In 1997, Americans drank an
average of 2 gallons (7.57 liters) of alcohol per
person. This translates roughly into one six-pack of beer,
two glasses of wine and three or four mixed drinks per week
(see
MMWR:
Apparent Per Capita Ethanol Consumption for details).
About 35 percent of adults don't consume alcohol, so the
numbers are actually higher for those who do -- alcohol is an
amazingly popular social phenomenon.
If you have ever seen a person who has had too much to
drink, you know that alcohol is a drug that has widespread
effects on the body, and the effects vary from person to
person. People who drink might be the "life of the party" or
they might become sad and droopy. Their speech may slur and
they may have trouble walking. It all depends on the amount of
alcohol consumed, a person's history with alcohol and a
person's personality.
Even though you have seen the physical and behavioral
changes, you might wonder exactly how alcohol works on the
body to produce those effects. What is alcohol? How does the
body process it? How does the chemistry of alcohol work on the
chemistry of the brain? In this article, we will examine all
of the ways in which alcohol affects the human body.
Here are some interesting links:
