How Alcohol Affects You, As Told By Animals

Here are nine ways alcohol affects your body and behaviour.

1. It makes you hungry

Alcohol is filled with carbohydrates which your body breaks down into sugar. This causes your blood sugar level to rise, so your body releases insulin to lower it.

When you stop drinking, your body is no longer getting the sugar, but the insulin continues to keep your blood sugar level low. Your body gives you hunger pangs to tell you to eat more so your blood sugar level can get back to normal.

2. And thirsty

Alcohol dehydrates your body - one of the main reasons why you feel like death warmed-up the next day. Plus it's a diuretic (it makes you pee more). Drinking water before bed will help combat this so you won't feel as bad the next day.

3. It can make you do stupid stuff

Alcohol impairs your judgement which means you don't think before you do something, like these french students who stole a llama.

4. ....Which can sometimes make you more aggressive

"If someone provokes us while we're drunk, we don't take other factors into account, such as the consequences of rising to the bait. This can lead to violent reactions from people who would usually shrug things off."

Professor McMurran, University of Nottingham

5. It can make it difficult to stand up

Alcohol affects the cerebellum, the part of the brain associated with balance and co-ordinated movement, which causes you to stumble and slur your speech.

6. It can make you forget

Your alcohol consumption impacts on your short-term memory (called a blackout). Ever woken up after a night out and can't remember anything from the night before? You've had a blackout.

There's no one cause of a blackout, but it's thought that having a high blood-alcohol level or drinking a lot in a short space of time can increase the chances of a blackout.

7. It can turn good sex into bad sex

"In men, alcohol can cause difficulties getting and maintaining an erection - while women may experience reduced lubrication, find it harder to have an orgasm, or have orgasms that are less intense."

Dr Abigael San, Clinical Psychologist and Alcohol Expert

8. It can make you lose your beauty sleep

Alcohol may make you feel sleepy, but it'll also make you more likely to wake up in the middle of the night, which could make you feel worse the next day.

9. Don't forget the dreaded hangover

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Alcohol can be fun....

It can make you do crazy things, but remember it also makes you vulnerable and puts you and others at risk. So enjoy yourselves, but don't drink to excess.

Remember these tips, be safe and have a cat giving you a thumbs up.