Alcohol and young people

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Alcohol – You and Your Body

Alcohol is a type of a drug that slows down the central nervous system. Drinking has the potential to make people feel sick, anxious and even aggressive.

There are three main parts of the brain that become affected when drinking alcohol – the extent to which these parts are affected will ultimately depend on how much alcohol you are consuming.

For example:

Cerebrum – controls functions like reasoning, emotions, vision and recognition. After one or two drinks, inhibitions are lowered and judgement may be affected. As more alcohol is drunk, vision and speech may become impaired.

Cerebellum – controls coordination of movements. After a few more drinks balance and reflexes will be affected. People may experience confusion and memory blackouts are a possibility.

Medulla – controls survival functions such as breathing and heartbeat. If so much alcohol has been drank that it reaches the medulla, the brain loses its ability to control breathing and the heart rate drops. This can result in death.

Also, have you ever wondered why people get a hangover after drinking alcohol – it is due to the brain being deprived of water and glucose, which is the brain’s food.

Apart from the physical affects of drinking alcohol, there are other negative consequences associated with alcohol. For example, you can also become more susceptible to dangers, such as risk of injury, verbal or physical abuse and unsafe or unwanted sex.

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