What the doctors say...

Rapid mood swings and disorientation are two immediate reactions of the human brain after the person is drunk and the same poses serious threats to their lives according to neurologists in the City.

Drinking can take a person from the state of euphoria to that of extreme depression based on the quantity of alcohol consumed which makes it unsafe for the person to drive, they add. Dr Vikram Huded, Head of Interventional Neuro-Surgery and Stroke, Narayana Health, has this to say: “As the alcohol level increases, the activity of neuro- transmitters is suppressed. Initially, the inhibitory transmitters will become less functional resulting in euphoria. Later, the other transmitters also get suppressed leading to disorientation.”

 Alcohol, when consumed in minor quantities can be metabolised. However, as the neuro-surgeon says, when consumed excessively, the human body loses the ability to combat the adverse effects. “When in small quantity, it is metabolised by the liver. When the consumption is more, it enters the blood stream,” he explains.

Studies linked to accidents in the city reveal that nearly eight per cent of deaths and nine per cent  hospitalized injuries occurred while the person was under the influence of alcohol. The number is likely to be higher as alcohol information is still poorly documented in both police and hospital reports.

While consumption of alcohol primary affects the emotional function, other vital activities are also hampered. Dr Rajesh B Iyer, Consultant Neurologist and Epileptologist, Vikram Hospitals, says, “The thought process of a person gets clouded under the influence of alcohol leading to a loss of control. The cerebellum which helps keep a person balanced and the frontal lobe that helps a person assess the speed and alertness of the brain goes down leading to problems.”