Weird Facts about Alcohol and Our Bodies

We’ve always had a complicated relationship with alcohol. Even centuries before the motor vehicle was even invented, humanity has enjoyed the immediate effects of intoxication while being aware of the need to sober up to avoid more serious risks like addiction or even death.

One of the best ways to avoid a DUI is educate yourself on how the body responds to alcohol in general. You may know, for example, that alcohol can damage the liver. But you may be surprised at just what else it can do. Read on for all the details:

Can Alcohol Be Good for You?

Starting out on a positive note, moderate amounts of alcohol (particularly red wine) might actually be good for you. This is because of a component of red wine called resveratrol, which may do everything from diminish the look of aging skin to helping prevent heart disease.

We should caution that more is not always better in this case — moderation is the key here. But even moderate drinking can raise your blood alcohol level above the legal limit, so avoid driving even if you’ve only had a few drinks.

You Can Literally Have Alcohol Running Through Your Veins

Your liver puts up with an awful lot — filtering toxins and pollutants out of your body. This includes alcohol. Around 20% of the alcohol we drink doesn’t even get processed by the liver. Instead, it passes through the lining of the stomach and intestines to end up directly in the bloodstream. When this happens, you become intoxicated because your liver cannot metabolize the alcohol fast enough.

Chugging is a Bad (And Dangerous) Idea

Carrying on from the point above, when you chug large amounts of alcohol at one time, it overloads your liver and goes right into your bloodstream. Too much alcohol too quickly can even affect how your heart beats or may even cause it to stop. This is in addition to the fact that it muddles your ability to reason and think clearly – and all of these are reasons why you shouldn’t be behind the wheel.

Throwing Up Won’t Make You Sober Up

Vomiting will get rid of alcohol from your stomach, but not your bloodstream. And although vomiting does release chemicals into your body that make you feel better temporarily, the alcohol in your blood is still affecting you.

Alcohol poisoning is another very dangerous and life-threatening condition – of which vomiting is a key symptom. If someone is vomiting after having drank too much, do not leave them unattended. If they pass out and cannot be roused, get them immediate medical attention.

Weight, Gender and Even Ethnicity Affect Your Alcohol Tolerance

You may already know that the less you weigh, the less you can drink, but gender and even ethnicity play a role in intoxication too. While there are exceptions to every rule, ladies generally cannot drink as much alcohol because of key differences in a woman’s body composition. They become susceptible to intoxication much sooner than their male counterparts.

Genetics even comes into play with regard to how much you can drink. Some ethnicities, such as Native Americans, possess fewer of the enzyme that processes alcohol. Asians have the enzyme, but it is often mutated, which causes them to have an adverse reaction to alcohol even if they haven’t drank enough to actually become intoxicated.

Now that you know a bit more about how alcohol may affect you, you can hopefully make better decisions with regard to how much you drink. And although all DUIs are preventable, we understand that these things can happen. Call The Sacramento DUI Specialists today for prompt, effective legal consultation and representation.