“On average, the liver can only metabolise, or break down, roughly one small glass of wine or a pint of beer an hour,” says nutritionist Hannah Macey. If you drink too much, your liver starts to feel the strain. This means that your judgment becomes impaired and movement is disrupted. Alcohol releases endorphins, which are the brain’s natural opiates – and they’re also addictive, turning off your sense of control so you drink more than you planned to.”Īlcohol affects the prefrontal cortex, which primarily governs cognitive control, impulse behaviour and the brain’s memory centre. “You get a little hit, you get energised, you get loud, and as the effect starts to diminish, you want more.
“This is where it gets moreish,” says Nutt. This is the “seeking” hormone that is often associated with the drive to do things, rewarding us with a little feelgood spike whenever we think about it. The sessionĪs you keep drinking, dopamine kicks in. This is, essentially, the good bit: you’re half a pint or a glass of wine down, and things feel great. This can also be accompanied by a temporary feeling of warmth and drop in body temperature. That comes from Gaba, our main inhibitory neurotransmitter, which for most of us is turned down a bit in social situations, making us a bit anxious and tense.” Alcohol, in other words, turns up the Gaba system, helping us to relax. “Your blood vessels widen, which can make you start to feel a bit flushed, you start to feel a bit relaxed around the jaw and then you start to feel chilled and more sociable and convivial. “This is what we call the rising phase, which is what most people are looking for,” says Nutt. A few minutes after your first sip, once it gets to your bloodstream and into your brain, it starts to have an effect. Food can act like a sponge and slow the alcohol’s absorption: if you are drinking on an empty stomach, the alcohol takes effect much faster. The rest is absorbed once it reaches the small intestines, all of it ultimately ending up in your bloodstream. “But, eventually, they come to associate the smell and taste of their favourite drink with the effect in the brain and the pleasure that’s coming.”įrom the mouth and gullet, the liquid moves to your stomach, where about 20% is absorbed through the stomach lining. “Most people, the first time they drink, find it horrible,” says Professor David Nutt, the chair of Drug Science, an independent UK scientific body researching drugs and alcohol. You may have noticed that the effects of your first drink kick in almost as soon as it hits your mouth, but that may be more to do with your expectations than the alcohol itself.
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