ALCOHOL ALCOHOL PHYSIOLOGYPHYSIOLOGY

Sources: NHTSA SFST Manual & Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research

Physi-What?

Physiology -- the way a particular body or organism works

So what does alcohol do to my physiology?

Measuring Alcohol in the Body

• Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) describes the amount of alcohol in a person's blood.

• BAC is expressed as the weight of alcohol per unit of volume of blood.

• 0.08% is the legal limit for driving while intoxicated in New York State.

• BAC can be measured accurately by testing the content in one’s breath.

So What?

Increasing your BAC also increases your risk of being involved in many negative health and safety related issues.

• Falls• Assaults• Motor vehicle crashes• Brain and Liver Damage• STD and HIV

How Much is “Too Much?”

• Impairment begins with the first drink. •BACs vary from person to person due to factors such as weight and stomach contents. •Individuals can be substantially impaired after two drinks. •The same amount of alcohol will result in different BACs for men and women because alcohol is processed differently by men and women.

Too Much, Too Fast

•Binge drinking – five drinks by men; four drinks by women in a short period of time.

•High consumption increases the risk of negative consequences.

•Binge drinking may cause alcohol poisoning.

Alcohol

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A family of closely-related chemicalswhose molecules are made up of

hydrogen, carbon and oxygen

Some Types of Alcohol

Methyl Alcohol(Methanol)

Ethyl Alcohol(Ethanol)

Isopropyl Alcohol(Isopropanol)

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Ethanol

Ethyl Alcohol(Intended for human consumption)

Chemical Symbols

ETOHC H OH2 5

H H

H H

H C C OH

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Production of Ethanol

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FermentationYeast combines with sugars from fruit or grainsin a chemical reaction that results in ETOH

DistillationFermented beverage is boiled at a controlled temperature to extract and concentrate theethanol fumes

Standard-Sized Drinks

A Can of Beer12 ounces of fluid @ 4% alcohol equals0.48 ounces of pure ethanol

A Glass of Wine5 ounces of fluid @ 12% alcohol equals 0.48 ounces of pure ethanol

A Shot of Whiskey (80-Proof)1 and 1/4 ounces @ 40% alcohol equals 0.50 ounces of pure ethanol

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Alcohol is the MostAbused Drug in the

United States

Alcohol is a CNS Depressant

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Absorption of Alcohol:

Getting the ethanolout of the stomachand into the blood

StomachWalls Stomach

Walls

StomachWalls

Pylorus

80%

20%

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Distribution of Alcohol

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Getting the ethanol into the body’s tissuesand organs

Basic PrincipleEthanol goes wherever it finds water

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The Brain; The Liver; Muscle Tissue

Which Parts Don’t?

Bones; Fatty Tissue

The average male is 68 percent water

The average female is only 55 percent water

Which Parts of the Body haveLots of Water?

Elimination of Alcohol

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Direct ExcretionBreath, sweat, tears, urine, etc.

MetabolismPrimarily in the liver

Getting the ethanol out of the body

Metabolism in the Liver

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• The liver burns the ethanol (i.e., causes a chemical reaction of ethanol with oxygen).

• The process is aided by an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase.

• The ultimate products of the chemical reaction are carbon dioxide and water.

• Due to metabolism, the average person’s BAC drops by about 0.015% per hour.

Blood Alcohol Concentration

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BAC is the number of grams of alcohol found in

100 milliliters of the person’s blood

What does it mean?

ExampleIf a person has a BAC of .10%, then there is one-tenth of a gram of alcohol in every 100 milliliters of the person’s blood.

QUESTIONS