Alcohol, what exactly is it? The majority of adults drink it. Sometimes people drink too much, what are the consequences? But how do you know exactly what is (too) much? How does your body process it? And finally, what effects does it have on pregnancy? You can read the answers to all these questions below.

What is it?

Alcohol is a product of nature, resulting from the fermentation of barley (beer) or grapes (wine). And fermentation is the creation of single-celled fungi, it sounds dirty but it is also found in bread, for example. So we eat/drink it often.If the fermentation process stops at about 15% alcohol, it is called a weak alcoholic drink. Heating and cooling can create a higher alcohol percentage, which is then called spirits.To illustrate: beer (5%), wine (12%) and gin (35%).For the chemists among us, the chemical formula of alcohol: C2H5OH

How does it work?

Alcohol reaches your body through the esophagus. Alcohol is drunk. It enters the stomach via the esophagus. Once in the stomach, 20% of the alcohol is absorbed into the blood. The rest (80%) goes through the stomach to the small intestine. Alcohol is quickly absorbed into the blood in the small intestine. The alcohol then goes to the liver where it is broken down.If there is still food in your stomach, the absorption of the alcohol takes a little longer. Normally the alcohol reaches the brain after about 10 minutes, from that moment on you are under the influence. The alcohol affects the functioning of your brain. In the brain, nerves transmit signals to each other, using certain substances, also called transfer substances. Alcohol affects the functioning of these transfer substances, mainly the substances called gaba and glutamate. The more you drink, the more you numb your brain. As a result, consequences can be observed in your mood and behavior. Some examples: your inhibitions disappear, your memory diminishes, your concentration and your self-criticism disappear. And the more you drink, the stronger the effects become.

Intake

The absorption of alcohol is not the same for everyone. So if two people drink a glass of beer, they do not have to have the same blood alcohol content. For convenience, we abbreviate blood alcohol content as BAC. BAC is the number of grams of alcohol per liter of blood. A number of factors influence your BAC:

• body fluid: alcohol is distributed over the amount of body fluid you possess. Someone who weighs little will notice more from the same number of glasses than someone who weighs a lot.
• gender: a man’s body contains more fluid per kilo of weight than that of a woman. Alcohol is more diluted in men and they are less likely to be under the influence than women.
• stomach filling: with a full stomach you are less likely to be under the influence than if your stomach is empty while you are drinking.
• physical condition and medication use

A standard glass contains 10 grams of alcohol and leads to an alcohol content of approximately 0.2 in men and 0.3 in women.

Demolition

The liver breaks down the alcohol that is absorbed into the blood. A standard glass is broken within 1 to 1.5 hours. The liver breaks down approximately 95% of alcohol. 5% of alcohol leaves the body through sweat glands, breathing and through your urine.If you drink 8 glasses of alcohol in one evening, the breakdown takes 8 to 12 hours, which means that you are still under the influence the next morning. The breakdown cannot be accelerated by a lot of exercise, a cold shower, a walk in the fresh air or coffee.For the chemists among us, a further explanation for the breakdown of alcohol. When it (the alcohol) is broken down in the body, a substance called acetaldehyde is created. This is a substance that is even more toxic and harmful than alcohol itself. This substance is converted into acetic acid, which is then broken down into carbon dioxide and water.Drinking too much alcohol increases the amount of harmful substances, which can even result in a coma.

Standard glass

The common drinks have their own standard glass. In this way, a standard glass of beer (5% alcohol and 250 cc) contains as much pure alcohol (namely 10 grams) as a glass of wine (12% alcohol, 100 cc) and a glass of spirits (3% alcohol and 35 cc).However, there are also drinks for which there are no standard glasses. Then it is difficult to estimate exactly how much alcohol you have drunk. A mixed drink always contains 1 standard glass + a soft drink or juice. If you are mixing yourself, it is best to use a measuring cup or a narrow glass with the ccs indicated.

Pregnancy and alcohol

Trying to get pregnant

Alcohol use by women reduces fertility and increases the risk of miscarriage. Man’s alcohol consumption also affects fertility! The more you drink, the greater the risk of premature birth, miscarriage or reduced fertility. Research has shown that there is no fixed lower limit for alcohol consumption. This is also related to the differences in the absorption of alcohol in people.

During the pregnancy

As can be read above, when broken down, alcohol becomes a toxic substance that can cause damage to the brain in small quantities. Alcohol consumption can cause harm at any stage of pregnancy. It reduces the production of breast milk and causes the baby to sleep poorly in the belly. The effects of these developments can already occur with less than one standard glass per day! When using six standard drinks per day, there is also a risk of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

So there is only one good advice: do not drink alcohol if you want to become pregnant and if you are pregnant.

In practice, 35-50% of Dutch women continue to use alcohol while they want to become pregnant and/or are pregnant. Heavy drinkers are less likely to stop drinking alcohol than women who indulge in lower levels of alcohol consumption. Information appears to have no effect on the heavy drinker group. They need specialist care, even then it is rarely possible to stop drinking completely. 1-on-1 information works best here. The other information should focus on couples who want to become pregnant, because alcohol also has an influence during that period.

read more

• Smoking, passive smoking and smoking before, during and after pregnancy
• Sex during and after pregnancy
• What to eat/drink/do during your pregnancy
• Pregnant, what can I do and what can I no longer do?
• Facts and Fiction about pregnancy