Short Term Mental Effects of Alcohol

Alcohol is a psychoactive substance whose effects alter the mind and the body. Each person responds differently to alcohol depending on many factors including their age, weight, tolerance, gender, background and present state of mind. The human body can usually metabolize one alcoholic drink per hour. Even in moderation, the effects of alcohol on the mind are apparent and corporeal.

Relaxation

• Alcohol is a sedative that affects the body almost immediately. When it enters the blood stream, it has the ability to calm and loosen you up. Because of these qualities, alcohol serves to relieve stress and anxiety, and to break the ice at social functions.

Decreased Inhibition

• Alcohol in your bloodstream effects your prefrontal cortex: the part of your brain responsible for logic and judgment. When it is sedated by alcohol, fears that would normally prevent you from performing certain actions are also sedated. This is why some people often refer to alcohol as "Liquid Courage."

Loss of Judgement

• Alcohol depresses your nervous system and impairs your ability to process information. Your sense of judgment suffers and you are inclined to behave in ways you would not normally behave. People who suffer from loss of judgment due to alcohol often overstep boundaries, make poor decisions, exhibit loud and obnoxious behavior, and demonstrate emotional irrationality.

Violence

• About one in five alcoholics are prone to violence under the influence of alcohol. According to Tufts University professor of psychology Klaus Miczek, people who are prone to violence have molecules in their brain that prevent the distribution of serotonin while intoxicated. Although genetics may explain why these molecules affect certain individuals, Miczek believes that childhood experience determines the actual manifestation of these attributes.