The Effects of Hard Liquor

Drinking hard liquor may be an enjoyable activity that loosens you up. However, there are also negative physical effects of hard liquor. When consuming any type of alcohol, it is always important to drink responsibly.

Effects on Your Body

• Hard liquors are central nervous system depressants that are quickly absorbed into your bloodstream. Enzymes in your liver metabolize a small quantity of the alcohol, and the remaining alcohol disperses throughout your body. The more hard liquor consumed, the more intense the bodily reaction is.

Physical Reactions

• Consuming hard liquor will relax you, and can make you feel exhilarated. Consuming large amounts of liquor will also make you lose control of your muscles and feel dizzy. Vomiting from drinking is your body signaling to you that you have too much alcohol in your bloodstream. Hard liquor also dehydrates you, which is why drinking copious amounts of liquor results in a headache, nausea and dry mouth--collectively known as a hangover--several hours after the liquor has been consumed.

Personal Factors

• The effects of hard liquor are not limited to the amount consumed. Hard liquor affects everyone differently based on many different factors, including gender, age, race, ethnicity, rate of liquor consumption, drug or prescription medicine usage, amount of food eaten before and during the drinking, family alcohol history and physical condition.

Drinking While Pregnant

• Consuming alcohol, such as hard liquor, at any time during pregnancy, can be extremely harmful to the baby. A fetus' brain develops throughout the entire pregnancy, and alcohol can lead to your baby being born with mental retardation.

Beer and Wine Comparisons

• The effects of alcohol are based on the quantity of ethanol consumed, and do not vary based of the type of drink. To compare, 1.5 ounces of hard liquor contains the same amount of alcohol as 12 ounces of beer and 5 ounces of wine.