Lethal Dose of Alcohol (Blood Alcohol Content) - Check | Nasz Gabinet

Alcohol and Behavior

Alcohol changes the behavior of every person. Its content in beverages affects the brain, blocking the proper functioning of the central nervous system. A slurred tongue or clumsy movements are the result of the toxic effects of alcohol. Each organism has a different tolerance threshold for alcohol, however, thanks to research, the average effect of alcohol on behavior is known. In the first phase of intoxication, a marked improvement in mood is observed. It is this moment that is responsible for the strongly addictive properties of alcohol. A person achieves relaxation, good mood, and openness. Unfortunately, the subsequent phases of intoxication are often forgotten, which already present themselves much worse. It should be remembered that alcohol also has a depressive effect. Alcohol and behavior of a person are strongly interconnected.

Blood Alcohol Content Symptoms

Alcohol consumption is associated with characteristic symptoms depending on the phase of intoxication. Each of them is dangerous and leaves changes in the human organism that can lead to serious and incurable diseases, for example serious liver diseases. Many people also wonder what the lethal dose of alcohol is. Blood alcohol content produces specific symptoms. The mild, relaxing effect of alcohol is felt already at the level of 0.2 BAC. From 0.3 to 0.5 BAC, a person experiences slight movement and balance disturbances, their approach to the world changes (reduced criticism), and euphoria appears. Up to 0.7 BAC, excessive excitability and talkativeness are felt, the person loses self-control and incorrectly assesses situations (hence frequent conflicts after alcohol). At this stage, motor performance disturbances also occur (careless movements, lack of coordination). Intoxication at a level higher than 0.5 BAC is characterized by a visible negative effect of alcohol. A content of approximately 1.5 BAC produces specific symptoms. At this stage, vomiting usually appears, which is the body's defense against further intoxication. The person loses balance and has trouble walking in a straight line. Their well-being significantly deteriorates, and intellectual performance decreases. 2 BAC causes symptoms visible to the naked eye. The person becomes irritable, aggressive, and sexually aroused. This is when conflictual behavior is observed, which is caused by errors in logical reasoning brought about by alcohol toxins. Reaction time is delayed, strong balance and motor coordination disturbances appear. The heart begins to beat faster, and blood pressure increases. 2 BAC is also the frequent beginning of so-called "blackouts." A clear moment in which the organism loses control over the situation is intoxication in which there are 3 BAC in the blood. Symptoms of intoxication at this level are mainly mumbling and drowsiness, which appears when the human body stops coping with alcohol toxins. The organism forces cessation of drinking in this way. Further reaching for a glass causes, as a consequence, loss of consciousness. This is the final moment to stop drinking.

Effects of Alcohol Abuse

That alcohol devastates the organism is probably known to everyone, and no one needs to be particularly convinced of this. It devastates not only physically but also mentally. In some people, characteristic symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol can be noticed after consuming one or two drinks. Some need significantly more. If after drinking alcohol we have difficulties moving, react more slowly to stimuli reaching us, have a blurred image, don't remember what's happening around us, and our speech is one big mumble, we can be sure that alcohol is penetrating our brain.

The changes that occur in our head after alcohol consumption are influenced by the following factors:

• age of alcohol initiation, i.e., how old we were when we first tried alcohol

• age

• duration of alcohol consumption

• amount of consumed alcohol

• time of alcohol consumption

• general health condition

With increasing amounts of consumed alcohol, the degree of memory and consciousness damage increases. When alcohol is consumed in large quantities, in a hurry, and on an empty stomach, loss of consciousness or memory impairment very often occurs. It is so significant that the next day we are unable to recall what happened to us.

Impact of Alcohol on Women's Behavior?

Women are usually more susceptible to this state of affairs due to metabolic differences between the sexes. In women consuming alcohol in large quantities, serious diseases such as liver cirrhosis or cardiomyopathy also occur more quickly. However, in both sexes, tomographic studies show a similar degree of brain shrinkage under the influence of long-term alcohol consumption. However, this is not unambiguously confirmed because research in this direction is still ongoing. The brain can also be damaged in both sexes with deficiencies of certain vitamins. People who drink a lot of alcohol do not eat healthily. Their diet is poor, which worsens overall health, including brain condition. Lack of vitamin B1, whose deficiency can contribute to the development of Korsakoff syndrome. Necessary for the proper functioning of all tissues and organs, it significantly damages the brain. Difficulties with concentration, learning, and memorizing appear. This phenomenon is well noticeable among people in whom alcohol addiction lasts a very long time. Read also: Alcoholism in Women – Symptoms of Addiction

Lethal BAC Dose

Intoxication at a level up to 4 BAC is a state directly threatening human life. Blood pressure drops, body temperature is lowered. As a consequence, alcoholic coma appears. A person continuing to consume alcohol puts their life at risk. The lethal BAC dose is above 4 BAC in the blood. At this stage, cardiac and respiratory arrest occurs. Respiratory and vasomotor centers can be paralyzed by alcohol. The person falls into a deep coma, and the prognosis is not positive. In some cases, intoxication at a significantly higher level is reached, however, the averaged lethal dose is 4.5 BAC. Cases of survival after drinking larger doses are known. Research has confirmed how much BAC is a lethal dose. It's not worth risking one's health to check what the resistance of one's own organism to a given amount of alcohol is. Alcoholism is a potentially fatal disease characterized by a progressive course. Alcohol consumption in Europe constantly stands at a relatively high level. It is estimated that even 20% of EU residents over 15 years of age, among whom there were quite a few people not yet entitled to legal alcohol consumption, consume at least once a week a minimum of four drinks daily[1], thus exposing themselves to a whole range of health complications related to excessive exposure of the digestive system to ethyl alcohol. Although this is not yet a sign of alcoholism, the disease associated with abuse of high-proof beverages is a problem not only on a European scale but also globally. However, the fight against it has not so far focused as strongly on the health consequences of alcohol abuse as it does today. Scientists and specialists in the field of gastroenterology have been trying for years to discover the connection between the amount of consumed alcohol and the risk of cancer.

Alcohol and Cancer Risk

Alcoholism has for years been associated with an increased risk of digestive system cancers, similarly to how smoking is linked to lung and respiratory diseases. The authors of a report published by the European Union of Gastroenterology revealed that even one drink a day, i.e., approximately 12.5 grams of pure alcohol, can significantly increase the risk of esophageal cancer. Subsequent drinks can also contribute to increasing the risk of pancreatic, gastric cancer, fatty liver disease and liver cirrhosis, as well as colorectal cancer. As follows from their report, research conducted so far confirms both the direct impact of alcohol on cell damage in the organism and the harmful effects of its breakdown in the organism. One of the most risky and harmful breakdown products of ethyl alcohol is acetaldehyde formed in the liver, which was recognized by the International Agency for Cancer Research as a carcinogenic substance. It is acetaldehyde that is responsible for hangover symptoms, and in the case of people who have undertaken treatment for alcohol disease and decided on an Esperal implant, it is acetaldehyde that is the final breakdown product of ethanol – disulfiram does not allow it to be broken down into less harmful substances. As a result, both drinking people and those undertaking treatment and losing the battle with their own will voluntarily expose themselves to digestive system cancers, which can be evidenced by numerous studies conducted by various medical communities around the world.

Research on the Impact of Alcohol on Cancer Development

Although no connections between ethanol and the appearance of cancer changes in animals have been found so far, regular consumption of alcoholic beverages has already been repeatedly linked to an increased risk of cancer in humans. Research conducted by the American Association for Cancer Research drew such conclusions as early as 1992, emphasizing that alcoholism can increase the risk of cancer development throughout the digestive system, starting from oral cavity and larynx cancer and ending with liver or terminal colon cancer. Moreover, already then results were expected from research on the connection of alcohol with breast cancer, which at the moment seem to confirm the existence of this type of dependency. Carrying the topic of research on the impact of alcoholism on cancer development further, in the 2007 published article "Alcohol Metabolism and Cancer Risk" in Alcohol Res Health magazine, the impact of alcohol metabolism in the organism on increased risk of developing specific cancer variants was mentioned once again. Acetaldehyde, being the first metabolism product released during ethanol oxidation in the organism, was considered key here. Acetaldehyde is a carcinogenic substance which, passing through the digestive system, can initiate cancer development by entering into reactions with the DNA replication process, destroying some connections in DNA structure or forming additional bonds in the human genetic code. Much data and research conducted over the years speaks for the existence of a direct connection between intensive alcohol consumption and cancer risk. It is estimated that even 2 to 4 percent of all cancer cases are caused indirectly or directly by alcohol. [[5]](#ftn5) The results of numerous epidemiological studies have shown that the connection between some types of cancer and alcohol consumption will depend on the doses consumed by a person, which perfectly connects with the already mentioned report of the European Association of Gastroenterologists. For example, among people addicted to alcohol and consuming it in large quantities, the risk of esophageal cancer is greater than in the population of non-drinking people. Moreover, periods of intensive drinking have also been linked with many cases of liver cancer. The destruction that alcohol consumption brings specifically to the liver, not necessarily related to cancer diseases, has been known for a long time. It is the liver that shows the first signs of many years of alcohol abuse during detox, refusing to function properly – alcoholism often leads to insufficiency here, which undiagnosed can even lead to death.

Is Alcohol a Carcinogenic Substance?

Finding connections between alcohol consumption and cancer diseases is relatively difficult for scientists primarily because alcohol itself is not considered a carcinogenic substance. However, what is important from the researchers' point of view is that its action in the organism, especially during ethanol metabolism and acetaldehyde formation, can constitute an additional carcinogenic factor strengthening the carcinogenic effect of other harmful chemical substances. It is partly for this reason that the combination of alcoholism with smoking was recognized as one of the most toxic combinations for humans. The results of research on this dependency clearly show that alcohol strengthens the action of tobacco stimulating the formation of cancer tumors in rats, and in the case of humans, the risk of developing respiratory and digestive system cancer in people consuming alcohol and smoking cigarettes is even 35 times greater than in those who successfully avoid such combinations.

Does a Glass of Alcohol Bring Cancer Risk Closer?

The cited research conducted by specialists over many years shows that it is still difficult to link the consumption of small amounts of alcohol with growing cancer risk. At the same time, however, research perfectly shows the risk that alcoholism brings, in the case of which people expose their organism to alcohol exposure for many years without interruption, consuming daily doses much higher than the average European. One of the most direct proofs of alcohol's impact on cancer development will be the confirmation of acetaldehyde's carcinogenicity. As it is a dangerous substance and at the same time an unavoidable breakdown product of ethyl alcohol, the risk of cancer development is indeed higher with each consumed glass of high-proof beverages. [[1]](#ftnref1) https://www.ueg.eu/press/releases/ueg-press-release/article/alcohol-consumption-putting-vast-majority-of-europeans-at-risk-of-digestive-cancers-report-reveals/ [[2]](#ftnref2) https://www.ueg.eu/press/releases/ueg-press-release/article/alcohol-consumption-putting-vast-majority-of-europeans-at-risk-of-digestive-cancers-report-reveals/ [[3]](#ftnref3) http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/52/7Supplement/2119s [[4]](#ftnref4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3860434/ [[5]](#ftnref5) Rothman, K.J. The proportion of cancer attributable to alcohol consumption. Preventive Medicine 9(2):174-179, 1980. [[6]](#_ftnref6) Garro, A.J., and Lieber, C.S. Alcohol and cancer. Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology 30:219-249, 1990.

---

:::cta Need help fighting addiction? Our specialists are ready to help you. Call or schedule an online appointment. Call: 880 808 880 | Schedule Appointment :::