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Wednesday, May 25, 2005 | ||
Keep this in mind before picking up that next drinkBy Richard Harkness Knight Ridder Newspapers Q: You recently wrote about the dangers of excessive drinking and explained exactly why its so dangerous. I meant to clip that column and send it to my son at college, but misplaced the newspaper. Could you explain this again? (I was reminded of its importance after reading a recent news article about a man who drank too much tequila in some kind of contest and died.) A: The incident you refer to involved a 21-year-old man who entered a tequila-drinking contest. According to the news report, he won the $330 prize by slamming down more than 50 shots. He became ill, was hospitalized, and died within hours from apparent heart failure brought on by alcohol poisoning. Three other contestants became seriously ill and were hospitalized. Such binge-drinking incidents are the extreme. Driving under the influence is far more common and endangers the lives of both the driver and other people. Understanding the physiologic effects of ethanol (drinking alcohol) might give those at risk pause for thought and save lives, so its well worth repeating this information. Ethanol intoxication has a two-stage effect on the brain. First theres stimulation, euphoria, and loss of restraint. Next comes generalized depression and sedation that could lead to coma and death. After absorption into the blood, ethanol is distributed into lean body tissues. Women appear to be more vulnerable to ethanol than men for a couple of reasons. Females tend to have less lean body tissue to take up alcohol. Therefore, more remains in the blood for distribution to the brain. Thats why a given amount of ethanol results in higher blood levels in females than in males. The stomach breaks down a portion of ingested ethanol, thus reducing the amount absorbed. This breakdown process is diminished in women, also resulting in higher blood levels. Once ethanol has been absorbed into the blood, the liver begins breaking it down so the body can eliminate it. Now comes the catch-22 that enables ethanol to whack you when youre most vulnerable. At higher blood levels of ethanol, the body switches from first-order elimination (the way most drugs are eliminated) to zero-order elimination. This latter process removes ethanol more slowly, allowing it to build up in the blood even more quickly. Keep drinking once this stage is reached, and you could end up in dire straits. With this background in mind, here are safety tips for those who indulge: Keep food in your stomach. Food slows stomach emptying and thus slows ethanol absorption. (The stomach empties its contents into the small intestines, where most ethanol absorption occurs.) Nurse that drink for a longer time. This slows down absorption, allowing the body to stay a step ahead in eliminating ethanol. Arrange for a designated driver beforehand if need be. By the time youre tipsy, ethanol has distorted your brains reasoning circuits. | ||
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