what is alcohol

In order to understand alcohol's effects on the body, it is helpful to understand the nature of alcohol as a chemical, so let's take a look...

Here are several facts:

• Alcohol is a clear liquid at room temperature.
• Alcohol is less dense and evaporates at a lower temperature than water (this property allows it to be distilled -- by heating a water and alcohol mixture, the alcohol evaporates first).
• Alcohol dissolves easily in water.
• Alcohol is flammable (so flammable that it can be used as a fuel).

Alcohol abuse has been a rising problem over the past three decades. With the continued exposure to alcohol, how does the human body respond or adapt? The body's increased tolerance to alcohol involves the following changes:

• Increase in level of liver's enzymes that are used to break down alcohol

• Increase in activity of brain and nervous-system neurons

These bodily adaptations change a person's behavior.

read the rest on www.howstuffworks.com

you can also read about the favourite in this (and many other) country. BEER.

so now you know alcohol is bad - like you and i didn't know before :p - for you, from a scientific point of view, will you stop drinking? i doubt it. there's no chance i will quit anytime soon. unfortunately, it seems that although we might not be "formally" addicted to a few things in our life, we wouldn't quit them even though we know they are bad.

think of your everyday life. how many things do you choose to do that you actually know are harmful for you, but you wouldn't give them up? and i am not talking only about drinking and smoking here. these are just the obvious options. i have my own personal list.

think about it.