Since ancient times we have been consuming alcohol as a part of our culture to enhance the fun in various ceremonies, but drinking too much alcohol or making it a habit can cause serious problems to one's health such as various cancers, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, pancreatitis etc. Not only this, sometimes it can also cause serious accidents. But of course it is absolutely true that "alcohol affects different people differently" according to the tolerance level of a person. According to Plato "excessive increase of anything produces a reaction in the opposite direction" the same thing applies here in the case of alcohol as well.
In fact it has also been proved that drinking alcohol in moderate quantities has some positive effects on the body. It has a negative effect on the body only when the concentration of alcohol in the blood will be relatively high, such as 5-10 m mol L-1 and there will be a feeling of euphoria even at low concentrations of alcohol. According to the book "Beyond Hangover", research shows that the "low risk" level of drinking alcohol for men is no more than four drinks per day and fourteen drinks a week, while for women it is no more than three drinks a day and seven drinks a week. One can have problems even after drinking in small amounts, if one drinks too much too quickly; this is considered to be the case only for those who are over 65 years of age. And for older adults, they should not exceed three drinks a day and seven drinks a week. When someone drinks, about 2 percent to 8 percent of the alcohol is lost through urine and sweat. The other 92 percent to 98 percent is metabolized by our body.
At the same time alcohol exerts its effect on the CNS by disrupting the lipid bilayer of neurons through non-selectivity. Actually alcohol goes directly from the digestive system into the blood vessels. Within a few minutes, the blood carries the alcohol to all parts of the body, including the brain. And it affects the neurons of the brain in several ways. It alters their membranes as well as their ion channels, enzymes and receptors. Alcohol binds directly to the receptors for acetylcholine, serotonin, GABA and also to the NMDA receptors for glutamate. The effect of GABA is to reduce neural activity by allowing chloride ions to enter the post-synaptic neuron. These ions have a negative electrical charge, which helps the neuron to be less excitable. This physiological effect is increased when alcohol binds to the GABA receptor, as it enables the ion channel to remain open longer and thus allow more Cl- ions to pass into the cell. Thus, the activity of the neuron will be further reduced, explaining the sedative effect of alcohol. This effect is further increased because alcohol also reduces the stimulating effect of glutamate on NMDA receptors.
