neuro equipoise
07-29-2004, 06:04 PM
Alcohol - The Central Nervous System:
"The central nervous system (CNS) includes the brain, the spinal cord,
and the nerves originating from it. When alcohol acts on the CNS,
intoxication occurs, affecting emotional and sensory function, judgment,
memory and learning ability. Smell and taste are dulled. The ability to
withstand pain increases as the BAL rises.
Different parts of the brain seem to be affected by alcohol at different
rates, creating alternate periods of restlessness and stupor. Long-term
effects of alcohol on the central nervous system include tolerance,
dependency, and irreversible damage.
Changes in tolerance for alcohol, and the alcoholic drinker's dependency
on alcohol, demonstrate that changes occur in the brain.
With each drinking episode, central nervous system functions deteriorate
in a predictable sequence, beginning with intellectual functioning,
followed by disturbances in sensory and motor control. Last affected are
the automatic biological functions, such as breathing and heart action.
The brain is the organ that is most affected by alcohol, and proves that
it is being damaged through the drinker's behavior changes and emotional
distress. Three noticeable effects of alcohol injury to the brain:
memory loss, confusion, and augmentation. (Augmentation is a
physiological response to alcohol which results in hyper-alertness to
normal situations, perceiving light as brighter or sounds as louder than
usual, or the drinker's becoming extremely sad or angry for no apparent
reason.) The drinker's rapid mood swings and emotional and behavioral
instability can be brought under control by stopping drinking."
http://www.oregoncounseling.org/ArticlesPapers/Documents/ETOHBIOFx.htm
"The central nervous system (CNS) includes the brain, the spinal cord,
and the nerves originating from it. When alcohol acts on the CNS,
intoxication occurs, affecting emotional and sensory function, judgment,
memory and learning ability. Smell and taste are dulled. The ability to
withstand pain increases as the BAL rises.
Different parts of the brain seem to be affected by alcohol at different
rates, creating alternate periods of restlessness and stupor. Long-term
effects of alcohol on the central nervous system include tolerance,
dependency, and irreversible damage.
Changes in tolerance for alcohol, and the alcoholic drinker's dependency
on alcohol, demonstrate that changes occur in the brain.
With each drinking episode, central nervous system functions deteriorate
in a predictable sequence, beginning with intellectual functioning,
followed by disturbances in sensory and motor control. Last affected are
the automatic biological functions, such as breathing and heart action.
The brain is the organ that is most affected by alcohol, and proves that
it is being damaged through the drinker's behavior changes and emotional
distress. Three noticeable effects of alcohol injury to the brain:
memory loss, confusion, and augmentation. (Augmentation is a
physiological response to alcohol which results in hyper-alertness to
normal situations, perceiving light as brighter or sounds as louder than
usual, or the drinker's becoming extremely sad or angry for no apparent
reason.) The drinker's rapid mood swings and emotional and behavioral
instability can be brought under control by stopping drinking."
http://www.oregoncounseling.org/ArticlesPapers/Documents/ETOHBIOFx.htm