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Alcohol and Sex

Alcohol and sex both stimulate the body, producing certain physiological, psychological and social effects. Mixed together, these effects change depending on the degree of alcohol consumed. The purpose of this paper will be to discuss these effects, particularly the negative aspects that can develop as a result of alcoholism, and the myths that have been perpetuated as to alcohol's "power."

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 chemically breaking down alcohol: ADH (alcohol dehydrogenase), which turns alcohol into acetaldehyde, and ALDH (acetaldehyde dehydrogenase), which processes the acetaldehyde into acetate. Researchers have discovered that alcoholics have inherited liver enzyme abnormalities that inhibit this normal metabolic process, bringing about another set of physical reactions to the body which, in the end, produce a physical dependency on the substance (Whalen FitzGerald,...

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Alcohol and Sex. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 13:48, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1682013.html