When you drink alcohol, it quickly enters your bloodstream, causing a series of chemical reactions that affect your mood, coordination, and bodily functions. Over time, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to severe health issues, including liver damage, increased cancer risk, and impaired brain function.

Fifteen minutes after consuming alcohol, the release of dopamine and serotonin makes you feel happier, more confident, and less inhibited, but also impairs coordination and speech. Women experience these effects more quickly due to lower body water content and less alcohol dehydrogenase, leading to higher blood alcohol concentration and faster onset of symptoms.

The liver metabolizes alcohol into water and acetaldehyde, a process that can lead to alcohol poisoning if consumption exceeds the liver's capacity. Drinking water with alcohol helps mitigate dehydration caused by the suppression of the anti-diuretic hormone, which increases urination and fluid loss.

The chapter details the effects of various blood alcohol content (BAC) levels on the human body and brain. It explains how different BAC levels impact coordination, decision-making, and critical bodily functions, highlighting the dangers of alcohol poisoning and potential fatal outcomes.

The morning after heavy drinking, you wake up feeling terrible due to dehydration, low blood sugar, and disrupted REM sleep, which impairs memory formation and causes vivid dreams. To recover, you need to hydrate and eat starchy foods to replenish lost fluids and help your body process the remaining alcohol.

Consuming large amounts of alcohol significantly increases the risk of various cancers, including liver, colon, throat, larynx, and esophagus cancer, due to the production of acetaldehyde, a known carcinogen. Additionally, heavy drinking is linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, memory problems, dementia, and a weakened immune system, emphasizing the importance of moderation and awareness of alcohol's effects on the body.