Science explains what happens to the body when drunk

End of the year parties always result in moments filled with plenty of drinks. But do you know what happens in your body when you drink alcohol?

The main action of ethyl alcohol or ethanol is to depress the central nervous system, and according to chemist Carlos Alberto da Silva Real, coordinator of the Forensic Chemistry Laboratory at the Institute of Chemistry of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), when it enters the bloodstream it spreads throughout the body until it reaches the brain.

“Because it is a less polar molecule than water, but highly soluble in this medium, when it reaches synaptic clefts (a place where one neuron exchanges chemical information with the other), it makes it difficult for neurotransmitters to move between them, causing the “slow” to occur. Certain in our actions, which thus generates what we call drunkenness,” he explained to G1.

According to the specialist, at first, people are unrestrained, due to a feeling of general well-being. After being absorbed from the stomach, the ethanol travels to the liver where it is metabolized. Gradually it reaches the neurons that inhibit certain neurotransmitters, generating euphoria and sociability, which explains why some people turn out to be super talkative.

Portal do Holland was founded on November 14, 2005. Initially with a column that took the name of its founder, journalist Raimundo de Holland. Then go to Blog do Holland and finally Portal do Holland. It was one of the first websites in the state of Amazonas. It is audited by IVC and ComScore.