Drink Responsibly (episode one)

During this festive season, a lot of us in the course of our celebration, consume a lot of alcoholic drinks with our friends and loved ones at homes and in beer parlors. It is advisable that  you take into consideration the effects of alcohol in our bodies.
In this episode, we shall be looking at the following;

Alcohol and your body

Let's look at the steps our body takes to process alcohol.

• After we take a sip of alcohol, it passes from our stomachs into our small intestine, where it starts getting quickly absorbed into the blood stream. It travels through the body's fluids and affects every cells except fat cells.
   
• It takes about five minutes from the time of consumption before the effect of a drink can be felt.
   
• Alcohol stimulates the brain cells and also the adrenal glands, bringing that "feel-good" factor. It can lead to a feeling of increased relaxation, which can make us feel friendlier and more open. However, remember that:
  Chemically, alcohol is a depressant, which means it slows the nervous system down.
   
• It also affects the speed at which you process information and, depending on how much you drink, can also affect your judgment.
   
• The amount of alcohol in the bloodstream is measured in terms of the "Blood Alcohol Concentration" or "Blood Alcohol Content" (BAC), defined as the percentage of alcohol (ethanol) in the blood.
• BAC can be determined by testing a persons urine, breath or blood.
   
• The definition of intoxication as a function of BAC varies among countries.

By Excel Manager, DrinkiQ Ambassador