In recent years, cops have cracked down on drunk driving, buzzed driving and any sort of drug-impaired driving. In any situation, getting behind the wheel of a car is dangerous. A car crash can happen out of nowhere from an unexpected mechanical failure, a driver falling asleep or an animal running out in front of a car. However, drunk driving makes roads even more dangerous, and cops can’t play around when it comes to keeping citizens protected. If you end up in a drunk driving accident, a DUI lawyer will help you navigate what options you have and how you can get back to normalcy after a life-changing accident. However, while many people know about alcohol’s ability to impair thinking and functioning, there are some bodily effects people don’t elaborate on as much. Here are three of the unusual effects of alcohol.
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1. A Hangover May Trigger Anxiety
A lot of people suffer from anxiety and have trouble controlling emotions of uneasiness and nervousness when anxiety takes over. However, alcohol may be to blame if you suffer from anxiety while hungover. As your body recovers from a hangover and starts to get the alcohol out of your system, your blood sugar drops which stress out your brain. Your brain isn’t used to having a lot of sugar leave its system that rapidly, so it can lead to feelings of worry and anxiousness as you recover from a hangover. While people look to relax while enjoying a drink, if you suffer from anxiety, you may be doing more harm than good coping that way.
2. You Aren’t Forgetting Memories; You Aren’t Making Them
A lot of people who blackout from drinking and wake up the next day unable to remember the night assume alcohol made them forget what they did. In reality, alcohol impairs your brain’s ability to make new memories. When you drink a lot of alcohol, your long-term memory is affected. Therefore, you may remember and be aware during the moment, but the next day you won’t remember anything because your memories didn’t transfer over to the long-term memory bank.
3. Your Body Doesn’t Digest Alcohol
When you eat food, it goes through the digestion process. However, alcohol doesn’t follow suit. It immediately hits your bloodstream, and that’s what causes alcohol-related effects to take hold from impaired cognitive ability and acting differently than normal. How fast your blood absorbs alcohol depends on a lot of factors including your size, weight and height. Knowing how alcohol affects your body is key to ensuring you can enjoy a night out without experiencing the repercussions of blacking out and throwing up. Check out this list for how alcohol affects someone’s body based on gender, size and other factors.
When you drink, you have to be responsible, aware and vigilant especially if you have to get back home because you’re drinking somewhere outside of your residence. Getting behind the wheel drunk is never an option and finding a way home is imperative for your life and others no matter the circumstance.
