Alcohol is a mermaid siren that calls out to those predisposed to addiction. She promises all. She offers to alleviate all difficulties. She tells you that everything will be better if you only listen to her. She says she understands, and offers you a drink. She assures you that sticking with her is the way to go. She stands out as a model of happiness and hope. She argues that only she can take away the pain.
When is drinking too much? This is the question for those who constantly likes to drink alcohol. People who drink occasionally are usually the light drinkers. They are the ones who drink to enjoy and to socialize with other people. Those people who directly seek alcohol and drinks several times a week are considered the heavy drinkers. Drinking too much can have negative effects on both the drinker and his or her close friends and family members. All these promises are, of course, false. The effects of alcohol are well known, and dangerous.
For the new drinker, the effects of alcohol can be seen as a stimulant. This means that alcohol can be good for lightening the mood of the occasion and it can loosen up the people a bit more to make the gathering livelier. This is because the ethanol contained in the liquor causes the release of dopamine in the brain. When dopamine is released in the brain, the heart rate and blood pressure increases. This increase causes your face and limbs to feel warm. You tend to talk faster and louder and you drop your inhibitions. Vodka, brandy and rum will give you this effect after a few minutes of drinking. In terms of wine, the red wine gives you a gradual increase of the warm and flushed feeling.
For the heavy drinker, the effect of alcohol is very different. The effect of alcohol is more of a depressant rather than a stimulant. High quantity drinking causes the ethanol to be carried by the bloodstream directly into the brain. The central nervous system loses its control on the body causing slurred speech, blurred vision, poor balance and coordination and loss of muscle coordination. The heart rate and blood pressure also goes down causing dizziness and drowsiness.
For people who cannot stop drinking, the answer is a rehab program. Alcohol recovery programs assists people who have drinking problems. Close family members and friends are crucial in helping the affected person to undergo intensive alcohol recovery rehab hospitalization.