Alcohol produces some of its effects by depressing various brain functions. Alcohol is also a chemical solvent, a local anesthetic, and an irritant. Many of alcohol's side effects are due to these actions rather than to the sedative effect of the agent. Alcohol is found in many different beverages and also in many prescription and nonprescription medications. Alcohol in low doses causes suppression of inhibitions which makes people think they are stimulated or loosened up after a drink or two.
Anxiety is reduced but also the power for abstract thinking is impaired.
At moderate doses, alcohol can cause drowsiness, slowed reflexes and reduced coordination. In large amounts, alcohol decreases vital brain functions, produces sedation, slows the breathing rate, and can cause death. Alcohol is absorbed from all parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Most of the alcohol enters the bloodstream from the stomach and small intestine. It readily passes from the blood into nearly every tissue in the body, including the brain.