Alcohol is a psychoactive substance that significantly alters the functioning of the human central nervous system. Alcoholic drinks relax, improve mood, bring pleasure. It is for this purpose that many people use it.
However, for some, one glass of wine is enough to get drunk, while others drink large quantities of alcohol and continue to look quite sober, while behaving absolutely normally. But why don't people get drunk on alcohol? This is due to various factors, which should also include the individual characteristics of the human body. Let's talk about this in more detail.
The effect of alcohol on the human body
To accurately answer the question of why some people do not get drunk from alcohol, you should understand what specific effect ethanol can have on the human body.
When alcohol enters the digestive tract, it beginsbe absorbed into the blood. With the blood flow, it spreads to the rest of the tissues. When alcohol enters the brain, it interacts with the cerebral cells, thus starting the process of excitation and inhibition. By inhibiting the function of some centers in the brain, ethanol affects the speech, appearance and behavior of a person.
When a person consumes a small amount of alcohol, the following actions are observed: speech speeds up, the person speaks louder, behaves most freely, mood improves.
If a person continues to drink alcohol, it will cause the red blood cells to stick together. This is due to the fact that under the influence of ethanol, the protective membranes of these blood cells lose their own properties. In a normal state, red blood cells repel each other, that is, they exist autonomously. In the event of the destruction of their membranes, they begin to lose this ability, uniting with each other. Such conglomerates cannot overcome small blood vessels, as they begin to get stuck in them.
All this provokes a deterioration in the blood supply to the brain, and also leads to hypoxia. Insufficient amount of oxygen and certain substances impairs the functioning of different parts of the brain, the metabolic process is disturbed, as a result of which many neurons die.
Essential enzymes
We continue to consider why people do not get drunk from alcohol. Since the human body reacts to alcohol in a similar way, it tries to get rid of it as soon as possible. To defuseethanol, the body requires certain substances. They are called enzymes, and they are produced by the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the liver.
The latter is actively involved in the utilization of alcohol, since the main function of this body is to filter and remove harmful and unnecessary compounds from the body. The enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase is required to oxidize ethanol.
When alcohol enters the body, the automatic formation of this enzyme begins. As a result, ethanol begins to decompose into neutral compounds and highly toxic acetaldehyde. This substance is a dangerous poison. It is its effect on tissues that is caused by a negative reaction from various organs.
To render the compound harmless and turn it into acetic acid, the liver produces another enzyme called acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. It is synthesized at a certain rate, which will depend on the individual characteristics of a particular human body.
The liver does not have time to utilize part of the acetaldehyde, which is why it enters the bloodstream and spreads to other organs. That is why intoxication occurs when drinking a large amount of alcohol.
Exchange processes that occur with the participation of alcohol
Each person has his own rate of synthesis of those enzymes that are necessary for the breakdown of acetaldehyde and ethanol. There are 3 possible scenarios here:
- Both enzymesare formed slowly. This type of activity is most characteristic of peoples living in Asia who do not drink or become addicted too quickly.
- Both enzymes are formed quickly. It is in this case that people drink a large amount of alcohol, while not showing signs of intoxication. That's why they don't get drunk on alcohol.
- Alcohol dehydrogenase is synthesized rather quickly, while acetaldehyde dehydrogenase is synthesized slowly. With this type of enzyme activity, people do not experience intoxication for a long time, but the lack of a second enzyme causes alcohol consumed in large quantities to provoke a severe hangover due to the high concentration of toxic acetaldehyde in the tissues.
Reasons why people don't get drunk
There are two main reasons why a person cannot get drunk from a lot of alcohol. Consider them separately.
Training of the body
The first is characterized as the fitness of the body. In the case of regular use, a person begins to increase the level of enzyme activity, so he is able to not feel the effects of a strong drink for a long time. That's why they drink alcohol and don't get drunk. However, it should be noted that this fact indicates the development of alcohol dependence in a person, especially if such a condition appeared in a person with regular drunkenness.
The second stage of alcohol addiction is characterized by the need to consume a largeamount of alcohol to achieve "condition". This is due to the destructive effect of ethanol on the brain.
With regular use, there are fewer and fewer neurons in the brain, which is why they begin to die more slowly. If a person continues to drink, then his brain will begin to decrease in volume due to cell loss. At the same time, the center of the nervous system ceases to work effectively, due to which the personality begins to degrade, in parallel with which the level of intelligence also decreases.
Genetics
What is the second reason why you don't get drunk from alcohol? It consists in a special set of genes. The rate of synthesis of enzymes, which are necessary for the breakdown of ethanol in the body, in different people is determined precisely by the composition of their genome.
During scientific research it was proved that the inhabitants of the wine-growing regions have the set that contributes to the rapid formation of the necessary enzymes in the body. The ancestors of such people from ancient times produced strong drinks, after which they drank alcohol. For this reason, in the course of evolution, the body has adapted.
The French, Italians, Greeks, as well as other peoples who cultivated grapes in ancient times, are distinguished by the fact that they do not get drunk for a long time. This is another reason why a person drinks alcohol and does not get drunk.
Who gets drunk fast?
If we talk about the representatives of the northern peoples, then most of them did not know about alcohol at all before the arrival of Europeans on their territory. For example, the Eskimosand also some of the indigenous peoples of the Americas did not even produce liquor. The Eskimos did not produce alcohol due to a lack of resources, and the reason for the lack of alcoholic beverages was never found among the Americans.
Since the ancestors of these peoples were not familiar with ethanol, the representatives of the current generation have low activity in the body of enzymes. They begin to quickly lose control over their body, which provokes the development of alcoholism. That's why you get drunk quickly from alcohol. But these are not all factors.
What affects the rate of intoxication?
We continue to consider the features of the speed of intoxication. Why do you get drunk quickly from alcohol? And why does it take so long to get the expected result? All this will be influenced by some factors, as well as the individual characteristics of the human body. These should include:
- Gender.
- Age.
- Weight and height.
- Amount of circulating blood.
- The rate at which a person drinks.
- Number of strong drinks, fortress.
- Quality and quantity of snacks.
- Hereditary predisposition.
Age
Speaking about why you get drunk from a small amount of alcohol, you should pay attention to the fact that a person's age will play a special role in this matter. For example, young people get drunk quickly. After all, their body is not yet accustomed to alcohol and slowly produces enzymes. In addition, the elderly also become intoxicated faster than a person related toto the middle age group. This is due to a slowdown in vital activity, a slow metabolism, as well as a reduction in enzyme activity.
Weight, height, gender
Why does a person get drunk from a small amount of alcohol? This fact will depend on height, sex, weight, and also the amount of blood. As a general rule, men can drink more alcohol without getting tipsy. This is due to the fact that their weight is greater than that of women, and the amount of blood in the body is also greater. That is why fragile women can get drunk from just one glass of wine, and a strong man will not even feel the effects of ethanol from drinking so much alcohol.
Speed
Answering the question of why you do not get drunk from alcohol, as before, it is very important to pay attention to the speed with which you drink alcohol. If you drink one bottle of strong alcohol at once, then the person will fall drunk. In some cases, it even leads to death. But if a person drinks slowly, then the liver has time to produce enzymes, as a result of which the intoxicating effect is reduced.
Snack
Why does a person get drunk from a small amount of alcohol? It is likely that while drinking alcoholic beverages, he did not eat anything. The fact is that when eating, a person significantly slows down the absorption of ethanol into the blood, which is why intoxication will come much later.
Psycho-emotional state
If you have a question about why you stopped getting drunk from alcohol, then it is likely thatpsycho-emotional state played a significant role. The fact is that if alcohol is consumed in a pleasant company, in a good mood, then a person's likelihood of getting drunk is reduced. But if you drink out of grief, feeling a desire to get drunk as soon as possible, then this will happen to a person.
Recommendations
So, we figured out why you quickly get drunk from a small dose of alcohol, and also why a person cannot get drunk from alcoholic beverages for a long time. However, you should pay attention to the fact that alcoholic beverages will affect absolutely any person. There is no such thing that people do not get drunk at all, no matter how much they drink. This phenomenon manifests itself differently in different people.
The speed of this process will depend on many factors that have been described above. However, there are some tricks to avoid getting drunk for a long time, for example, when you go to a party.
People who drink properly regularly will feel sober for longer. This is due to the fact that enzymes in such people for the breakdown of ethanol are formed faster. But if a person rarely drinks, then you can provoke the production of enzymes yourself. To do this, a couple of hours before the party, you need to drink 40 ml of alcohol, which will be present at the event.
Also, experts recommend eating a small amount of fat, such as lard or vegetable oil, 1 hour before the party. This measure helps to slow down the absorption of ethanol, andalso delay intoxication.
Conclusion
So, we have figured out why a person drinks alcohol and does not get drunk, and also for what reasons intoxication occurs quickly. If you want to delay this condition, then follow the recommendations that were described above.
