Some people think that they can predict how alcohol will affect them, however, there are factors that change the way alcohol effects a person on different occasions. Medications, fatigue, food, and weight can all affect how the body handles alcohol.
Sometimes people drink alcohol purposefully, seeking its relaxing or mood enhancing effects. People experience these mood changes because of the way alcohol affects the brain. Alcohol rapidly affects the central nervous system (CNS), which controls several vital body functions and organs.
Once a person has consumed enough alcohol, it begins to interfere with the CNS's ability to analyze sensory information, resulting in the symptoms of being drunk, including:
- Dizziness
- Poor balance and coordination
- Loss of judgment
- Blurred vision
- Slurred speech
- Dulled sensation of pain
- Inability to judge distances and heights
Most people are familiar with how alcohol makes them lose their inhibitions, this is because alcohol affects the frontal cortex region of the brain, which interferes with a person's conscious thought processes.
Since alcohol is a natural diuretic, the kidneys send fluids straight to the bladder, causing excessive urination and dehydration. Dehydration is the reason why people experience the nasty symptoms of a hangover, which usually include dizziness and a migraine.
What affects intoxication?
There are a lot of factors that affect intoxication. If you are going to drink, be sure to eat before drinking, especially high protein foods. If there is food in your stomach, it will help slow down the processing of alcohol.
Other factors that affect intoxication include the strength of the drink, your body weight (the less you weigh, the more you'll be affected), any medications that you are on, and of course, the rate of consumption.
If you're a regular drinker, you may display what is known as "functional tolerance," but keep in mind that although your body is not as sensitive to alcohol as some people, it has nothing to do with blood alcohol concentration (BAC). The fact that a person can "handle their alcohol" has no effect on actual BAC.