08/11/2023
Alcohol affects the brain in two opposing ways: it both stimulates and depresses it. Initially, alcohol has an intense depressive effect on the central nervous system, but this is temporary. As a result, the central nervous system is agitated. While less intense, the effects last about six times longer than those of alcohol. The drinking environment and the drinker’s personality influence the drinker’s perception of these effects. The nervous system can be inhibited in non-social, quiet environments. This makes the drinker and others more aware of alcohol’s depressant and sedative effects. Due to its ability to suppress inhibitions in some parts of the brain, drinkers may mistake small amounts of alcohol as stimulating in social settings with more sensory stimulation. A small loss of self-control results in increased talkativeness, liveliness, and self-assurance. Alcohol consumption and/or chronic drinking lead to disinhibition, motor impairment, loss of control, stupor, coma, and death.
