Victoria Silman | Contributor
Featured image | Courtesy of Pixabay
With Saint Patrick’s Day fast approaching, party-goers are looking to have a good time, and that generally includes a higher consumption of alcohol. However, there are some important considerations to be aware of when getting into the green beer this year.
Be it Biology, Health, or Neuroscience professors, or bartenders, servers, or party- goers themselves, each have their own unique insights into how alcohol affects the body (such as party tips for not blacking out before 10:00 p.m.).
Alcohol has had a long history of consumption by humans. Professor and Canada Research Chair for Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Dr. Georg Zoidl, says: “There is very little doubt that alcohol use by humans dates back to the beginning of civilization and is part of most cultures, if not all, if we widen the scope to any kind of fermented substance that gives rise to alcohol.”
There are ways, however, in which alcohol has been found to affect the human body if the evolutionary process is any indication. Zoidl points out that alcohol is produced from the natural process of fruit ripening.
“You may recall seeing animals get drunk,” he says. This is crucial to note in considering the same about people, and why they drink alcohol.
It is no mystery that alcohol is bad for the body, but, as Zoidl explains, “it gives us pleasure—in particular, when we are in a situation of multisensory stimulation.
“Taking a step back, this means that both alcohol production and consumption have co-evolved during evolution, so there must be a point in our physiology where alcohol and our physiology connect. Indeed, there is—actually, there are multiple points. It is noteworthy that we have a pathway for oxidative processing of ethanol to acetaldehyde.”
So with that being said, how exactly, then, does alcohol affect the body?
From a physiological standpoint, dehydration, according to Zoidl, is one of the key risks when consuming alcohol.
He says this comes from the “production of acetaldehyde and reactive oxygen species—all of which are toxic at higher concentrations.”
Dehydration is also the result of the production of hormones from consuming alcohol, which causes drinkers to urinate more often, often referred to colloquially as: “breaking the seal.”
Professor of Psychology, Kinesiology and Health Sciences, and Biology Dr. Laurence Harris likewise says: “Alcohol acts on your hypothalamus and pituitary gland, where it reduces the production of antidiuretic hormones. This has the result of disinhibiting your kidneys and causes you to pee more, which eventually leads to dehydration.”
Given dehydration is the biggest symptom of alcohol consumption, it may be understood why party-goers, bartenders, and experts not uncommonly insist on hydrating with water throughout the night.
Professor of Kinesiology and Health Sciences Dr. David Hood adds: “Drink slowly. Make the drink last. You can drink longer that way—intersperse a glass of water. Alcohol leads to dehydration, which causes headaches the next day.”
Chrysa Dancey, a third-year Psychology student, explains: “As a server, I plan on making sure my guests always have water on the table and I engage with them throughout the night to monitor their level of sobriety.”
Meanwhile, one Glendon Psychology student, who wishes to remain anonymous, suggests: “Drink lots of water before bed and the next day.”
Hydrating properly is not as simple as one may think, though. To truly stay hydrated and reduce the risks of alcohol throughout the night, Harris suggests: “Drink non-carbonated water between drinks, because carbonated drinks increase alcohol absorption.”
Food is equally important a factor in allowing the body to digest alcohol. From a biological standpoint, food reduces the risk of getting too drunk.
“Eating before and during drinking is a good idea; 20 per cent is absorbed through the stomach, and 80 per cent through the small intestine.
“Food blocks the alcohol from reaching the walls of the stomach,” Harris adds.
To make sure guests do not get too drunk too quickly, one first-year Nursing student, also a server also wishing to remain anonymous, suggests: “Make sure they order food, and keep count of their drinks.”
It is still important, nevertheless, to be mindful of the amount of alcohol party-goers consume.
Zoidl explains alcohol still has dangerous effects on the human body despite eating food, and to be mindful when drinking heavily.
“Alcohol is alcohol,” he says.
“Thinking differently is the same as believing in good and bad calories. Obviously, the ratio between liquid/solid can shift the equilibrium, or combining alcohol with a certain food quality might affect matters a little bit.”
When considering food consumption, another worthwhile thing to consider when drinking, or watching over friends while they drink, is their physiology. There is a common conception of “heavy-weight” and “light-weight” drinkers—those who get drunk less easily, versus those who get drunk more easily—but there is also a biological explanation for this.
According to Harris, “muscle has more water in it than fat tissue. Therefore, overall, more muscles means more dilution of alcohol in the bloodstream. So, a person of the same mass but with less muscle will get drunk faster.”
For servers and bartenders, knowing when to pace a guest is influenced by this. Brandon Bennings, a fifth-year Sociology student and a bartender at the campus bar, Shopsy’s, explains: “Everyone is kind of different based on body size, height, everything like that—tolerance—but it depends. I won’t go more than two pitchers in an hour or two shots in an hour, but it depends on the person. If they are holding it up and being okay, I might serve them more.”
Bartenders and servers cut patrons off all the time to prevent alcohol poisoning, and it is crucial to reiterate why.
When serving her guests alcohol, Dancey agrees with Bennings’ method, explaining: “As well, the obvious, not allowing them to buy an inhuman amount of alcohol. I’m not afraid to cut them off, if it’s for their own safety.”
When being served, it is important to be as mindful as possible of what your tolerance is, especially if you want to continue drinking throughout the night. “Your body can eliminate alcohol at the rate of about 15 millilitres per hour, which is about the alcohol content of a can of beer,” Harris explains.
“So, drinking at a rate of one can of beer—or equivalent—per hour is the recommended rate.”
Though it is safe to say party-goers generally don’t follow the recommended rate, it would not be a terrible idea to consider when pre-drinking.
Clair Robinson, a fifth-year Public Administration student, says: “When I go out to bars and clubs, I always pre-drink to save money.”
From a bartending side, Bennings also suggests: “Don’t kill the pre-drink. A lot of people use Shopsy’s specifically as a spot to pre-drink if they are going downtown, especially now with the subway.
“I would say don’t be ripping a bunch of shots and pitchers here, and then go downtown and expect to keep it going. You’re going to end up blacking out or puking.”
There are other physiological and neurological effects of alcohol that are important to consider when heading out for the night. One symptom that almost everyone has experienced is known as “the spins.”
According to Harris: “Alcohol produces a spinning sensation by passing into the canals of the balance organs in your inner ear, where it rises to the top—as in a tequila sunrise—and sets up currents in the fluid, thus mimicking the movements of fluid that would normally be caused by a head movement.
“This illusory head movement in turn causes eye movement—to compensate for a non-existent head movement—which causes the visual illusion of the world spinning.”
Furthermore, Hood explains that alcohol “affects motor coordination and cognitive skills.” It also “improves mood temporarily—but is a depressant.”
This is further explained by Harris, who affirms: “Alcohol is a depressant of the Central Nervous System (CNS) and slows down activity in general, which can also slow down your inhibitions and the areas of the brain that control your emotions and memory—the limbic system—and the areas of the brain that help coordinate movement—the cerebellum.
“At high doses, alcohol will work on the medulla—the brain stem—causing you to feel sleepy and eventually pass out.”
In noting how alcohol changes the CNS, it is easier to make responsible decisions with how much alcohol one should consume throughout the night.
Aside from getting too drunk, also simply thinking far enough to the next morning, when the hangover kicks in, can improve the overall experience of drinking. There is a chemical explanation as to why some hangovers are worse than others, and it directly applies to the type of liquor consumed. The contents of certain types of liquor plays a factor into how alcohol impacts the body.
Experts suggest partygoers avoid liquors with higher hangover risks—such as tequila shots—because these liquors have contaminants that increase the risk of the hangover blues.
Harris says: “Drinks with contaminants known as congeners—such as tequila, whisky, and cognac—produce worse hangovers.
Vodka has the smallest amount of congeners.” This also includes clear liquors, such as gin and white rum.
Mixing drinks is also a surefire way to ensure that an awful hangover appears in the morning. As some liquors have higher levels of congeners than others, it is hard to track the precise amount consumed. Another reason not to mix alcohol when drinking is the levels of sugar consumed.
“Don’t drink a variety of cocktails with different sugar and alcohol types in excess,” Hood recommends. There are a variety of hangover cures. Though staying hydrated throughout the night and the next day is the most common suggestion, many follow other methods to avoid bad hangovers.
Harris adds: “A good breakfast to boost blood sugars is a good idea.”
He also points to several studies that include possible nutritional hangover cures. Some of the items listed include: red ginseng, prickly pear, ginger, borage oil, and eleuthero (also known as Siberian ginseng).
Dancey further adds: “Drink lots of water before bed. Have Advil ready for 6 a.m., and lots of fruit to eat in the morning. The hangover will still happen though.”
Perhaps, the most important of all to consider, however, are the long-term effects of alcohol. Being mindful of how much alcohol is consumed while enjoying a night out can reduce future risks that accompany alcohol.
In terms of how alcohol affects the brain, Zoidl expands on the production of acetaldehyde and reactive oxygen species, stating: “Neurons, the communicating cells of the brain, are the most vulnerable cell which can’t be replaced. Once developed, they lose the ability to renew or multiply.”
Harris further provides detail on how alcohol affects the body in the long term.
He says: “[Alcohol] irritates the lining of the stomach which can lead to vomiting; increases blood flow to the stomach, which can increase acid secretion leading to acid reflux or heartburn; increases blood flow to the skin, causing flushing and sweating; and reduced blood flow to muscles, causing aches.
“Alcohol—like all drugs and poison—is removed from your bloodstream by the liver, which will eventually be damaged.”
The long-term impacts of alcohol come from frequent consumption, but they are still important to consider before heading out for a night of heavy drinking. Drinking responsibly can help to make the most of the special night.
According to Dancey: “Of course, being mindful of how much you’re consuming changes the experience, but I still have a good time even if I limit myself.”
Following this sentiment, Bennings explains: “Just drink responsibly and know your limits. You don’t need to be blacked-out to have a good time.”
