Alcohol is a constituent of medicines, foods, and beverages that provides both beneficial and detrimental effects on human beings. Alcohol typically refers to ethyl alcohol (ethanol), which is the common form of consumable alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, e.g., such as beer, wine, and liquor. Consumable alcohol is produced by fermentation processes of various food products, e.g., including wheat, rice, or other starches, fruits, honey, or other sources of sugars, and yeast. The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) considers a standard drink to be equal to 0.6 ounces of pure ethanol, e.g., which is equivalent to approximately 12 fluid ounces (fl. oz.) of regular beer (of about 5% alcohol), 8-9 fl. oz. of malt liquor (of about 7% alcohol), 5 fl. oz. of wine (of about 12% alcohol), and 1.5 fl. oz. (referred to as a “shot”) of an 80-proof distilled spirit or liquor (e.g., gin, rum, vodka, whiskey, tequila, etc.).
During consumption, alcohol is rapidly absorbed from the stomach and small intestine into the bloodstream, from which it can affect several organs including the brain, heart, pancreas, and liver. Alcohol can act as a depressant to the central nervous system (CNS). For example, alcohol interferes with the brain's communication pathways, which affects brain functionality that manifests in cognitive and behavioral changes, e.g., such as a person's ability to think, focus, move, as well as his/her mood and behavior. Alcohol can cause inflammation and damage to the liver, e.g., where consistent heavy drinking can cause chronic liver problems. For example, heavy drinking can lead to steatosis (e.g., or fatty liver), infection (e.g., alcoholic hepatitis), fibrosis, and cirrhosis.