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Why Does Alcohol Lower Inhibitions?

Last updated on: Monday, 6 March 2023
  • What You'll Learn

To answer this question, you first need to know what alcohol is precisely and how it works. Alcohol is a clear and volatile liquid that burns or oxidizes quickly. It acts as a depressant for the central nervous system, coordinating speech, vision, coordination, and concentration. The central nervous system function is affected directly proportional to the concentration of alcohol in the blood.

After you ingest the alcohol, it passes from the stomach into the small intestine. From here, it is rapidly absorbed into the blood, distributing it to the entire body. Because it is rapidly absorbed and distributed thoroughly, any amount of alcohol, no matter how small, will get to the central nervous system and affect it. When the concentration is low, it reduces inhibitions because it also affects the part of the brain responsible for behavior and emotion. In this stage, the sense of judgment is weakened, and that person feels braver because the socially conditioned safety stops, and he can’t think clearly. This is when he thinks that he can do anything, which is pretty dangerous because, at this moment, people get into fights or think they can drive and end up in a car crash.

However, as they drink more and their blood-alcohol concentration increases, the response to stimuli decreases, and their speech becomes slurred; the person gets unsteady and has trouble walking. The first stage of drinking is called euphoria when the person who drinks feels uninhibited and talkative and has increased self-confidence but also decreased attention, judgment, and control. It is the beginning of sensory-motor impairment. Although people may think this is the best phase while drinking, it has its risks, so precaution is a must anytime you know you are drinking too much.

CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ARTICLE

NICKOLAUS HAYES

AUTHOR

More Information

Nickolaus Hayes has been working with Drug Rehab Services for the past ten years. Over the past 15 years, he has remained connected to helping people who have been struggling with addiction. He first started working as an intake counselor at a drug rehabilitation center in 2005. During the five years as an intake counselor, he was able to help hundreds of people find treatment. Nickolaus was also fortunate to be able to work with professional interventionists, traveling across the country performing interventions.