Therefore, more ethanol is found in the blood and the brain than in muscle or fat tissue. The ethanol is greatly diluted by body fluids. Ethanol is toxic, and the body begins to dispose of it immediately upon its consumption. In the liver, the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme converts ethanol into acetaldehyde, which is itself toxic. This is destroyed almost immediately by the aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme, which converts it to acetate ions.
Figure shows how the blood alcohol level varies with time for various doses of ethanol.
NADH must be recycled to NAD for the disposal of ethanol to continue. If the amount of ethanol consumed is not great, the recycling can keep up with the disposal of ethanol. The figure shows how the blood alcohol level varies with time for various doses of ethanol. Ethanol acts as a drug affecting the central nervous system. Its behavioral effects stem from its effects on the brain and not on the muscles or senses themselves.