to strip you of your social filter and for some, unmask various personality traits. Hello happy drunk\u2026.or angry drunk. As for stumbling over your own feet? That\u2019s due to alcohol\u2019s effect on your cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls muscular coordination. Your constant need to pee isn\u2019t your imagination either. In fact, alcohol is a diuretic. And yes, you can smell alcohol on your breath. As blood circulates through your lungs, some of the alcohol in your bloodstream is released with your exhales.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see some slowed brain waves for about a day while you\u2019re experiencing a hangover.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

By your third drink, tolerance kicks in. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to get the same bang out of that drink as you did with the first drink,\u201d says Dr. Koob. You may start to feel sick too \u2014\u00a0whether you\u2019re experiencing pain due to alcohol irritating your stomach, or full-on nausea and vomiting.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Beer Before Liquor and Other Booze Myths, Busted<\/a><\/p>\n

And ladies, we\u2019ve got bad news: Women get more intoxicated than men after consuming equal amounts of alcohol. \u201cEven at the same body weight as a male, a female will have higher blood alcohol levels,\u201d says Dr. Koob. Since women have less water in their bodies per kilogram of weight compared to men, alcohol moves on to the bloodstream faster. According to Dr. Saitz, women may also have less of one enzyme that breaks down alcohol.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re of Asian descent, you may also be missing a key enzyme \u2014 causing a metabolic reaction to alcohol. \u201cAcetaldehyde [one of the by-products of alcohol when metabolized] accumulates so quickly that they start to flush. They may get a headache, palpitations and nausea,\u201d says Dr. Saitz.<\/p>\n

Regardless, that boozed-up feeling won\u2019t go away anytime fast. According to Dr. Koob, it takes approximately two hours for men and women to metabolize one drink. So, even after you\u2019ve taken your last sip, alcohol lingers in your body until it\u2019s cleared. Downed three drinks in three hours? It\u2019ll take six hours for the alcohol to fully leave your system.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How Bad Is Your Happy Hour? Try This Alcohol Calculator<\/a><\/p>\n

The Alcohol Aftermath<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you were hoping to pass out and get a good night\u2019s sleep<\/a>, sorry to break it to you but alcohol actually disturbs your sleep. \u201cIt affects the stages of sleep,\u201d says Dr. Saitz. \u201cYou don\u2019t get the REM sleep or the same rest you\u2019re supposed to get.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of us are familiar with the pounding head, cottonmouth, nausea and the sweats that can follow a night out. And in fact, your brain actually works slower, too (no, it\u2019s not just your imagination). \u201cYou can see some slowed brain waves for about a day while you\u2019re experiencing a hangover,\u201d says Dr. Saitz.<\/p>\n

The main culprit of your hangover: Loss of water and fluids<\/a>. The other reason: The yucky by-products of your body\u2019s attempt to break down alcohol. \u201cDuring the time [those by-products] are in your system, it can make you feel pretty lousy,\u201d says Dr. Saitz.<\/p>\n

When it comes to boozing, remember that moderation is your best friend. Even one binge-drinking episode, defined as roughly four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men in two hours, can harm your health. And never mix alcohol with prescription drugs, especially those with a sedative component. It can lead to dangerous side effects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ever wonder why you get so chatty when one cocktail turns to two or three or four (or why you have to pee so often)? This is what happens to your body and brain when drinking alcohol. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7],"tags":[28,31,189,345,386],"class_list":["post-46454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","tag-alcohol","tag-beverages","tag-holiday","tag-tax1conditions","tag-tax2first-aid"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46454\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}