We spend a lot of time enjoying alcohol, but not much understanding what exactly we’re pouring into our bodies. As a bartender, I get numerous requests from patrons, and DailyXY readers, who want to know more about the whys and wherefores of booze’s legal limits. Heading in to the holiday “party zone,” here’s a quick and quasi-cautionary overview of alcohol and what it does to you.

Ask ten people what alcohol is: Eight will say “the stuff you get drunk from.” The other two might mention wounds and sterilization, and probably have another type of alcohol in mind, namely rubbing alcohol, or Isopropyl. (‘Probably,’ because strong spirits can also lend a disinfecting hand, constantly pointed out by cinematic heroes staunching their severe wounds with a skin-splash of whisky — which is overkill, but overkill rooted in some truth.)

Nevertheless: Beverage alcohol is called Ethyl Alcohol or, more simply, Ethanol. A colourless liquid (until it sees some barrel time), it’s distilled from a fermented sugar source such as grapes, grains or cane. It is technically a psychoactive drug and is a central nervous system depressant, also known to previous generations as a “downer.” When imbibing your beverage of choice, your stomach and small intestine absorb the alcohol and it enters the bloodstream. It is then carried throughout the body, storing itself in your body’s tissue. This is when we start to feel its influence. Intoxication can be measured in the overall percentage of alcohol in the blood, or Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC).

Why on earth would we want to ingest something that impedes our central nervous system’s functionality? Well, in small doses, the consumption of beverage alcohol is fun. It increases sociability in most people, and can certainly lighten one’s mood. Life becomes more enjoyable, albeit a tad foggy, with a BAC of approximately 0.03 – 0.12.

Moderate consumption of alcohol (one drink per day for women and one-two drinks per day for men) has also been shown to have some positive effects on one’s health. People whose daily diet includes a small amount of alcohol have been shown to sleep better, and are less likely to develop dementia, gallstones, heart disease, type-2 diabetes and, all things being equal, are on the whole were found to have better general health. Also, their incidences of heart attacks and stroke are much lower than average. A recent study called Blue Zones identified the areas on earth with the highest concentrations of Centenarians; among many contributing factors, the majority of old-agers were found to consume a small amount of alcohol in their daily diet.

Alas, fairness dictates that we also consider the negative effects. These kick in the minute you start overindulging; should you continue to overindulge for any considerable period in your life (a.k.a. alcoholism), the results can be devastating.

In the short-term, a BAC of more than 0.12 has immediate negative effects, which only amplify as further alcohol is consumed. It might seem funny to people watching you, but your body hardly agrees, as it scrambles to try and function despite having been poisoned. Binge drinking is particularly dangerous and can triple (or more) the already disorienting 0.12 BAC. “The spins,” the common moniker for the bout of nausea and vertigo that often accompanies overindulgence (and often leads to a few hours with face in toilet) is caused by alcohol affecting the body’s natural inner-ear balancing system, making the brain think the body is spinning, and trying to compensate with the eyes. Should you decide to continue drinking at that point, you are quite possibly in some real trouble. Binge drinking is particularly dangerous and can triple (or more) the already disorienting 0.12 BAC., with coma and even death from alcohol poisoning coming in at a BAC of 0.35 – 0.50.

There is much wisdom in the saying “all things in moderation.” With strong cocktails and the world of spirits enjoying a robust renaissance, it’s important to understand the product, and too many (on both sides of the bar) simply don’t. To my readers: Think when you drink; take care of yourself and those around you so you can do it again another day. To my fellow bartenders: Let’s remember that we are, in a sense, legalized drug dealers. We distribute for the benefit of our guests a recreational drug, which we know can be beneficial in small doses. Still, we must be careful about crossing the line into “pusher” territory; we don’t do our guests any favours by allowing them to overindulge.

Next time on Cocktailing: The Hangover

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Image courtesy of stoicviking.