You will eventually build tolerance for alcohol when you make it a habit. Unfortunately, though, a high tolerance level may be an indication that you have an addiction problem, prompting you to get into an alcohol rehab facility.
But just what does alcohol do to your body when you consume too much?
Once alcohol gets into the mouth it travels down to the stomach through the esophagus. The body will, however, not start to process the liquid immediately if the stomach is full. The pyloric sphincter which is the muscle between the stomach and small intestine shuts out the alcohol ensuring that the food in the stomach digest first before the alcohol is processed. What this means is that you will not quickly get intoxicated if there’s food in your stomach. But if your stomach is empty, the alcohol absorption process will start almost immediately.
Through the stomach and the walls of the intestine, alcohol enters the bloodstream and then it spreads to every part of the body. The substance that is responsible for making you feel drunk is ethanol. All alcoholic beverages contain ethanol and this chemical travels through the cell membranes and water channels before it gets to the heart and the brain. Once ethanol reaches the heart, your heart rate increases, putting more stress on the organ. This usually leads to higher blood pressure.
When you drink alcohol for a long period of time, you may endanger your heart. An alcoholic may suffer a heart attack when the fat produced by alcohol forms plaque and blocks blood from reaching the heart. Although, things do not always have to turn out that way if you quickly get into alcohol rehab.
It takes only about one minute for the first sip of alcohol to reach the brain. The changes you will eventually feel takes place within 30 minutes after consumption. When ethanol reaches the brain it binds to glutamate and GABA, activating its receptors. This activity interferes with the normal functioning of the brain, slowing down its response time. Drinking alcohol in large quantity can force the brain to shut down.
Furthermore, when ethanol enters the brain, it causes the production of
the chemical dopamine which is responsible for making a person feel happy. Addiction can lead to dependence, making the production of dopamine almost impossible without alcohol. What this means is that you can only be happy when you take alcohol.
How long will you stay drunk?
After consuming alcohol, 20% of it is absorbed into the bloodstream from the stomach. The remaining 80% goes to the liver where it is metabolized. The metabolization process involves the breaking down of active chemicals within the alcohol. But, metabolization cannot occur without the help of Cytochrome P450 2E1 and alcohol dehydrogenase. These enzymes turn ethyl alcohol into Acetaldehyde and break it down further so that it can be absorbed by the body. The remaining alcohol is expelled from the body through urine, sweat, and vomit.
If you are constantly getting drunk, you may need to quit alcohol. If you are cannot do this on your own, get into an alcohol rehab facility and receive the needed help.