I enjoy my beer. However, as I am approaching my mid-thirties, my body has started to let me know it does not share my enthusiasm. I usually must pop a Pepcid AC prior to the event. And heaven forbid I have more than two drinks. If I do, I will surely feel bloated, tired, and crabby the next day. Considering my busy life in grad school and working full time, it’s likely I will need loads of caffeine to make it through the day. It’s just as likely I will not be motivated to make it through the day at all. So, I enjoy my two beers, on occasion. If you enjoy alcohol on occasion, or maybe more often than you should, have you ever thought about the trip alcohol takes through our bodies when we drink? Reminiscent of a Magic School Bus episode, allow me to be your Ms. Frizzle and take you on a tour of our bodies while we drink. That’s a nod to my ninety’s babies.
Alcohol passes through our bodies the same way every time we drink. Once you take a sip of alcohol, five percent of that alcohol is immediately absorbed into your bloodstream. From there, alcohol makes its way to your stomach, where another twenty percent is absorbed into your bloodstream. The remainder of alcohol, roughly seventy-five percent, is absorbed through your small intestine. When alcohol moves from your stomach and enters your small intestine, most of the alcohol permeates the walls of your small intestine and enters the bloodstream. Unlike other beverages you drink, alcohol must be digested before entering the bloodstream. Typically, most alcohol from a single drink will be absorbed into your bloodstream between twenty and forty minutes of consumption.
Once alcohol has entered your bloodstream, it travels to all other parts of your body. This includes your brain! When alcohol reaches your cardiovascular system, it increases your heart rate and opens up the blood vessels near your skin. This may cause you to begin to feel warm or create the appearance of rosy cheeks. Once alcohol reaches your stomach, it likely irritates your stomach and increases your production of stomach acids. This may lead you to feel nauseous or cause acid reflux as you age. You should have popped a Pepcid AC! Perhaps you can drink some Alka-Seltzer. When your bloodstream carries alcohol to your liver, your liver will change the alcohol to water, carbon dioxide, and energy. This process is called oxidation. I almost forgot to mention, alcohol also acts as a diuretic, so it is likely you will have to use the bathroom around that time. You will probably have to continue to use the bathroom more frequently than usual for the rest of the night.
The most important thing to understand is that the liver can only oxidize about one drink per hour. What qualifies as one drink? One drink is equivalent to twelve ounces of beer, six ounces of wine, or one and a half ounces of hard alcohol. If you drink a long island iced tea for example, that single drink contains three and three-quarter ounces of hard alcohol. And that is if your bartender makes it according to the drink recipe. In many bars, bartenders over pour, which means you are getting additional alcohol than the recipe calls for. If you drink a long island that is made correctly, that is equivalent to more than two drinks, even if that drink is in a single cup. If you drink at a rate of more than one drink per hour, alcohol will continue to travel to all these various parts of your body and cause you to feel increasingly intoxicated until your liver can process the alcohol. I hope taking this trip through your body as the alcohol you drink shows you the many ways alcohol affects our bodies. If you do drink, please drink responsibly!
If you would like to speak to a professional counselor or psychologist about this and are in the Chicago area, please feel free to contact Olive Branch Counseling Associates, Inc. at 708-633-8000. We are located at 6819 West 167th Street in Tinley Park, Illinois 60477.
Hillary R.,
Masters Level Intern, 2023
CounselingMatters.live 
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