The short-term effects of alcohol can be felt from the first sip. The first effects that usually appear are dizziness and nausea. However, the more alcoholic drinks are consumed, the more effects can be felt and of course need to be watched out for.
Alcohol is a chemical that when consumed can affect every part of the body, including the brain, bones, and heart. The effects can be short-term or long-term.
Alcoholic beverages consumed will enter the blood through the walls of the stomach and small intestine. Furthermore, alcohol spreads throughout the body including the brain, then slows down brain function and affects the way of thinking and behaving.
Short-Term Effects of Alcohol
The short-term effects of alcohol can vary from person to person. This is determined by several factors, ranging from gender, physical and mental condition, use of certain drugs, to the health condition of each person.
In addition, there are also several factors that cause someone to feel the short-term effects of alcohol more easily, including:
- Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach
- Having a low alcohol tolerance
- Being young
- Not used to drinking alcohol
- Having a low percentage of body muscle mass
The short-term effects of alcohol consist of 2 types, namely hangover and alcohol poisoning. Here is the explanation:
Hangover
The most common short-term effect of alcohol is a hangover. In fact, a hangover itself refers to a series of symptoms that occur as a result of consuming too much alcohol. The symptoms that appear can be:
- Headache or dizziness
- Muscle pain
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Increased heart rate
- Increased blood pressure
- Decreased or difficult concentration
- Trembling
- Depression and mood disorders
- Anxiety
These various symptoms of drunkenness can be felt if you consume 1-12 units of alcohol. However, it is difficult to predict how much alcohol each person consumes to cause drunkenness.
High alcohol units have a depressant effect that makes you sleepy. In addition, body coordination is also disturbed so that it can increase the risk of accidents.
Alcohol poisoning
Consuming a lot of alcohol at one time can sometimes trigger alcohol poisoning. This condition is an emergency, because it can be life-threatening.
There are several signs that someone is experiencing alcohol poisoning, including:
- Vomiting
- Convulsions
- Feeling confused
- Slow or irregular breathing (less than 8 breaths per minute)
- Skin that looks pale or blue
- Difficulty staying awake or fainting
- Low body temperature (hypothermia)
Alcohol poisoning can also interfere with body functions, even coma and death. Usually, cases of alcohol poisoning occur if someone consumes more than 12 units of alcoholic beverages.
Read Also: 7 Ways to Avoid Alcoholic Drinks to Avoid Addiction
Not only that, the short-term effects of alcohol can also trigger risky sexual behavior, violence against others, or miscarriage in pregnant women.
It has been previously explained that the short-term effects of alcohol can be determined based on the units of alcohol consumed. One unit of alcohol is equivalent to 10 milliliters or 8 grams of pure alcohol, which is the average alcohol that can be processed in an adult’s body in one hour.
This unit can also be determined by calculating the percentage of pure alcohol in the drink (ABV) and how much alcohol you consume in milliliters. The following is the formula for calculating alcohol units:
Percentage of pure alcohol (ABV) x volume (ml) ÷ 1,000 = units
For 330 milliliters of alcoholic beverage or the equivalent of 1 can of beer, with an ABV of 5 percent, the calculation is as follows:
5 x 330 ÷ 1,000 = 1.65 units
Because units of alcohol can cause short-term alcohol effects, make sure you always know the volume and percentage of pure alcohol (ABV) you are consuming.
How to Reduce Short-Term Effects of Alcohol
Hangover symptoms from drinking alcohol can last for 24 hours or more. To reduce a hangover, here are some tips you can try:
- Drink water or fruit juice to avoid dehydration.
- Eat snacks to soothe your stomach, such as bread or crackers.
- Get enough sleep to relieve the effects of a hangover.
- Take painkillers, such as ibuprofen or aspirin, to relieve headaches. Avoid taking headache medications containing paracetamol when you are drunk because they can cause liver damage.
However, if someone shows symptoms of alcohol poisoning, immediately contact the nearest health facility. Do not force him to vomit, because it will only make him choke. To prevent choking when vomiting, tilt his head and place a pillow under his head.
Actually, the best way to reduce the short-term effects of alcohol is to not consume alcohol at all or drink in moderation. Limit your alcohol intake to no more than 14 units of alcohol per week. This amount is equivalent to 6 liters of beer or 10 small glasses of wine.
However, if you have never consumed alcohol, you should not try it for any reason.
It is important to monitor your alcohol consumption. Because if excessive, alcohol consumption not only triggers the short-term effects of alcohol, but also the long-term effects of alcohol, such as mental health disorders, diabetes, impotence, dementia, and liver cirrhosis.
If the habit of consuming alcohol actually makes you addicted, immediately consult a doctor to get the right advice on how to stop it.