Releasing the Brakes

For years, tosspots have been excusing their drinking by arguing that alcohol i) gives them "a lift," 2) helps them to do more work, 3) aids digestion, or 4) gives them heart to make a public speech which they would be too scared to make while cold sober. All four are just poor excuses, says the current Journal of the American Medical Association; by & large, alcohol is not a stimulant but a depressant.

Since alcohol affects different parts of the body in different ways, the Journal explains, its effects must be considered separately. For example, it is true that alcohol in the mouth stimulates the flow of saliva and thus helps digestion--but so does lemon juice. A little alcohol in the stomach increases the secretion of gastric juice, but the Journal contends that concentrations over 5% (likely to be reached after the first Martini) slow up the digestive process.

The drinker's flushed face is caused by stimulation of the blood vessels in the skin. But, says the Journal, "the feeling of warmth after the taking of alcohol is deceptive, because this feeling is associated with rapid heat loss."

It is in the central nervous system that alcohol, the depressant, masquerades most successfully as a stimulant. Small doses give the drinker "a feeling of well-being and increased self-confidence, but unfortunately with a loss of judgment and the ability of self-criticism." The apparent stimulation is the result of alcohol's narcotic effect on the inhibitions.*Its depressant action operates first on the higher centers of the brain (the "super-ego"), which "are responsible for acquiescence to the habits of civilization." The dulling of responsibility allows the more primitive parts of the brain to dominate the drinker's actions.

"The fallacy of the stimulating effect of alcohol is greatly enhanced," the Journal sadly and soberly concludes, "by the drinker who is convinced that he is performing better when he is under the influence . . . This apparent stimulation [has been aptly compared] with a car on a hillside. Alcohol releases the brakes but does not cause the car to run better."

*Which, in moderation, some doctors regard as a good thing.

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