Intoxication Will Slow Down Your Reaction Time Essays

For example, after drinking alcohol, men expect to feel more powerful and aggressive (Stanford University, 1999). This increases their expectancy of certain outcomes, especially in sexual situations. Thus, drinking alcohol may cause men to misinterpret a woman's behavior as a sign of her desire to have sex with him. On the other hand, when a woman consumes alcohol, it can cause her to ignore or miss a cue that an assault is possible or likely to happen (Antonia, 1991). Alcohol can also keep a woman from realizing that her friendly behavior is being misperceived as seduction. Studies have shown that intoxicated and sober men are inclined to misperceive friendliness as a sign of sexual interest, so this is a great danger to women (Stanford University, 1999). Alcohol consumption can also decrease the likelihood that a woman can successfully resist an assault, verbally or physically. Additionally, women become intoxicated faster than men. This occurs for two reasons: women generally weigh less and have less water in their bodies than men, so the alcohol is less diluted and has a greater impact on their bodies. (Stanford University, 1999). Women do not metabolize alcohol as efficiently as men, which makes them more vulnerable to the consequences of drinking.

The pathophysiology of alcoholism begins after alcohol the ingestion of alcohol. It is absorbed and unaltered through the stomach and intestines. Next it is distributed throughout the body through the blood and absorbed by all tissues and fluids (Huether, 2012, p. 72). Furthermore, in the liver the alcohol blood content is metabolized into acetaldehyde by the enzymes process of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), the microsomal ethanol oxidizing system (MEOS), and catalase (Huether & McCance, 2012). Next, the metabolizing effects the central nervous system (CNS) and exhibits a depressant action. It is first expressed in the subcortical structures of the brain. This has an effect of disorientation of motor skills and intellect. With an increase in blood alcohol concentration, the medullary centers become depressed and as a result affects respiration (Huether & McCance, 2012). In addition, the effects of alcoholism encourage hepatic and gastric changes. The hepatic effect is caused by acetaldehyde, in which, induces inflammation, fatty deposits and enlargement of the liver (Huether & McCance, 2012).

This pattern often encourages people to drink more to keep the buzz going." ( Net Biz Mentor ). When people get like that they usually get a little bolder and want to do normal tasks and routines like driving a motorized vehicle. The effects of alcohol result in poor coordination, slurred speech, double vision, decrease of self-control, lost of consciousness and maybe even death.

Alcohol impairs judgment, memory, concentration and coordination, as well as inducing extreme mood swings and emotional

     ?Alcohol?s effects are progressively more noticeable as the blood alcohol concentration increases. At a BAC of .02 to .05 percent the effects are almost entirely pleasurable. The drinker feels relaxed and sociable. There may also be some modest impairment of reasoning or memory and general reduction in caution. A BAC of .05 to .07 produces a state of excitement. The drinker begins to suffer from what may be a slight but nonetheless noticeable impairment of balance, speech, vision, reaction time, and hearing. Judgement and self-control are also effected. The driver?s behavior is apt to become more aggressive. In general, the drinker feels stimulated and highly capable. In reality his or her ability to safely perform tasks such as driving that require quick reactions, concentration, and good judgement has been significantly reduced.

The students that drink too much do not understand that drinking just a little can affect the brain with a lot of force. Once in the bloodstream, alcohol reaches the brain quickly and begins to affect nerve cells. It slows the messages that travel along nerve fibers. Only a small amount of alcohol is needed to impair the normal

Many negative effects come with drinking alcohol. Since teenagers’ brains are not fully developed until they are in their mid 20’s, it is especially dangerous to them. The legal alcohol age should not be eighteen because it harms the teenage brain and body, it has negative (and potentially fatal) effects on school, and it has negative effects on driving.

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Alcohol can cause alterations in the structure, and the consequences may be evident beyond adolescence. Even though alcohol appears to be a stimulant, really it is a central nervous system depressant, depressing the brains inhibition control center (“too smart to start”). Neuron connectivity is vital to every human. Connectivity can be slowed down by alcohol consumption, which leads the person to think, speak, and move slower (“too smart to start”). Long term effects include memory loss and continuity of poor judgement. The cerebral cortex works with the senses; when the senses are debilitated, information is forgotten and senses do not function properly. The hippocampus regulates a person’s memories. When consuming too much alcohol, or even just one or two drinks, the hippocampus will damage, and a person will struggle remembering minor and large details. Teenagers often gloat over not being able to remember the night before. Even though their night may have been an “awesome blackout” their hippocampus has already been permanently damaged. The person now, can not hold on to knowledge and learn the same as before. The cerebellum controls coordination, thoughts and awareness (“too smart to start”). On most occasions, people have problems with these skills when consuming alcohol. In grade school, D.A.R.E. representatives brought “drunk goggles” to school. Studies show that alcoholism in the cerebellum

“I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU FOR HOURS” she yells back at Nick. She can feel her face turning red but she's not sure if it's from the cold of the outside or the anger brewing in her stomach. He told her that he would meet her. He promised.

After alcohol reaches the brain, it numbs the frontal lobe, which has direct control over the judgment, visual perception and decision making skills. Scientists believe this is what makes alcoholics believe they can conquer any task put before them. After drinking a good number of drinks everyday over a long period of time, many things can happen. Cirrhosis of the liver can occur, which means the liver tissues become hardened. Scientists also report that irreversible brain damage can occur before cirrhosis of the liver is even detected. Also, cancer of the liver, mouth, esophagus as well as lungs and pancreatic cancer often occur as a result of alcoholism. Alcohol also has an affect on the mind as well as the body. Alcoholics often report that they feel inferior to people and believe they can do anything. Many people believe that alcohol acts as a "social lubricant." Increased social pleasures, assertiveness talkativeness and even happiness are all expected by many, when they drink in these situations. Alcohol is said to reduce tension and anxiety. This in turn allows drinkers to feel more relaxed and comfortable in social situations. However, this also encourages the drinker to drink more when under more stress.

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Along with the central nervous system, the outer layer of the brain is also affected by alcohol. The main part of the brain that is affected is the frontal cortex. This part of the brain is in charge of conscious thought. When people drink alcohol, they tend to lose their conscious thought, or otherwise known as their inhibitions. Alcohol disturbs many parts of the brain, but another important area that is affected is the cerebellum. The cerebellum is located towards the back of your brain, and is in charge of controlling your balance, coordination, and your eye movements. When alcohol is consumed, the brain can misread the judgment of distances and heights. Throughout the course of a flight, the pilot is going to constantly be looking out the window to judge the distance and height of things. This is mostly important when the pilot is coming into land at the airport. If the pilot misjudges the correct distance to touchdown, everyone on the plane could die due to overshooting or undershooting. Pilots need their senses to be perfect while they are flying because they are in charge of potentially hundreds of

The effects associated with alcohol are produced by the ethanol in the alcohol. The severity of these effects is reflected by the concentration of alcohol in an individual’s blood, which is dictated by the amount of alcohol ingested, the volume of blood, the individual’s metabolism, and amount of time since ingestion. In large doses, alcohol acts as a depressant of the central nervous-system. A blood alcohol level of 0.1% affects some of the motor areas of the brain associated with speech, balance and manual dexterity. A blood alcohol level of 0.2% depresses all motor functions and the area concerned with emotions is depressed. At a blood alcohol level of 0.45% the entire section of the brain that handles perception is depressed and the individual becomes comatose. At a blood alcohol level of 0.7% the parts of the brain that control the heartbeat and breathing are depressed and the individual

In Jill Dombrauckas’s (2015) report, she discussed that the Pennsylvania DUI Association made a large amount of researches about alcohol’s effect on body systems. In one research, alcohol affects the central nervous system which means when the individual drink alcohol, the messages that are carried to and from the brain and the body’s muscles can be slowed delivery. For example, the incoming signals from the brain, like the painful sensory that will decrease the injury’s awareness. Also the signals from the brain to the muscles will lead the motor skills becoming insensitive.