Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that affects nearly every organ and system in the body. When consumed, alcohol is absorbed rapidly from the stomach and small intestine into the bloodstream, where it circulates throughout the body and crosses the blood-brain barrier. Its effects include slowing down brain function, impairing motor coordination, reaction time, and intellectual performance, and depressing vital functions such as respiration at high doses, potentially leading to coma or death. The metabolism of alcohol mainly occurs in the liver, where enzymes break it down into less harmful substances. However, this process happens at a fixed rate, typically about one standard drink per hour, so excessive intake causes alcohol to accumulate in the blood, intensifying its effects and risks like vomiting, loss of consciousness, and acute poisoning. Alcohol also irritates the digestive system and can cause long-term damage to the liver, brain, heart, pancreas, and immune system, among others, contributing to diseases such as liver cirrhosis, cardiovascular problems, brain damage, and cancer. Women and individuals with less body water or higher body fat tend to have higher blood alcohol concentrations from the same amount of alcohol due to physiological differences. In summary, alcohol acts as a depressant that affects the brain, heart, digestive tract, liver, and many other parts of the body both immediately and over time, with the severity of effects depending on the amount consumed and individual metabolic factors.
