Over the course of history, widespread ethanol-infused beverages and their ingestion have assumed a strong social role. No different from any other food or drink, consuming alcohol will trigger our body’s natural response to process, digest, and excrete. It is commonly known, however, that alcohol will onset a variety of disturbances in our internal environment. So, how does alcohol really affect our nervous and digestive systems?

Physically speaking, alcohol is a colorless and highly flammable liquid. It takes shape in four different forms: ethyl, denatured, isopropyl, and rubbing. In today’s favorite beers, wines, and liquors is ethyl alcohol, otherwise known as ethanol. Chemically speaking, alcohol is composed of the organic molecules Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), and Oxygen (O). Producing this substance entails fermenting yeast in sugar, and it’s the different forms of sugar, such as from fruits or grains, that give us all different forms of alcohol. Common examples are the use of potatoes to make vodka or grape to make wine. The concentration or strength of commercial alcoholic beverages is measured in alcohol per volume (alc/vol). This quantification is critical for indicating the intoxication level of individuals and aid in legal and medical conclusions on alcoholic influence. This is especially important to understand both the immediate and delayed effects alcohol can have on human bodies.

While alcohol inevitably impacts every working organ system, its biggest repercussions manifest through cognitive and digestive functions. The former belongs to the body’s nervous system and the latter to the digestive system. In general terms, the nervous system is known as the “command center” of the body, as it controls almost everything. It consists of the brain, spinal cord, and nerve network, which is, in turn, categorized into two parts: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The CNS utilizes the brain and spinal cord to process and send both synaptic and hormonal signals to the rest of the body. The PNS acts as an extended network, using innumerable nerves branching from the CNS to relay information to and from the brain and body. Both the Somatic nervous system, our voluntary movements, and the autonomic nervous system, our involuntary, fall under the PNS. In summary, our nervous system is a complex communicative system that connects and coordinates the entire body. The digestive system, on the other hand, is much more specialized and highly proficient at ingestion, digestion, absorption, and excretion. This chain runs through the Gastrointestinal (GI) tract, from the mouth to the pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small and large intestine, rectum, and ending with the anus. This system breaks down daily food and liquid intake into increasingly smaller components. Chewing by the mouth, acidic liquidation in the stomach, or the pancreatic secretion of digestive enzymes, insulin, and glucagon are all examples of digestive organs catalyzing the breakdown of food for easier absorption. Simply put, the human body requires carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals to function, grow and repair. The liver, pancreas, and GI tract work in tandem to continuously process and allocate these essential nutrients.

This, however, is only the case in normal and healthy functioning nervous and digestive systems. Introducing alcohol, a foreign and irregular substance, disrupts the intricate communication and routine of these systems. Alcohol can have both short-term and prolonged effects on the brain and digestion. General human cognition is altered in five main ways: difficulty walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction time, and memory impairment. This occurs because alcohol acts like an obstruction in the road that is between the brain and the body. It interferes with communication pathways, resulting in delayed and clouded responses to stimuli. Rational thinking and decision-making also drastically decrease while the risk of injuries and vulnerability to danger greatly increases not only for the consumer, but those around them as well. This, however, is only how our cerebral cortex is affected, as it is the region responsible for higher-level processes such as memory, reasoning, or thought. Therefore, it goes without saying that alcohol’s physical altercations on other parts of the brain are also inevitable. The frontal lobes are normally responsible for planning, decision-making, and self-control, yet alcohol can increase an individual’s violent nature and even damage this area of the brain permanently. The hippocampus is regularly responsible for memories, but alcohol can decrease learning efficiency or the ability to hold on to knowledge. The hypothalamus is the brain and body’s regulation center, paramount to homeostasis and hormonal balance. The presence of alcohol disrupts blood pressure, hunger, thirst, heart rate, body temperature, or any carefully leveled internal environment. The medulla is the signal transmission point between the spinal cord and the brain, and alcohol consumption can heavily delay and disturb this pathway. This is often the culprit of unconsciousness from drinking, also known as a blackout. Finally, the cerebellum is crucial for coordination and awareness. However, an individual under an alcoholic influence may lose their ability to use these rudimentary skills, such as grabbing objects or maintaining a standing balance. It is this portion of the brain that is responsible for all driving miscoordination and, therefore, vehicle accidents. Needless to say, the immediate effects of alcohol on the brain are clear as day, and it spares no part in its influence.

While this deceitfully euphoric substance has a cognitive impact on the mature brain, developing brains are exceptionally vulnerable to greater damage. From as early as the womb, drinking mothers risk their fetuses to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). As the alcohol travels through the umbilical cord to the unborn, the premature brain will experience motor development impairment. The child also assumes an increased risk of irregular physical features such as having smaller head circumferences and upper lips or lower nasal bridges. For adolescents, however, the greater danger lies in the fact that they are oblivious to their still premature brains, in fact, this organ will continue to develop in individuals until their early twenties. Hence, drinking will permanently damage maturity, decision-making, and memory center development in an adolescent as opposed to the already present alcoholic effects on an adult brain. This is particularly harmful on a global scale as the spike in binge drinking and social pressures leave more and more of the younger generation vulnerable.

The dangers of alcohol don’t stop just at cognitive function. Its other biggest target is the digestive system. Like the brain, the digestive organs also experience both direct effects as well as long-term compromise. Because liquor is ingested the same as any other food and drink, it too travels through the entirety of our GI tract and interacts with the liver and pancreas. Its abnormal chemical composition, however, sends our bodies into a mode of panic, and the digestive system begins to prioritize eliminating alcohol instead of its regular focus on essential nutrients. The GI tract is now irritated as alcohol travels through the body. From as early as the larynx, alcohol begins to do harm. A quarter of reported laryngeal cancers are a result of drinking, and the last decade has seen a 20% increase in diagnoses. This is only one of many alcohol-linked mouth and neck cancers. Moving down to the esophagus, alcohol exacerbates heartburn and acid reflux. The substance causes inflammation and swelling of the muscular tube and, in more severe circumstances, causes ulcers, pain in swallowing, vomiting, or even bleeds. Now, as the alcohol flows into the stomach cavity, the same inflammation begins to target the stomach lining. This irritation, also known as gastritis, decreases the organ’s ability to repair different damages, hence affecting stomach acid regulation and increasing the risk of stomach cancer. Both the small and large intestines respond to alcohol similarly. Like the rest of the GI tract, drinking increases the risk of bowel cancer. The microbiome bacteria in our bowels attempt to convert alcohol into a processable substance but instead produce an entirely different, non-processable foreign matter. From the second alcohol enters the mouth, it wreaks havoc upon every organ it encounters along the GI tract. Yet, even with this extensive damage, it does not stop there. The liver and pancreas are two contributing organs to the digestive system, and they, too, suffer the effects of drinking. When drinking, the liver is the primary site of alcohol processing. It works double time to convert alcohol from its original chemical state into a substance less toxic to our bodies. Placing a continuous burden on our livers by frequently drinking will cause inevitable damage, permanently, hence why alcohol is the second leading culprit of liver disease and has a direct link to cirrhosis: the irreversible scarring of the organ tissue. This is unfortunately also the case with the pancreas, with one in four cases of acute pancreatitis because of excessive drinking.

It may seem that there is an abundance of research and knowledge on alcohol and its human effect. However, the different physical build of every individual makes the effects of alcohol somewhat unpredictable. Genetic sex leaves women less adept at processing alcohol. Different Body Mass Indexes (BMIs) result in different alcoholic metabolizing speeds. Even the alcoholic strength of different beverages or the speed at which we consume them fluctuates our intoxication, BAC, and vulnerability to short and long-term damage. Alcohol consumption disrupts not only the regular function of the nervous and digestive systems but every organ system in the body. It additionally exhibits mental repercussions and endangers the health of not only the drinker themselves but everyone around them. It is this extensive impact that fuels many of its socially linked problems today.

In hopes of regulating socially linked drinking issues, there are many legal rulings for drinking. The national drinking age of the United States is 21, while 64% of other countries allow consumption at 18. On the sliding BAC scale, a level of 0.05 and establishes an impaired individual, between 0.08 to 0.18 is an intoxicated individual, and anything above identifies someone as aggravated. Driving under the influence (DUI) is defined as operating or controlling a vehicle while having a BAC anywhere from impairment and above and is responsible for 30% of all traffic fatalities. Even still, there are over 1 million annual offenses in the US. Such laws are set as an effort to minimize under-the-influence hazards, but these perimeters address only on-the-spot intoxication. When someone exhibits prolonged abnormal drinking habits, it shifts from a moderate activity to a disease.

Alcohol use disorder is a clinical diagnosis that is better known as Alcoholism. It describes the epidemic that is uncontrolled alcohol abuse, and as opposed to singular drinking events, alcoholism requires more comprehensive measures of treatment. There are frameworks in place to help clinicians recognize an alcoholic: men who consume more than four drinks a day or fourteen in a week or women who consume more than three drinks a day or seven in a week. Alcohol use disorder lies on a spectrum of severity and behavioral types. Diseased individuals can be diagnosed with mild, moderate, or severe alcoholism and may fall under the categories of alcohol dependence, problem drinking, or binge drinking alcoholism. Realistically, however, diagnosing an alcoholic is not so black and white. It is difficult because discovery and treatment only occur if the individual can recognize their problem in time and is willing to seek help. Particularly in today’s day and age, increased normalization of drinking habits masks what is, in reality, critically dangerous drinking. Regardless of all the forms of alcoholism, its ramifications remain the same, such as the close to 88,000 alcohol-related deaths in the United States or the 1 in 10 children who live with at least one parent battling alcoholic issues. Additionally, there is a cascade of indirect alcoholic consequences, such as unintentional injuries like car accidents, falls, or poisoning, violence such as domestic, sexual, or child abuse, and negligence of economic duties, emotional responsibilities, or even care of children.

Descriptive epidemiology is the key to understanding the root of large-scale alcoholism. In simple terms, it views this health crisis from the angles of person, place, and time. Without this public health perspective, it is easy to be tunnel visioned into the stereotypes surrounding alcohol. The fact is alcohol, and its risk factors, are embodied in every form of social injustice. Firstly, the person. Whether it be age, sex, race, religion, or socioeconomic status, minorities are exponentially more susceptible to excessive drinking and mortality from its onset complications. They experience decreased opportunities and chances of success in daily life, which in turn increases the appeal of substance use as a coping mechanism. They are further disadvantaged as discriminated communities often have limited access to or financial means to seek medical treatment for the physical and psychological conditions that follow. Furthermore, medical research has historically catered toward the privileged, exposing a significant lack of data on the biological characteristics of oppressed communities. Secondly, the place. The mere geographic location of an individual leads them to be predisposed to alcohol indulgence. Poorly monitored neighborhoods with frequent crime, areas with little to no health care resources, or crowded and polluted homes with low nutritional food access are a few examples of impoverished conditions and locations that heavily accelerate the chance of abusing substances such as alcohol, with no solution to break what is a toxic demographic cycle. Finally, the time. Progressing through the years, decades, and centuries have contorted the subjective symbolism of alcohol and its consumption. Changes in lifestyles, cultural and behavioral shifts, and even the uproar of psychological and infectious diseases put different types of time-dependent pressures on big communities, increasing the frequency that different demographics turn to alcohol indulgence to overcome unfamiliar challenges. These three epidemiological approaches offer a better direction to develop solutions to the alcohol epidemic.

Alcohol and its detrimental health effects are no mystery. Yet, the objective evidence of this poison is oppressed by the enticing nature of society’s widespread glorification. There is no lack of research and sufficient statistics. It is merely blanketed under dangerous glorification from the nonprofessionals and has fallen prey to commercialism and consumerism. Are we surprised when euphoric nightlife is promoted to the youngest members of our society? Are we surprised that socioeconomic status and systemic discrimination make it impossible for the lower class to escape the extorsion of substance escape? Are we surprised that this is a negative cycle as self-destruction with alcohol is observed and replicated from generation to generation? The necessary future steps to improve this epidemic lie not in breakthroughs or advancement but instead in focusing on the status quo. Organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and even the exponential growth of professional specialists and psychiatrists represent the emergence of alcohol awareness and prevention of onset dangers. But it is still crucial to recognize that the issue is not the lack of presence of such programs, helplines, and information. Instead, for many, there is virtually no accessibility or awareness of their presence. The ideal course of action is to utilize social work as a conduit of education to the greater public community, with added attention on families in communities liable or historically affected by an alcoholic footprint. Instead of on-paper legal repercussions, the younger generation needs to be educated and comfortable with the safe use of alcohol. Influential figures, such as parents, law officers, and legal politicians, act as the moral compass of this century, and the standard stigma around alcohol has been a negative discipline. This, however, has historically proven to be counterintuitive. With an aversion and dismissal of activities with alcohol and drinking, there will inevitably be a spike in binging and loss of control after years of suppression. Increasing conversation or even controlled experimentation with drinking while also instilling and raising awareness of accessible alcohol solutions and support can simultaneously help our society unlearn the false stigma of alcohol and work to rehabilitate those who are suffering the consequences of alcoholism.

It began as a casual ethanol-immersed drink. But through the course of history, it has picked up countless external factors: becoming a recreational symbol, influenced by trend-motivated bias, romanticized as an escape, a relaxant, an exhilarating activity. Its unwavering truth, however, is immune to the subjective ebb and flow of society. Although it materializes in the statistics of nervous and digestive system ramifications, alcohol and its negative effect on the entire human body are irrefutable. While continuous alcohol consumption is an epidemic, the biggest disease is the lack of support the vulnerable and less fortunate members of the world receive. The number of diseased and deaths cannot be distorted, yet alcohol is still a risk too many choose to take.

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Just how does drinking affect the teenage brain? How Drinking Affects the Teenage

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