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Alcohol - how it affects youPublished by Bupa's health information team, healthinfo@bupa.com, April 2008 When it's absorbed into your bloodstream, alcohol affects you in many different ways. Here's a step-by-step guide to how it happens and how much it's really safe to drink. What is alcohol?Alcohol is a drug that acts on your nervous system. It slows down the speed with which your nerves send messages to each other. This leads to a pleasant state of relaxation that can give way to slurred speech and a lack of co-ordination if you drink too much. Alcohol also affects the part of your brain that is responsible for self-control, which is why most of us feel more sociable and less inhibited after a couple of drinks. How is alcohol measured?Alcohol is measured in units. One unit is 8g, or about 10ml, of pure alcohol - no matter how diluted it is. One unit is the equivalent of a small (25ml) measure of spirits, while a pint of ordinary strength beer is around 2.3 units, and a large (250ml) glass of red or white wine is around three units. How does your body absorb alcohol?The alcohol you drink is absorbed into your bloodstream through the walls of your stomach and small intestine. It's then circulated to every part of your body, including your heart, lungs, muscles and brain. Within a few minutes, you may notice that your skin flushes, your heart rate speeds up and you become more talkative. The faster you absorb the alcohol, the higher your blood alcohol level will be and the greater its effect. Absorption is more rapid if you:
Your body can't store alcohol, so it has to get rid of it. Most of it is broken down by your liver, but a little is excreted via your breath and sweat. This is a slow process: alcohol is eliminated from your body at around the rate of just one unit of alcohol per hour, although the exact rate depends on factors such as your age, weight and sex. The alcohol in one pint of ordinary strength lager, for example, will take about two hours to pass out of your body. If you drink a lot over the course of an evening, you may still be over the limit for driving the next morning. How much is it safe to drink?The Department of Health recommends that men drink no more than three or four units of alcohol per day, and women no more than two or three per day. Drinking more than this can put your health at risk. According to the Institute of Alcohol Studies, men who drink more than seven units a day and women who drink more than five are at a greater risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver. Women have a lower limit than men because their bodies tend to be smaller, and their bodies also contain proportionately more fat and less water. This means that the alcohol is less diluted. Women also have lower levels of the enzymes that break down alcohol than men, so it stays in their bodies for longer. It's often difficult to tell exactly how many units you are drinking. Beers, in particular, vary widely in their alcohol content. A pint of ordinary lager may contain two units, but a pint of very strong lager may contain up to four. Many of us tend to think of a glass of wine as one unit, but much of the wine now sold in bars and pubs is around 11 to 12 percent alcohol. One small glass of this is 1.5 units, while the large glasses sold by many pubs and bars may contain up to three. It's also easy to misjudge the alcohol content of bottled drinks aimed at the youth market, including alcopops. If in doubt, check the label - it will tell you the percentage of alcohol the bottle contains, thus giving you an indication of its strength. Try our calculator to check out your drinking levels Link: http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_information/asp/healthy_living/lifestyle/alcohol/alctest.asp Alcohol and drivingThe UK driving limit is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, which is roughly equivalent to two pints of regular strength lager or two small glasses of wine. But this is only a rough guide and it's not a good idea to drink up to the limit just because you can. Studies show that your driving skills start to be impaired at just 40mg, which means your risk of having an accident is raised even if you are below the legal limit.
Alcohol in pregnancyAlcohol can pass through the placenta and harm your unborn baby so it's important not to drink alcohol when you are pregnant. The Department of Health in the UK advises pregnant women and women who are trying to conceive to stop drinking alcohol all together. They add that if you do choose to drink when pregnant or trying to conceive, don't drink more than one or two units, once or twice a week. Further information
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