Understanding How Alcohol Affects the Body
Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream through the small blood vessels in the stomach and small intestine. Within minutes, it travels to the brain, slowing the action of nerve cells.
Approximately 20 percent of alcohol is absorbed through the stomach. Most of the remaining 80 percent is absorbed through the small intestine.
Alcohol is also carried by the bloodstream to the liver, which processes the alcohol, converting it to a nontoxic substance. However, the liver can only metabolize a limited amount of alcohol at a time. The excess circulates into the bloodstream, intensifying its effects on the body.1
When blood-alcohol levels become too high, the respiratory system slows down, potentially leading to coma or even death if the brain is deprived of oxygen.2
Young People vs. Adults
What’s the Difference?
For teens, alcohol is even more harmful than it is to adults. Teen’s brains are still developing through adolescence and into early adulthood. Drinking during this critical period can cause permanent damage to learning ability, memory, motor skills and coordination.
Research shows that young people who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol addiction than those who start at 21.3
For some teens like Samantha, drinking seems to be a solution to problems they don’t want to face.
“When I was 13, friends would make fun of me if I didn’t have a drink. I just gave in because it was easier to join the crowd. I was really unhappy and just drank to escape my life.
“I went out less and less so started losing friends, and the more lonely I got, the more I drank.
“I was violent and out of control. I never knew what I was doing. I was ripping my family apart.”
Kicked out of her home at age 16, she became homeless and started begging for money to buy drinks. Doctors told her there was irreparable harm to her health after the years of abuse.
“I was only 16 but my liver was badly damaged and I was close to killing myself from everything I was drinking.” —Samantha
REFERENCES
- Alcohol Consumption, Britannica
- How the Body Processes Alcohol, Medical News Today
- Get the Facts About Underage Drinking, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
How much do you really know about alcohol?
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