Alcohol FAQ’s
How many brain cells are killed per
beer?

Alcohol usually does not kill brain cells
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rather damages dendrites--the branched ends of
nerve cells that bring messages into the cell. Roberta J.
Pentney, professor of anatomy and cell biology at the University at Buffalo
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it inhibits the release of neurotransmitters, and that
slows down communication between cells . Richard Gross,
professor of medicine, chemistry, and molecular biology and pharmacology at Washington
University in St. Louis
Usually brain cells are not killed,
but…

Researchers reported that the animals forced
onto an alcoholic binge experienced significant
death of brain cells within two days Journal of
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research

The damage is largely reversible.
Why do people get hangovers?


Acetaldehyde is created when the alcohol in the
liver is broken down by an enzyme called
alcohol dehydrogenase. The acetaldehyde is then
attacked by another enzyme, acetaldehyde
dehydrogenase, and another substance called
glutathione
When concentrations of alcohol are high,
acetaldehyde builds up, causing hangovers.
Are the effects of alcohol the same
for men and women?

Women absorb and metabolize alcohol differently than
men. In general, women have less body water than men
of similar body weight, so that women achieve higher
concentrations of alcohol in the blood after drinking
equivalent amounts of alcohol
National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Women have less acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and
glutathione, making their hangovers worse because it
takes longer for the body to break down the alcohol.
Why does alcohol damage your liver?

When alcohol is present, the liver cells are
forced to first metabolize the alcohol, letting the
fatty acids accumulate, sometimes in huge
amounts. Alcohol metabolism permanently
changes liver cell structure, which impairs the
liver?s ability to metabolize fats. This explains
why heavy drinkers tend to develop fatty livers.

The liver is able to metabolize about ½ ounce of
ethanol per hour (approximately one drink,
depending on a person’s body size, food intake,
etc.)
Why does alcohol make you throw
up?

Alcohol or more strictly Ethanol is toxic. The
body tries to remove poisons by vomiting.
T/F

“All college students drink, and when they
do they usually get wasted.”

F – Only about 30% of college students (less than a
third) drink to get drunk, meaning that if you drink
to get drunk, you’re in the minority, not the majority.
“It’s a good sign to be throwing up
at the end of the night, ‘cause it gets
out the alcohol.”
 F- Unless you take a drink and then immediately
vomit it right back up, what you are puking at
the end of the night is primarily NOT the
alcohol in your system; it’s everything else that
was in the glass or in your stomach.
“It’s normal to pass out from
drinking.”
F- Most people don’t pass out from
drinking. Passing out is a VERY bad sign, and
actually is an indication that it’s a medical
emergency.
 Passing out is not the same as “sleeping.”
“Someone has alcohol poisoning if
they are throwing up blood and
twitching on the floor with their eyes
rolling back into their head.”

F- Remember: alcohol is a depressant, which slows down the
body functions as it soaks into the various regions of the
brain. Typically, a person who has alcohol poisoning looks
like the following, and requires immediate medical attention:



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Slow heart rate
Cold, clammy skin
Unresponsive to people’s attempts to wake them up
Vomiting while unconscious
It is best to turn an intoxicated
person onto their side to prevent
them from “puking and choking in
their sleep. ”

T … But, leaving a person unattended when
they are in this condition is extremely dangerous.