Why Does Alcohol Make Us Drunk?

Imagine your brain is a busy telephone exchange. Messages zip around telling your body what to do. Alcohol is like a sleepy fog that rolls in and slows down the messages.

Your brain has tiny doors called receptors that let signals pass through. When you drink alcohol, it grabs onto these doors and locks them partially open. This stops some important 'go' signals from reaching their destination. That is why your words might get slurred or your steps wobble.

The liver works hard to sweep the fog away, but if you drink too fast, the fog stays thick. You feel loose and happy because the worry signals are blocked, but you also feel clumsy because movement signals are delayed. Eventually, the liver catches up, and the fog lifts!