Drinks

Alcohol is also known by the chemical name “ethanol.” It is made from the sugars in potatoes, corn and other cereals, or grapes. When the original ingredient and water are fermented (kept together in a sealed, warm environment for a period of time), the yeast enzyme zymase changes the sugars into ethanol.

All types of alcoholic drinks contain the same chemical -- alcohol/ethanol – but in different amounts. Alcoholic drinks include beer, malt liquor, wine, liquor (distilled spirits like vodka, whiskey, etc.), “wine coolers" (fruit-flavored malt beverages), and liqueurs (like creme de menthe or cherry brandy.)

Because the different types of beverages contain different amounts of alcohol, experts talk about a “standard drink” of alcohol. A standard alcoholic drink contains 12 grams of pure ethanol.

Drinking and Being Drunk

With every sip, alcohol is absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the linings of the mouth, the stomach, and the small intestine.

Alcohol is carried in the bloodstream to the brain and other organs within 90 seconds.

The liver metabolizes (breaks down) alcohol/ethanol. Once alcohol is metabolized, the body can eliminate the wastes. The average person’s body can eliminate about one standard drink per hour.

Nothing a person can do – not cold showers and not hot coffee – will make the liver process alcohol any faster. Only the passage of time makes a person sober.

When the amount of alcohol in the body overwhelms the liver’s ability to break it down, the blood alcohol concentration grows. Blood alcohol concentration is used to measure how drunk a person is.

A concentration of alcohol in the blood limits a person’s ability to think clearly, makes the person uncoordinated, and slows down the body’s automatic functions, like breathing. Excessive blood alcohol concentration can lead to coma or possibly death.