Further specifics will be discussed below. Ethanol is a colorless, odorless hydrocarbon that is both water and lipid-soluble. It diffuses easily across all membranes which explains its ability to affect multiple organ systems. The lipid solubility accounts for the rapid absorption of ethanol from the GI tract. This absorption is affected by the presence of food in the gut, GI motility or disease, coingestion of drugs, concentration of the alcohol, and the time over which the alcohol is consumed.
Women achieve higher blood alcohol levels than do men for equivalent doses of alcohol.
Alcohol is broken down in the liver by alcohol dehydrogenase. Only small amounts of alcohol are excreted unchanged by the kidneys and lungs. The effects of moderate alcohol consumption is well known to most people. Patients present with discoordination, slurred speech, and later CNS depression. Patients may present with tachycardia, sweating, and flushing from ethanol induced vasodilatation.