Take the Night off, Brain – I’ve Got Liquor
The night starts off well enough. You’re with your friends, enjoying a few drinks, everyone is laughing and talking and having a great time. After a while, though, you begin noticing changes. You’re slower, more lethargic, and strangely sleepy. It feels as though your mind is on a delay; people talk to you and you respond before you fully realize what you want to say.
What is happening?
It’s the alcohol – widely considered a depressant. And although it does not make you depressed (although it can), it does depress your central nervous system. Otherwise known as your brain and spinal cord, or the things that control every other thing. This, unsurprisingly enough, is one reason why people continue to consume alcohol. Have you ever come to the end of a long work week and felt like shutting your brain down? Alcohol provides the perfect solution – as long as you don’t mind slurred speech, impaired motor skills, and a general inability to put together a cohesive statement. You did that all week long, anyway.
All joking aside, there can be some serious side effects to using a depressant. This is especially important if you combine alcohol with another depressant – say, sleeping pills. Using one depressant will slow you down; using more than one at the same time could kill you or lead to some incredibly bizarre circumstances.
So, is there any way to counteract the effects of alcohol? Can’t you just combine a depressant with a stimulant and call it even?
You can, and you might even continue to feel energetic despite your increasing level of intoxication. But therein lies the problem: You get drunker, and you don’t really know it.
What is the smartest way to counter the effects? Drink slowly and moderately, preferably with something to eat. Allow your body to naturally process the liquor before you fill it with more. Enjoy your night.
Legal Stuff: We should remind everyone that our blog entries are for your information only and are not intended as medical advice. If you’re going to drink, do it legally and responsibly; don’t be stupid =).
