As you drink alcohol, it:
- passes into your blood through the walls of the stomach and small intestine
- travels to all parts of the body including the brain
- slows down your brain and affects almost all parts your body
- affects the way you think, feel and behave.
Alcohol only takes a few minutes to reach the brain in an average, healthy person.
Your liver removes most of the alcohol in your body by breaking it down.
In the short term, drinking too much alcohol can also lead to:
- accidental injury (to yourself or others)
- being in a road accident
- deliberately harming yourself or others
- unprotected or unwanted sex
- alcohol poisoning
- hangovers.
Binge drinking (drinking a lot of alcohol in one session or a short period) can be even more harmful and risky.