Intoxication Will Slow Down Your Reaction Time
The experiment tests how long it takes the brain to translate visual
information (falling ruler) into your voluntary (or conscious) motor
commands and actions (grasping finger movements) that lead to the
ruler being caught. The shorter the time, the faster your reactions.
That’s if you were paying attention in the first place! Indeed
practice specifically affects the ‘associative centers’ in the brain,
so that you can respond faster to what’s happening in your visual
world. The flow of information along the ‘visual’ and ‘motor’ nerve
pathways is relatively constant even with lots of practice.
ALCOHOL CONSUMTION
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Alcohol is classified as a depressant because it slows down the
central nervous system, causing a decrease in motor coordination,
reaction time and intellectual performance. At high doses, the
respiratory system slows down drastically and can cause a coma or
death.
Alcohol can be taken up by any body surface but is most efficiently
taken up as it is usually consumed; after drinking an alcoholic
beverage. Alcohol is absorbed over almost the entire length of the
digestive tract. Absorption from the mouth and oesophagus (canal
between mouth and stomach) is minimal. Ethanol absorption from the
stomach may vary between 10 and 30 %. The remainder of the ethanol is
absorbed from the duodenum and small intestine. Overall, more than 90%
of all alcohol consumed is absorbed, irrespective of the presence of
food in the stomach. Uptake is slowed down in the presence of food and
uptake is faster-- when alcohol concentrations are higher.
After uptake a...
... middle of paper ...
... results I think
that I would like to investigate what other effects alcohol has on the
body. Such as does it affect heart rate, etc. or the other root I
could take is to investigate what other things effect someone’s
reaction time, such as drugs and caffeine. Another interesting study
which I would like to investigate further is to do an investigation
similar to this but give each participant the same amount of alcohol
but then change it so one participant hasn’t eaten anything and then
that each of my other participants have eaten the same thing but at
different times throughout the day, and see if this has any effect on
how the body absorbs the alcohol after food consumption. Then this
could be modified by giving participants different types of food. For
example bread. Because this is mend to absorb alcohol quicker.
Driving while drunk is one of the very dangerous things in the life of a driver. Drivers who work under high Blood Alcohol Concentration also known as (BAC) usually expressed as a percentage of ethanol in the blood consisting of alcohol per volume of blood or alternatively mass of alcohol per mass of blood. These drivers are at a great increase of car risk accidents, vehicular deaths as well as highway risks. Drinking under the Influence commonly known as DUI simply refers to driving a motor vehicle while one has level of alcohol in their blood exceeding the legal limit. This is not limited to alcoholic content but covers other drugs that include but are not limited to prescription drugs. This leads the driver to lack coordination, experience double vision, brief blackouts and have a slurred speech. Driving under the influence causes brain impairment leading to a person feeling that they can manage a situation just like they have always handled it before. This is always as a result of poor reasoning and judgment which leaves one vulnerable to the deadly effects of drunk driving.
...“The only reliable method of reducing your BAC is to wait out the time for the alcohol to be metabolized.” The water, showers, throwing up may help you feel more alert but will not bring your BAC level down. “Two units of alcohol have the effect of increasing your reaction time by an average of 0.2 seconds.” This means during drinking and driving you react slower than usual when something unexpected happens.
Frequent consumptions of alcohol are followed a number of potential health risks. This is more critical to the young body that is still growing. New research has shown that consuming alcohol can negatively impact the physical developments of brain structure. Youths who were influenced by an early drinking were not able to perform as well as nondrinkers in memory-test. Furthermore, the early drinkers may experience a direct effect on brain functioning. The negative effect includes decreased ability in planning and executive functioning, memory, spatial operations, and attention.
Alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse involve drinking patterns in which periods of heavy drinking followed with periods of abstinence. Alcohol generally has a suppressive effect on the central nervous system (CNS): It reduces the activity of excitatory neurotransmitters and enhances the activity of inhibitory neurotransmitters and thus their receptors. After long-term alcohol exposure, the body activates a set of mechanisms to counteract the effects of alcohol’s persistent presence in the brain. These mechanisms promote the activity of excitatory neurotransmitter systems and suppress the activity of inhibitory neurotransmitter systems, thereby attempting to return brain function to a “normal” state in the presence of alcohol. When the individual stops drinking, however, these adaptive changes result in an imbalance in inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmission, resulting in CNS hyperexcitability that produces as alcohol withdrawal (AW) symptoms. This essay will focus on the main inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmission systems and the symptoms produced in AW due to the imbalance in the brain. Followed by outlining other physiological changes alterations that are associated with AW.
Almost every adult you encounter can say they have been drunk or slightly intoxicated some point throughout their life, but how many can admit to drunk driving. The use of alcohol when driving is completely frivolous and endangers the lives of others that share the road or is even a passenger in the vehicle. Penalties for DUIs should be harsher as if it was attempted murder or drug use. With the slightest mistake or misjudgment can cost you your own life or the life of someone else.
Heredity, conditioning, and environment can contribute to the use of alcohol. One beverage can affect parts of the brain and nervous system. Sensory input then comes into play when alcohol is consumed. Symptoms depend on many factors such as one’s body itself and the amount of alcohol intake. Not only does alcohol affect the person consuming it but others around them, impact relationships, and group behavior. Therefore, after the individual has taken beverage after beverage of alcohol the body will start showing signs of damage to the body both internally and externally.
Alcohol is a large part of American culture. All over the United States drinking is not only acceptable but a social norm from teenagers to adults. This is not only the case in the U.S., but all over the world, where some drinking ages are 18 and 19 years of age. In America specifically, alcohol has been around for centuries and is a large part of many social gatherings. Although this is the case now, in the early 1900’s during the prohibition period, all alcohol was banned and deemed illegal to possess. Even though illegal, the task was just too heavy and alcohol was too much a common practice for most Americans. As time went on the prohibition period ended and the laws were revoked, making it legal again to possess alcohol. The drinking related problems that were around during prohibition pale in comparison to the problems alcohol has caused since then.
Driving under influence or with high blood alcohol content (BAC) increases the risk of car accidents, vehicular deaths, and more so highway injuries across all age-groups. In fact, an intoxicated driver with relatively higher BAC increases his/her risk of death by up to 380 times in single-vehicle crash (DeMichele, Lowe & Payne, 2014). Drunk driving is often considered as the largest social problem in the modern day society since 40 to 45% of all fatal traffic accidents usually involve drunk drivers. While 16 is the average blood alcohol content among some seriously injured drinking drivers, the culture of driving under influence can only be stopped through the development of a plausible plan to prevent it (Sloan, Eldred & Xu, 2014).
Alcohol is a depressant causing the nervous system to slow down. When the nervous system slows down you lose coordination, reaction time, and you will be unaware of your surroundings. Once you take a sip of alcohol, it enters your stomach through your small intestine. When it reaches the small intestine, the small blood vessels transport it to your bloodstream. The alcohol will soon reach your brain being a depressant to your body. This is when you start to feel intoxicated and your body starts to slow down. Alcohol can stay in one’s body up to six hours depending on what you drink and your weight. (MedicineNet. com, Page
Alcohol abuse can be very dangerous because it can come at a time when a person is going through the bad times in their life. The only thing drugs do is worsens people’s lives because the behavior of the victim can change dramatically. Many drink at social events, to celebrate or relax. The problem is that many of the drinkers end up drinking more than what the body can withstand. According to the National institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism (2014), alcohol enters the blood as soon as the first sip and affect the body in as early as ten minutes. The amount then increase depending on the amount of drinks and the effects range from impairment, breathing problems, slurred speech, and coma. Some can even experience death as a result of becoming intoxicated because of having too much alcohol in the bloodstream. National institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism (2014). A young adult is more likely to experience a change in their mood and behavior because they are goi...
Often the issue of addiction causes many negative impacts to a person’s life. This affects the addict’s mind and physiology which may result in negatively impacting their interpersonal relationships with others and work environment. While addiction can range from the use of prescription drugs to illegal narcotics, the addiction that will be focused on is addiction to alcohol. Since the days of “speakeasy’s” and the prohibition era, alcohol has been the topic of conversation among the variety of cultures and socioeconomic status. Alcohol continues to contribute to the lives across generations as evidenced by music. Regardless of the musical genre, artists share their interpretation and experience of alcohol in the lyrics of their
Do you know how many people die every day in the United States due to drunk driving? If not, here is the answer, approximately twenty-eight people die because of drunk driving. There is not a day that has gone by without having an auto accident relating intoxicated drivers and no days without an ambulance running on the street with emergency lights on chasing for victims. In 2014, 1.1 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence and 9,967 people were killed in alcohol related crashes. Alcohol slows down the activity of the person’s central nervous system, including the brain which makes them react slower and reduce concentration while driving. In order for one to drive safe, he/she has to be sober and active without any distraction.
“When I was 13, my dad started drinking more and more. Every day he would come home from work and have beer, lots of it. I didn’t think much of it at first, but then he started getting more angry and violent. He would shout at my mom and me. It was like my father had gone and been replaced with another guy” says an anonymous kid who lives with an alcoholic parent in “How my dad’s drinking problem almost destroyed my family”. The kid depicts that he is so confused, angry and upset especially when his father got fired for going to work drunk. This is one of many children’s voices who suffers having an alcoholic in their family. Most of them are depressed because alcohol has destroyed their family. This is an addiction that does
Drunk driving is extremely impactful on the lives of you and others. While drinking and driving, you are not just endangering yourself, you are also endangering the lives of others. The driver of the car does not just control the car with their hands and feet. They need their brain to function properly so that you are able to react to objects on the road quicker and control the car. If you drink then drive/ drink while driving. Alcohol affects your brain in many ways that inhibit your ability to drive. Alcohol will affect your reaction time, it slows your reflexes which decrease your ability to react to objects on the road. It affects your vision, in can impair your color perception, and night vision. It slows down the movement in the muscles in your eye causing your visual perception to change. Alcohol affects your ability to track. You will not be able to judge the position of cars ahead of you, you won’t be able to judge the
Alcohol is a very serious and dangerous drug, although it is not treated this way anymore. College students have taken drinking to a new level in which, for many, is very scary. Alcohol is much more dangerous than many would think. Kids see a night of drinking as a great way to have fun and party but do not see the consequences. Getting drunk and even blacking out can lead to many problems. When alcohol is consumed in unhealthy amounts, it can lead to not only short-term effects, but long-term ones as well.