When I was younger I was not a big drinker like the rest of my friends. I might have had a couple of drinks every month or so at a party but for the most part I was usually the sober one. I always had the responsibility of making sure my friends were okay and safe and then of course being the designated driver. By the time I was legally allowed to drink my drinking habits did not change too much. I always knew the danger of drinking and what it could do to your body. It became clearer to me when I was 23 and out celebrating for Black Wednesday with a bunch of my friends.
I remember watching the snow fall from inside the bar we were at in downtown Chicago. The music and atmosphere was great and everyone was having such a good time and all I thought about did not want to drive home in this crappy weather. Lisa realized that I was not having fun and decided to bring me over a glass of vodka and sprite. As Lisa put the drink to her mouth, the alcohol traveled down her throat and esophagus to the stomach. She gaged a little due to the acidic fluid passing her sphincter as it irritated her esophagus; heartburn by excessive amounts of alcohol. As the alcohol enters her stomach some of it is absorbed into the bloodstream before the remainder is passed on to the small intestine. The majority of alcohol enters the bloodstream through the walls of the small intestine, due to its large surface area and rich blood vessel composition. About 20 percent of the alcohol consumed is absorbed in the stomach, and about 80 percent is absorbed in the small intestine. From here alcohol passes through the portal vein through the liver into the hepatic vein and into the heart. Alcohol is metabolized in the liver, which eliminates 95% of ingested alcohol from the body. Through oxidation by the liver, alcohol is detoxified and removed from the blood, preventing it from accumulating in the tissues and destroying cells and organs.
As I was celebrating or at least trying to enjoy my time, I kept wondering how I was going to get myself and Lisa home safe. I obviously knew that she could not drive and with only two drinks in my system I decided to stop. I went to the bar and asked for their food menu since I remembered in Biology class that food slows down the rate at which alcohol is absorbed by the body. I took a bite and my food entered my mouth and began its breakdown with mastication and then compacted by the tongue into a bolus and swallowed. It began to move along through the pharynx and into the esophagus. My solid food passed from the oropharynx to the stomach in about 8 seconds. After about a half hour I began to feel less intoxicated and decided to join the party without drinking. As my friends continued to drink I thought “how much more can they drink without feeling the effects?” I remembered an article I read about how after absorption from the gastrointestinal tract, alcohol from the blood enters and dissolves in the water inside each bodily tissue where it is pumped throughout the body by the heart Alcohol causes low blood pressure. The blood vessels are open and increase reduction in the diameter of small arteries which is caused by relaxation of the smooth muscle fibers in the wall of the arteriole; it is therefore easier for blood to flow through your body. It also causes low peripheral resistance; low blood pressure, where it increases heat loss and rapid body temperature decrease. It also causes a drop in blood pressure. Blood is transported around the circulatory system, it reaches the vena cava where it builds up, because your heart is beating slowly the pressure to pump the blood through is low, this then causes the vena cava to stretch, impulses are then sent to your brain, which in turn sends a message back to S. A. Node in your heart to speed up, which enables the blood in the vena cava to start flowing again. As the night went on I noticed Lisa was not acting normal. It seemed like she had lowered her inhibitions and just