From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

Increasingly, many people are becoming more friendly with alcohol, and the consumption has also continued to rise. Some people consume alcohol in a “raw” form, while some choose to enjoy theirs in a processed form.

Nevertheless, it is very possible to find many people these days who consume alcohol but have little or no knowledge of its effect on their body.

During the Yuletide, which often comes with merriments, alcohol is used in virtually every social or cultural event, thus exposing younger people to alcohol consumption long before the right time.

It is often written boldly on the containers of different alcoholic drinks that the content therein is for people that are 18 years and above. But these days, people who are below the age of 18 years consume alcohol with reckless abandon, contrary to the warnings of the brewery or the distillers.

Here are some of the basic things to know about alcohol and its workings in human body. Some of the information below was culled from reports of different health researches by health experts. So, before you consume alcohol, you should be able to know the following:

HOW IS ALCOHOL PROCESSED IN THE BODY?

Alcohol passes through the digestive system. It does not undergo extensive digestion within the digestive tract in the same manner of food. When it enters the upper gastrointestinal tract, a significant portion is absorbed straight into the bloodstream through the tissue lining of the stomach and small intestines. Once in the bloodstream, it is carried throughout the body and travels to the brain.

The absorption mechanism may be slightly slowed when there is food in the stomach. Food can absorb alcohol, inhibit it from coming into contact with the stomach lining, or slow its transit from the stomach into the duodenum, which is the first portion of the small intestine. Where otherwise is the case, alcohol is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL TO KICK IN?

A healthy person will generally experience the effects of alcohol within 15 to 45 minutes. Most men with minimal to no tolerance will begin to exhibit some characteristics of intoxication when their blood alcohol level (BAC) reaches 0.05 per cent, and their ability to drive will be significantly impaired at 0.07 per cent. At 0.10 per cent, they will be clearly intoxicated.

Similarly, a woman who weighs 150 pounds will reach a BAC of 0.1 per cent (intoxication) if she consumes about four alcohol drinks in an hour.

HOW LONG DOES ALCOHOL STAY IN THE BODY SYSTEM?

Alcohol is predominantly broken down by the liver, which can process roughly one standard alcoholic drink per hour for men. Nonetheless, factors such as age, weight, gender, and quantity of food can affect how fast the body can process alcohol. It’s important to note that the rate of alcohol absorption cannot be increased by sleeping or drinking water.

Also, alcohol can stay in the body system from six to 72 hours in most cases, depending on the detection test used. Alcohol detection tests can measure alcohol in the blood for up to six hours, on the breath for 12 to 24 hours, urine for 12 to 24 hours (72 or more hours with more advanced detection methods), saliva for 12 to 24 hours, and hair for up to 90 days. The half-life of alcohol is between four and five hours.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ARE DRUNK?

The higher your BAC, the more likely you display signs of intoxication, which may include lowered inhibitions, slurred speech, impaired coordination, confusion, trouble remembering things, difficulty concentrating and breathing problems (e.g. decreased respiratory effort, respiratory depression), among several others.

People who are drunk are also more at risk for motor accidents, risky behaviours such as unprotected sex, violence, suicide and homicide.

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HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET A DRINK OUT OF BODY SYSTEM?

Alcohol is predominantly broken down in the liver through the actions of an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase. On average, the liver can process one standard drink per hour for men, or about 0.015g/100mL/hour (i.e., a reduction of blood alcohol level, or BAC, by 0.015 per hour). In addition to liver processing, about 10 per cent of alcohol is eliminated through sweat, breath and urine.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE ALCOHOL BREAK DOWN

There are several factors that could influence how fast alcohol is broken down in the body system and they include, age, weight, gender, metabolism, how much food the person ate, type and strength of the alcohol and, in some cases, whether the person has taken any medications.

DOES DRINKING WATER OR COFFEE HELP TO SOBER UP?

The breakdown and elimination of alcohol cannot be sped up by drinking water or sleeping, and neither coffee nor a shower will sober you up faster. They might make you more alert but they will not eliminate alcohol from your bloodstream. As long as your rate of consumption is greater than your rate of elimination, your BAC will continue to rise.

WHEN IS ALCOHOL NO LONGER DETECTED ON A TEST?

The amount of time alcohol can be detected in your system depends on the type of test used. Blood is up to six hours, breathalyzer is 12 to 24 hours, saliva too is 12 to 24 hours, urine is also 12 to 24 hours for older methods of testing; 72 hours or longer for newer methods that test for ethanol metabolites such as ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate.

Since alcohol is metabolized fairly quickly, most clinicians rely on observations of alcohol use such as slurred speech or the smell of alcohol or a breathalyzer test to confirm intoxication or recent drinking.

HOW MUCH ALCOHOL CAN KILL A PERSON?

Alcohol overdose, or alcohol poisoning, can have serious negative effects on a human. You can overdose when there is a high enough amount of alcohol in your system to cause life-supporting functions such as breathing or heart rate to dangerously slow or shut down.

As your BAC rises, you may begin to feel more negative effects of intoxication and your risk of overdose increases. For instance, 06% – 0.15% BAC could result in speech, memory, attention, coordination, balance moderately impaired; driving ability significantly impaired.

16% – 0.30% BAC could result in significant impairments in speech, memory, attention, balance, reaction time, and coordination; driving ability dangerously impaired; judgment and decision-making impaired; risk of blackouts; vomiting; loss of consciousness, while 31% – 0.45% BAC could lead to risk of life-threatening overdose and risk of death from suppression of breathing, heart rate, and body temperature.

RISKS OF ALCOHOL ABUSE

Alcohol-related deaths are the third-leading cause of preventable death in some countries of the world, with thousands of people dying each year from liver failure, overdose, drunk driving, and other related accidents.

As alcohol use continues to be a widespread and potentially deadly national public health crisis, it is important to know that help is only a phone call away. If you or someone you know is abusing alcohol or has an addiction to alcohol, please, seek help from relevant people as quickly as possible.

Knowing more about how alcohol is metabolized and keeping track of your likely blood alcohol levels can help you prevent unintended over-intoxication and accidental death from alcohol poisoning.

Also, understanding the dangers of alcohol can also help avoid a cycle of growing tolerance, physical dependence and, ultimately, a compulsive pattern of problematic alcohol use that culminates in addiction development.