SCIENCE
WHY WE GET DRUNK
How does alcohol affect the body?
WORDS AILSA HARVEY
In general, a young woman will have a higher blood alcohol level than a young man after drinking the same amount of alcohol
Whether you’re old enough to enjoy the occasional alcoholic drink yourself or have seen some of the bizarre behavioural effects it can have on other people, it’s known that drinking alcohol makes people drunk. But what does this mean?
What is it in those glasses, bottles or cans that can alter the control people have over their own bodies? The instigator is an ingredient called ethanol, with the chemical formula C2 H5 OH.
Ethanol is produced when yeast ferments the sugars in fruit, grains and vegetables. Different alcoholic products are named based on the source of the alcohol. Gin is made from fermented sugar in grains, such as wheat and barley, vodka uses the sugar from potatoes or grain and wine is made from grapes.