Alcohol and the Liver ___________________________________________________________________
Once the alcohol gets to the stomach, it passes right to the small intestine because alcohol requires no digestion. From the small intestine, it is carried to the liver by a network of vessels called the portal system. Here is where all the problems begin. As you are probably aware, the liver is composed of hepatic cells. One of the jobs of these cells is to filter out all the deleterious and toxic substances coming from the stomach. Alcohol is a very toxic substance. Therefore, it is the liver’s job to break alcohol down and/or hydrolyze it. This is not an easy task for the liver to perform because as I mentioned, alcohol irritates and sedates just about every type of tissue with which it comes in contact. Accordingly, as soon as alcohol comes in contact with the hepatic cells, it inflames and tranquilizes them, causing a mild form of hepatitis (inflammation of the hepatic cells). CRITICAL POINT: In order for the liver to get the fat out of its cells it needs three nutrients: folic acid, choline and Vitamin B-12. Interestingly, the liver is the only organ in the body that can detoxify ethyl alcohol. It produces an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenis, which breaks down ethyl alcohol into acetyacholine. Once alcohol is converted to acetyacholine, all the cells in the body can absorb it and use it in metabolism. In a nut shell, the cells take the acetyacholine, break it down to acetic acid, then to coenzyme A, run it throw the kreb cycle and presto…ATP. You know what ATP is? It is an energy source. That’s right, alcohol is an energy source. Actually, it is an excellent energy source…7 calories per gram. That’s why alcoholics don’t have to eat. They can get their calories from the alcohol they drink. The problem with that is that alcohol has no nutritional value. Consequently, a lot of alcoholics who don’t eat are suffering from malnutrition. This presents a major problem as you will see in a moment. Actually, the liver has little difficulty hydrolyzing alcohol. It can break down approximately one ounce (28.35grams) of alcohol every hour. The problem is that most people have a tendency to exceed that one ounce an hour limit. Heck, some alcoholics consume enough alcohol in an hour to kill a horse. I am sure you are familiar with HAPPY HOUR. That is when you pay ten dollars and declare war on your liver. You try to get your ten dollars worth by consuming half the liquor in the bar. This is where the liver really runs into problems. If the consumption of alcohol is too great for the liver to hydrolyze all
of it, it will convert the excess alcohol to fat and store it in its cells. Then, when the person stops drinking, the liver will eventually hydrolyze the alcohol in the blood. After that is accomplished, it will take the stored alcohol and hydrolyze it. The problem here is that in order for the liver to get the fat out of its cells it needs three nutrients: folic acid, choline and Vitamin B-12. As mentioned though, a lot of alcoholics don’t eat. Therefore, they are folic acid, choline and vitamin B-12 deficient. Without those three nutrients, the liver cannot get the fat out its cells. Worse yet, the fat, as it accumulates around the hepatic cells, starts interfering with the blood supply, which delivers oxygen and nutrients to the cells. When oxygen and nutrients are cut off from the hepatic cells, they obviously die. This is believed to be one of the major causes of cirrhosis of the liver in alcoholics. CRITICAL POINT: Cirrhosis is the scaring of the liver and the development of fibrous tissue resulting from alcohol or drug abuse. What is the other cause of cirrhosis of the liver? That is simple…it’s the direct effect that alcohol has on the liver. Remember, alcohol sedates and irritates everything with which it comes in contact…the liver is no different. Worse yet, the liver gets the full effect of the alcohol that is being consumed and it gets that effect each and every time the drug is consumed. If a cell is constantly inflamed over a period of time, it will eventually succumb to the inflammation. That is actually what happens to the hepatic cells. The constant inflammation of the hepatic cells by alcohol eventually causes them to die. Do I need to tell you that when you knock out the liver, the next thing to go is you? Without the liver, toxic substances cannot be hydrolyzed. When that happens, everything coming to the liver is allowed to pass into the body…toxic substances, contaminated matter and even poisons. It goes without saying when that occurs, all your bodily systems are going to be damaged. It is like a swimming pool without a filter. If there are holes in the filter, all the impurities in the water are going to be let back into the pool and you will have a pool that is full of trash. That is what happens to your body when your liver is destroyed…your body becomes full of trash. Then you die…like dead even. CRITICAL POINT: Aromatization is when the liver takes a very toxic drug and converts it into a less toxic substance
Now, if the liver can’t hydrolyze all the alcohol you consume and it can’t store it all, it has one more option. It can aromatize the drug. What this means is the liver will take a very toxic drug and convert it into a less toxic substance. In the case of alcohol, the liver converts the ethyl into an estrogen mimicker. As you know, estrogen is a female hormone. What you might not know is that men, just like women, have estrogen receptors in their chest and bootie. Thus, if estrogen is deposited into a male’s body, these estrogen receptors will be activated, bringing about the production of subcutaneous tissue. Subcutaneous tissue is a female fat tissue, which is primarily responsible for the development of the female breast and bootie. As you might have guessed, males who have high levels of estrogen in their bodies will develop female breasts. This condition is called gynocomastia or bitch tits. Of course, they can also develop the cutest little bootie you have ever seen as well as the typical fat tissue that most women have throughout their body. This is exactly what transsexuals do, except they don’t drink alcohol to get the estrogen. They take the estrogen directly.
Alcohol and the Brain ____________________________________________________________________
∞ DRUGS in Perspective ∞
__________________________________________________________________ After alcohol leaves the liver, it is taken immediately to the brain by way of your Alcohol and Brain Damage. vascular system. The body has a hierarchy when it comes to getting nutrients and It has been found that alcohol can cause the oxygen. The most important parts of your agglutination of red blood cells, which predisposes drinkers to brain damage. This can occur even in moderate drinkers. When body get first dibs on everything that comes the red blood cells agglutinate or clump together, it causes an into it. Since your brain is the most essential obstruction in the vascular system. Generally, the agglutinated part of your anatomy, it only makes sense that cells can get through the arteries and arterials but they tend to it is supplied first. In reality, it is not the brain jam up in the capillaries. When this happens the capillaries burst. per se that is served first. You see, you have This results in small bleeds or hematomias in the brain. It goes without saying that when this takes place the brain tissue that more than one brain in that six inch square was being supplied with oxygen and nutrients by the ruptured that is sitting on top of your shoulders. capillaries dies. Actually, you have numerous brains up there and they all have specific jobs to do. Every one of them has a level of importance. Therefore, the brain has its own hierarchy.
CRITICAL POINT: Alcohol can cause the agglutination of red blood cells, which predisposes drinkers to brain damage. When the red blood cells agglutinate it causes an obstruction in the vascular system. When this occurs the capillaries burst resulting in small bleeds or hematomas in the brain. I know I talked about this in Chapter 2, but you are going to hear some of it again for the simple reason that some things are worth hearing more than once. The most important brain you have is the cerebral cortex. This is the part of your brain that separates you from most animals. It gives you the ability to think abstractly. It also gives you the capacity to think rationally, creatively and gives you the ability to engage in cognitive clarity. In a word, it gives you the ability to think things through rationally and intelligently. You might say it is where our intelligence is housed. Obviously, this is not a part of your anatomy with which you want to toy.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what alcohol does…it toys with your brain. As previously mentioned, alcohol does two things: it irritates and sedates. As a result, when alcohol comes in contact with the cerebral cortex, the first thing it does is to inflame it, thereby causing a mild form of encephalitis or inflammation of the brain. CRITICAL POINT: If you consume as little as two drinks of alcohol, it will significantly impair your cerebral cortex…meaning that your ability to think rationally will be considerably diminished. Still, it is the sedation part where the fun really begins. If you consume as little as two drinks of alcohol, it will significantly impair your cerebral cortex…meaning that your ability to think rationally will be considerably diminished. You have probably witnessed this on a number of occasions. You go to a bar and there is this sweet little girl there that is so shy she can’t even give you eye contact without turning fifteen shades of red. You give her a couple drinks and the next thing you know she is up on top of the piano taking her clothes off. I am sure you probably have seen this scenario played out as well. A guy who is about as big as an eleven year old stamp collector will come into a bar and sit in the corner…he wouldn’t hurt a fly for the simple reason he couldn’t hurt one. Hell, he couldn’t crack an egg if he had to, but put a little liquor in him and he is ready to take on the entire bar. These guys are easy to identify… they don’t have any front teeth. Some guys who are drunk will pull out a gun and blow you away because you looked at them the wrong way. The examples don’t even have to be that extreme. Just watch some guys who have been drinking for a while. They will try to pick up anyone...the bar maid with no teeth and fresh stitches in her head, the coat check girl with a beauty rating lower than Tammy Faye Baker’s, the elephant man…they don’t care. If it gets too late and they can’t find anyone, they will ask the bartender out. Why? Because with their cerebral cortex bathed in alcohol, they cannot think rationally. Heck! Cops shouldn’t even waste their money with breath analyzers. They should just drive around with an ugly girl in the car and if they think a guy is drinking, just ask him, “Would you date this girl?” If he says, “Yes,” just book him because he is drunk as a skunk. Let us warn you about something else too. When you are under the influence of alcohol your social inhibitions are extremely compromised. Thus, you will tend to be unguarded in what you say. In reality, alcohol is the prototype of all truth serums. Verily, the old saying was, “In vino veratose”… in wine there is truth. If you want to know what someone is thinking, just liquor them up and most likely they will “spill the beans.”
CRITICAL POINT: When you are under the influence of alcohol your social inhibitions are extremely compromised. Thus, when you are under the influence of alcohol you will tend to be imprudent in what you say and do. One more thing, not only is what you say unguarded when you are drinking, but what you do can also be imprudent. Most guys are aware of this behavioral response associated with alcohol. That is why they try to liquor women up on a date. They know that if she is under the influence of alcohol her social inhibitions will be lowered and they have a better chance of having their way with her…I know, guys are pigs! Like men, women can get so intoxicated they will go to bed with anyone too…yes, even the elephant man. Perhaps you have seen the commercial were the one guy says. “What did you do last night?” and his friend says, “I got drunk and wore a lamp shade on my head all night”. Then he says, “What did you do?” And the guy responds, “I got drunk, got laid and got AIDS.” That’s what happens when you’re not thinking with your cerebral cortex…your decision making leaves a lot to be desired. Basically, you are thinking emotionally rather than intellectually. Remember when I was talking about the cerebellum and I said that if a cop pulled someone over that he thought was drinking, he would ask him to walk a straight line? Well, you may have noticed that some police officers start off by asking the subject who they think is driving impaired to recite their ABCs. It is kind of humorous watching these guys trying to perform this simple cognitive skill. They usually can’t get beyond G. Even when they get that far, they leave a few of the letters out. Why do the police ask them to do that? Because they know that if the guy had as little as two drinks, it will ∞ DRUGS in Perspective ∞ __________________________________________________________________ significantly affect his cognitive clarity. There is a reason for all this stupidity and Driving and Alcohol. emotion too. Under the cerebral cortex lies a part of your brain called the limbic system, which is Here is something you might find interesting. A few years ago, they did this little study in Easton, Pennsylvania, responsible for emotion. Generally, the cerebral where they got all of these world class race car drivers cortex overrides the limbic system...that is why together…guys like Mario Andredi and Al Uncer. Then, they you don’t act like an emotional retard twenty four put these pylons out on the race track and asked them to drive seven. On the other hand, if the cerebral cortex is around them. It was a joke! They went around those pylons like they were taking a walk in the park. Next, they gave each sedated, the limbic system takes over. Then, you of the drivers one shot of whiskey and asked them to do it become basically an emotional animal. It is also again. No problem! They went through the pylons without why people who get drunk jump into a four ton incident. They kept repeating the aforementioned procedure. automobile, crank it up to 125 miles an hour and After the drivers had consumed three drinks, they started play chicken with a light pole. They are not knocking over the pylons. When they had five drinks, none of them could get through the course without knocking over at thinking with their cerebral cortex. They are least fifty percent of the pylons. Just as interesting was the functioning with their limbic system. They are all fact that when they interviewed the drivers, after each run, emotion. just about all of them said they were driving okay and that they were in perfect control of their cars. Think about that. These were some of the greatest drivers in the world. After five drinks they couldn’t go through a simple obstacle course without smashing into more than half the pylons. Is it no wonder that more than eighty percent of traffic accidents are alcohol related? This is where alcohol really kills.
CRITICAL POINT: Locus of Control: The word locus means location or place. Some people believe that they have control of their lives and that this control comes from autonomous sources. Other people believe that
their locus of control is outside themselves, their lives are controlled by external forces that they little control over. Most drug users believe that they have little control of their lives. If you consume around four or five drinks, it is going to significantly impair your cerebellum. This is the part of your brain that is responsible for your kinesthetic gate or coordination. This is another reason why people run into light poles when they are drinking. When you have four or five drinks, your motor coordination is impaired to the point where you cannot perform even a simple motor skill like walking a straight line or putting your finger on your nose. In summary, with this amount of alcohol, you not only become an emotional retard, but also a motor moron. That is why a police officer will ask you to do all those stupid little things like hop on one foot or pick your nose. He knows that if you have had four drinks or more, you won’t be able to perform these simple skills. Even highly skilled individuals like Michael Jordan or Mark Spitz are affected when they consume this much alcohol. Obviously, you don’t have to bathe your brain in alcohol and wrap yourself around a light pole to kill yourself. You can achieve the same end by sedating your medulla oblongata. That is the part of your brain stem that is responsible for your vital centers: heart rate, respiration and vaso-motor function. If you consume ten drinks within an hour, there is a good chance that you can sedate this part of your brain. If you are successful in doing that, there is an excellent chance your heart will stop and you will cease breathing. Your vaso-motor area is not much of a factor at that time and point. Actually, that is not as easy to do as you might think because typically you will pass out before you can consume all that alcohol. Here is a little secret. If your boyfriend or girlfriend ever passes out while they are drinking, never put them in your car because the first thing they are going to do is wake up, sit up and throw-up. You don’t want that all over your car. The reason people throw up when they drink too much is because the body is trying to get rid of the poison. CRITICAL POINT: If you consume ten drinks within an hour, there is a good chance that you can sedate your medulla oblongata. If you are successful in doing that, there is an excellent chance your heart will stop and you will cease breathing. So, if you want to kill yourself by way of acute alcohol toxicity, you will have to drink the alcohol as fast as possible so that your body doesn’t have time to detoxify it. They have perfected this technique at some of the Ivy League schools…it is called chugalugging. When I was in college, a good friend killed himself accidentally by alcohol toxicity. He had just won the national championships in wrestling and was out celebrating. He had been drinking all night when he bet a couple of guys that he could chugalug a fifth of whiskey. The guys took the bet. He turned over the fifth of whiskey and drank it in less than 30 seconds. He collected his money from the bet and then, all of a sudden, he fell over. At first, everyone just laughed at him. After a while, someone realized that he was not breathing. They called 911, but by the time the EMTs arrived, he was already dead. The alcohol had sedated his medulla oblongata, his vital centers shut down and he died. Is that sad or what?