Acute Alcoholism
Alcohol consumption, especially during periods of binge drinking, has significant short-term physical effects on teens and adults. The acute effects of alcohol include interference with digestion in the small intestine that may cause diarrhea. Other symptoms of acute alcoholism include the conglomeration of unpleasant symptoms that comprise a hangover: headaches, nausea, dry mouth and dizziness. Hangovers are actually forms of alcohol withdrawal caused by, among other things, a water imbalance in the body. The body organ most affected by alcohol is the brain. Alcohol is a depressant that suppresses the product of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. This works to slow down the functions of the brain and the nervous system. Among it noted effects are “blackouts” or loss of memory, as well as decreased mental sharpness or judgment. The changes alcohol enacts on the brain can be greatly multiplied if consumption is combined with medicines or other drugs. As a drinker’s blood alcohol level increases, so does alcohol’s effects, as detailed below. Blood Alcohol Level Impact:
Although death by alcohol poisoning is relatively rare, acute alcoholism’s impairment of the brain and its functions can lead to many problems ranging from trivial to fatal. This information is an excerpt from the book, Alcohol, (pages 12-14) edited by William Dudley, published in 2001 by Greenhaven Press, Inc., San Diego, California. Related Information
Alcoholism Signs and SymptomsDriving While Intoxicated Facts about Teenage Drinking More than acute alcoholism on our alcoholism disease page
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