Most people are under no illusion that drinking is bad for their health, but what exactly happens to your body when you consume too much alcohol?

A drink effects people differently, depending on their size, age, and sex. If you’re a heavier person, it may take longer to affect you than someone lighter. But here is what happens when you drink: Alcohol is absorbed into your body through the stomach and the small intestines. Alcohol travels through the stomach lining into the bloodstream, and is then transmitted throughout the body.

You will then start to feel a bit warmer, and may be flushed because the blood vessels dilate, this increases the release of serotonin and endorphins in the brain. You may feel great, but you’re going to feel depressed later because alcohol is a depressant, which means the more you drink, the more likely you are to feel depressed.

According to Business Insider, if you continue to consume alcohol at this point, what will happen next is that your mental judgment and coordination will become impaired and this could also result in slurred speech, as well as a loss of balance. This means that you will become inhibited and be more daring and reckless, potentially putting yourself at risk—this may also lead to regrets the next morning! Let’s just say that you shouldn’t be making any life-altering decisions at this point.

Another side effect is that you will need to go the toilet, a lot, because alcohol is a diuretic. The frequent urination takes its effect on your kidneys, and can also make you more dehydrated. Your liver also works hard when you drink, because the body cannot store alcohol, so it needs to be broken down in a complex metabolic process. While the liver is reported by Drinking & You to do around 95 percent of the work, the excess will be lost through sweat and urine.

Then when you do try to get to bed, your sleep is going to be interrupted and you’re unlikely to have a restful night. If you want to perform in the bedroom, there is a good chance you won’t be able to do that either, because according to Business Insider, the alcohol disrupts the neurotransmitters in your brain.

So, how much alcohol can you actually consume? According to Metro, Drinkaware reveals that you process alcohol at a rate of one unit an hour, and medical advisor Dr. Sarah Jarvis from the organization told Metro, "Binge drinking can be extremely dangerous. Your body can only process one unit of alcohol an hour, and less for some people."

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