Blood alcohol concentration(BAC) is a measurement of the amount of alcohol in your body.
It is measured in grams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. A measurement of 0.05% BAC means your body contains 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. As soon as you start drinking, your BAC begins to rise.
It takes 30 to 60 minutes after you have stopped drinking for your BAC to reach its highest concentration.
Lethal blood alcohol levels usually occur at the 0.55 level. In most areas 0.08 is considered legally impaired.
Effects of Alcohol on your body
Ethyl Acohol acts as depressant on the CNS - central nervous system which is made up of the brain and spinal cord. This means it slows brain and nervous system function.
When people drink a moderate amount of ethanol, they may feel an initial stimulation or rush of energy. Later, alcohol decreases memory, ability to concentrate,quickness of reaction, and judgment.
Strong drinks with a higher percentage of alcohol are absorbed more quickly, while beer and wine are absorbed more slowly.
Peak blood alcohol concentration occurs within thirty to ninety minutes of drinking earlier on an empty stomach and later on a full stomach.
Once absorbed, ethanol spreads throughout the parts of the body that contain water, going wherever water goes.
Recent evidence suggests that low or moderate amounts of ethanol (one to two drinks per day) can indirectly reduce the risk of heart attacks.
The doses must be low enough to avoid liver damage. Scientists believe that this beneficial effect occurs because alcohol raises the level of a certain type of cholesterol in the blood. This cholesterol slows the development of arteriosclerosis, often the cause of heart attacks.
When a person drinks a beverage that has alcohol in it, the ethanol is absorbed from the stomach by simple diffusion into the bloodstream. Food slows the absorption process.
Nutritional effects of Alcohol
The body needs energy for its actions, protein to build and maintain cells, and a variety of micronutrients to support function. People who drink heavily often eat less than is necessary for health. Some heavy drinkers take in as much as 50 percent of their daily calorie needs as alcohol. As a result, they do not consume enough essential nutrients, protein, carbohydrate, and fat. Their bodies are deprived of the energy intake and materials needed to build tissues.
Alcohol interferes with nutrition by affecting digestion and the way the body uses, stores, and excretes nutrients. Alcohol prevents nutrients from breaking down into substances the body can use. It also slows the absorption of nutrients by damaging cells in the stomach and intestines, and interferes with the transport of some micronutrients into the blood from digested foods.
Alcohol also affects blood sugar levels. An undernourished person who drinks alcohol can develop hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia, or decreased blood sugar, can cause serious injury even if it is only temporary. When there is no food to supply energy, the sugar that is stored in the body decreases. As a result, the brain and other organs do not get the amounts of glucose (sugar) needed for energy and proper functioning.
Chronic heavy drinking causes deficiencies—inadequate amounts— of vitamins A, E, and D. Vitamin D deficiency can cause bone loss; vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness; deficiencies of vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and B can interfere with wound healing and cell functions. Deficiencies of various vitamins can cause damage to the brain and nervous system.
