Alcohol consumption is common in many cultures, often associated with feelings of relaxation and enjoyment. The experience of being drunk is complex, encompassing effects from pleasant euphoria to undesirable physical and mental states. Understanding these effects requires examining how alcohol interacts with the body’s systems.
The Neurochemistry of Alcohol’s Initial Effects
When alcohol enters the bloodstream, it rapidly reaches the brain, causing neurochemical changes that contribute to initial pleasant sensations. A primary effect involves the brain’s reward centers, where alcohol triggers an increase in dopamine levels. This surge in dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and motivation, contributes to feelings of euphoria and well-being.
Alcohol also impacts gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter. By enhancing GABA’s activity, alcohol promotes a sense of calm and reduces anxiety. This leads to muscle relaxation and sedation, contributing to pleasant sensations. These effects typically occur at lower blood alcohol concentrations (BACs), where individuals may feel relaxed, more talkative, and confident.
The Shift to Negative Sensations
As alcohol consumption continues and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) rises, initial pleasant feelings give way to negative sensations. Alcohol, a depressant of the central nervous system, increasingly impairs brain function with higher doses. This leads to a decline in cognitive and motor abilities.
Impaired motor skills, such as unsteadiness and loss of coordination, become evident, alongside slurred speech and blurred vision. Cognitive functions like judgment and decision-making are compromised, often resulting in confusion and memory problems. Increased alcohol intake can also cause nausea, dizziness, and vomiting, as the body struggles to process the substance.
Factors Influencing the Drunken Experience
The experience of drunkenness is individualized, shaped by personal factors. Body weight plays a role, as a larger body provides more space for alcohol to diffuse, leading to a lower BAC for a given amount consumed. Gender also influences alcohol’s effects, with women generally experiencing intoxication more quickly due to differences in body composition and lower levels of alcohol-metabolizing enzymes.
Metabolism, particularly the efficiency of enzymes like alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH1B) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2), affects how quickly alcohol is broken down, impacting tolerance levels. Genetic predispositions can influence sensitivity to alcohol, with certain gene variants leading to faster alcohol breakdown and potentially reducing the likelihood of heavy drinking. Other factors can also modify how an individual perceives and reacts to alcohol:
- Food intake
- Hydration levels
- Mood
- Expectations
- Social setting
Beyond the Moment: Short-Term Consequences
The immediate aftermath of being drunk extends beyond intoxication, involving unpleasant short-term consequences. Hangovers are common, characterized by symptoms such as headache, fatigue, and thirst. These symptoms arise from factors like dehydration, alcohol’s inflammatory effects, gastrointestinal irritation, and disrupted sleep patterns.
Impaired judgment and reduced coordination persist even as BAC declines, increasing the risk of accidents and risky behaviors. Memory blackouts are a short-term consequence, where an individual cannot recall events that transpired while intoxicated. Blackouts can be fragmentary, with some memories lost, or en bloc, resulting in a complete inability to remember entire events, due to alcohol’s disruption of long-term potentiation in the hippocampus, a brain region crucial for memory formation.