Effects of Alcohol
It is well known that alcohol impairs your learning and memory. It also interferes with your ability to form new memories. Drinking large amounts, especially in a short period of time, can cause partial or complete blackouts – the inability to remember events that took place while a person was drinking. Drinking affects your coordination, balance, concentration, reflexes, vision, reason, and judgment. It can also cause slurred speech, dizziness, and vomiting.
Alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream, where it is carried to the rest of your body. Some of the parts of your body it affects are:
- Liver – The liver filters blood, but can only metabolize alcohol at a limited rate. Excess alcohol invades the liver cells and this can lead to diseases such as cirrhosis and cancer.
- Stomach – Alcohol can make you sick to your stomach and can cause ulcers and other problems in long-term drinkers.
- Heart – Alcohol can overwork your heart. This can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.
- Brain – Alcohol kills your brain cells. It depresses your central nervous system. This means it impairs your coordination, balance, concentration, reflexes, vision, reason, and judgment.
Additional Effects of Alcohol
Biological Impacts of Alcohol Use: An Overview
The stimulating effects you get from alcohol are not caused by feelings of joy. They're caused by a slowing of your brain functions. Alcohol abuse leads to liver and heart problems, stomach ulcers, and blood conditions.
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Alcohol’s Effects on Adolescents
With the adolescent body changing so rapidly, it’s easier for alcohol to cause problems. Early use of alcohol can lead to alcohol dependence later in life. It can also lead to extended memory loss by actually shrinking parts of the brain. And, even though many kids think they’re drinking to alleviate stress, depression or anxiety, alcohol actually increases those problems. This research looks at the many consequences that result from alcohol use by minors.
