Alcoholic drinks

[Caleb]

What does alcohol do to your body that makes people drunk?...

[toastywombel]

Alcohol intoxication (also known as drunkenness or being drunk or inebriated) is a physiological state occurring when an organism has a high level of ethanol in its bloodstream, or when ethanol otherwise causes the physiological effect known as drunkenness. In humans, common symptoms may include slurred speech, euphoria, impaired balance, poor coordination, flushed face, reddened eyes, reduced inhibition, and erratic behavior. In severe cases, drunkenness can cause loss of muscle coordination (ataxia), coma, and even death.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_intoxication

 

Alcohol, specifically ethanol, is a central nervous system depressant with a range of side effects. The amount and circumstances of consumption play a large part in determining the extent of intoxication; for example, consuming alcohol after a heavy meal causes alcohol to absorb more slowly.

Ethanol inhibits the ability of glutamate to open the cation channel associated with the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of glutamate receptors. Alcohol sensitizes the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDAi) system of the brain, making it more receptive to the neurotransmitter glutamate.[citation needed] Stimulated areas include the cortex, hippocampus and nucleus accumbens, which are responsible for thinking and pleasure seeking. Another one of alcohol's agreeable effects is body relaxation, possibly caused by neurons transmitting electrical signals in an alpha waves-pattern; such waves are observed (with the aid of EEGs) when the body is relaxed.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-term_effects_of_alcohol

[Greippi]

Put very simply, it slows the function of the brain by inhibiting the activity of glutamate on certain receptors in the brain. Usually glutamate would increase or excite brain activity.

 

There are other mechanisms as well, but that's the most basic.