Many people wonder “Is Alcohol a Drug”. The answer is yes alcohol is a drug. Though it is a drink rather than a pill, the harsh reality is that alcohol is in fact a drug and it begins with tolerance. That is, the more you drink the easier it makes your body become less susceptible to its effects, the fact that you constantly repeat this is habitual for you, your body begins expect the presence of alcohol.
A “normal” person can have a few drinks or a glass of wine after work without becoming addicted to alcohol. However, for the alcoholic or even heavy drinker they treat alcohol as a drug. In fact Alcohol is one of the few drugs that can be fatal during the detox phase.
Is Alcohol a Drug? – Yes, Detox and Withdrawals
For the alcoholic or someone that uses alcohol just like a person addicted to drugs consume with develop a tolerance and physical dependence. When the alcoholic reduces or stop drinking Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) develops. AWS is the reaction of your body when there is a lack of alcohol presence. These symptoms include:
- Anxiety / nervousness
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Jumpiness or shakiness
- Mood swings
- Nightmares
- Not thinking clearly
- Exaggeration of moods
- Understanding Alcohol
Is Alcohol a Drug? – Yes, Classified as a Depressant
Alcohol is classified as a “depressant”. What this means it that it slows down vital functions hence the results such as slurred speech, unsteady movement, disturbed perceptions and the inability to react quickly as you normally would.
It also affects your mind in understanding that in-taking more alcohol that your body is physically able to handle reduces the individual’s ability to think rationally, also resulting in distorted judgment which may put you, your family and friends in dangerous situations.
Is Alcohol a Drug? – Yes, Effects On The Body
Despite being a depressant, the type of effects that alcohol causes it totally dependent on the amount that you consume.
For many individuals, their reason for drinking is to get the stimulant effect just to “loosen up” however, consuming more alcohol than your body can handle leads to the depressant effect, this is noticed when they start to loose coordination but that “loosened feeling” is what we tend to go for and always have the urge to drink in order to gain back that feeling, leading to your newly found alcohol addiction, here is where we now have a problem which will now lead to you requiring addiction treatment.
When we mentally have that urge and that itch to consume alcohol in large amounts it may lead to an alcohol overdose which causes even more severe depressant effects that you never deemed alcohol could give, such as
- Inability to feel pain
- Toxicity, that is, your body now begins to try to cure itself and you vomit the poison
- Unconsciousness
- Coma
- Death from severe toxic overdose
Is Alcohol a Drug – Yes, It is Metabolized
Just as the speed of sound waves travels quickly through the air, this is the same way alcohol works with your body.
Alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream by travelling within the confines of small blood vessels in walls your stomach and small intestines minutes after drinking alcohol, it then travels from the stomach to the brain and almost instantly produces its effects, slowing down the action of nerve cells.
The travel of alcohol begins in your bloodstream, from here, it is transported to your liver which eliminates the content from the blood by a process known as “metabolizing,”, this is converting it to a nontoxic substance.
However, your liver can only metabolize a specific amount at a time hereby leaving the excess circulating throughout your body. This now heightens the intensity of the effect that alcohol gives you and is directly related to the consumption amount.
Is Alcohol a Drug? – Yes, It is absorbed in the bloodstream
It is approximated that at least 20% of consumed alcohol is absorbed through your stomach and at most 80% of the remaining content is absorbed through the small intestine.
When your blood contains a high content of alcohol, it begins to affect your the respiratory system thus affecting your ability to breathe, thus leading to severe cases of shortness of breath which may cause a coma or death as oxygen is no longer able to reach the brain in a timely manner.
Is Alcohol a Drug? – Alcohol Abuse and Loved Ones
Many loved ones often inquire “Is Alcohol a Drug”. We always make the analogy that Alcohol is no different the prescription pain medication. Both are powerful additive drugs yet are relatively safe if not abused. However, just like prescription medication if Alcohol is abused it looks and feel just like any other drug addiction.
Is Alcohol a Drug? – Harmless at First
Just like recreational drugs it may seem harmless at first. Overtime habitual drinking can lead to severe consequences for you and your family. Is Alcohol a Drug? Yes it is and just like any other drug addiction we strongly recommend professional intervention for alcohol abuse or treatment options for you and your family.