Quick Steps for Alcohol Consumption

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Alcohol is a sedative hypnotic. It is a powerful drug available to virtually anyone who wants to try it. Below are the effects based on the amount relative to the time in which alcohol is consumed.

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

After drinking, people usually feel pleasure and become talkative at first. The feelings are usually replaced by drowsiness as the alcohol is eliminated from body, and the drinker may become withdrawn. This pattern often encourages people to drink more to keep the buzz going.
Immediate medical attention is necessary if a person becomes unconscious, is impossible to arouse or seems to have trouble breathing.
Drinking a high concentration of alcohol in a short period of time can suppress the centers of the brain that control breathing and cause a person to pass out or even die.
When people pass out, their bodies continue to absorb alcohol. The amount of alcohol in the blood can reach dangerous levels, and they can die in their sleep. Continue to check on someone who has gone to sleep drunk. Do not leave that person alone.
It is dangerous to combine alcohol with other drugs, especially those that make you sleepy
Most alcohol is metabolized in the liver and then excreted. When someone drinks more alcohol than their liver can handle efficiently, the additional alcohol accumulates in the blood and body tissues.

If you drink - drink sensibly and responsibly!

Alcohol Consumption

University of Arkansas • Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
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Little Rock, Arkansas 72204 • USA
Phone (501) 671-2000 • Fax (501) 671-2209

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