WHAT DOES IT DO TO PEOPLE?
Alcohol requires no digestion, and is absorbed into the bloodstream immediately though the stomach lining and to some extent through the small intestine. The presence of food in the stomach slows this process down, but will not impede intoxication. Alcohol is metabolised in the liver, which can process about 1/2 ounce of alcohol every hour and a half. This is done using the enzyme 'Alcohol Dehydrogenase'. The unprocessed alcohol continues to circulate the bloodsteam until the liver can process it.
| Ethanol Dose (oz/hour) |
Ethanol Dose (mg/100ml) |
Function
Impaired |
Physical State |
| 1-4 | up to 100 | Judgment, fine motor coordination, reaction time | Happy, talkative, boastful |
| 4-12 | 100-300 | Motor coordination, reflexes | Staggering gait, slurred speech, nausea, vomiting |
| 12-16 | 300-400 | Voluntary responses to stimulation | Hypothermia, hyperthermia, anesthesia |
| 16-24 | 400-600 | Sensation, movement, self-protective reflexes | Comatose |
| 24-30 | 600-900 | Breathing, heart function | Dead |