Alcohol and Sex

Alcohol, on entering the body, is carried to the liver where it is processed and eliminated. The liver's job is to change the destructive chemical nature of the substance so that it can easily be disposed. It does this by a chain reaction process that first turns it into "acetaldehyde," a substance which in turn is converted to acetate that is then broken down into carbon dioxide and water for easy elimination from the body through urine, breath and sweat (Walen FitzGerald, 1988, p. 7). Acetaldehyde is a poison which causes nausea, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, mental confusion, and hangover, all common traits associated with too much drinking.

The normal liver can process about one-half ounce of alcohol

per hour. If one ingests it faster than that the liver cannot change the acetaldehyde into acetate, and the excess acetaldehyde enters the bloodstream and eventually reaches the brain. This poisonous substance can do tremendous harm throughout the body, especially to the liver (Whalen FitzGerald, 1988, p. 7).

There are two major enzymes in the liver that handle the job of chemi

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it deep social impacts. Many think of alcohol as the great aphrodisiac, as some kind of magical elixir when it comes to sex. One of the beliefs the male gender has perpetuated through the ages is the idea of getting a woman drunk so that he can "take advantage of her." Alcohol is thought to replace unpleasant feelings with a confidence-enhancing "high" and a host of heightened social and physical pleasures including sexual ones. However, alcohol has a "two-faced" physical effect. It acts as a stimulant at low doses and a depressant at high doses ("Alcohol," 1987, p. 218). Psychologist G. Alan Marlatt of the University of Washington in Seattle argues that it is this property in alcohol that sets the stage for a vicious cycle leading to alcohol addiction. He goes on to point out that "Any short-term relief from drinking is quickly dispelled by the delayed negative effects which in turn give rise to another attempt to gain relief" ("Alcohol," p. 218). Several studies have shown that low doses of alcohol pump up heart rate, skin conductance and motor and perceptual performance, whereas higher doses depress these physical measures of arousal. Marlatt suggests that the initial arousal and energy boost provided by alcohol may
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Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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