Most people get a hangover, even heavy drinkers may experience mild withdrawal symptoms when they drink for a few days. How can alcohol kill a serious alcoholic when they stop drinking? What actually kills them?
In: 9
When you constantly have alcohol in your system the body adapts by changing the amount of various hormones it produces. Specifically in the GABAergic system where the GABAA receptor gets down regulated. This is a receptor in the neural system which respond to various drugs such as alcohol and benzodiazapines but also other hormones vital for the functioning of the central nervous system (brain). So simply said the alcohol replaces vital hormones in the brain and pushing it out of the body. When you suddenly stop drinking the hormones does not get produced and this damages the nerves causing the brain to die.
Essentially your body can’t function without the alcohol and you get withdrawal, or Delirium Tremens. Alcohol slows down your brain and nervous system so when your body is reliant on that they can’t adjust quickly enough when you remove the alcohol and you end up getting overstimulated causing heart attack, stroke, seizures, etc. leading to death.
[deleted]
Fatal seizures is what we worry about most in alcohol withdrawal. A seizure is an unorganized, excitatory firing of brain cells, so let’s talk about how that happens.
Think of you brain as having gas pedals (NMDA receptors – excitatory) and brake pedals (GABA receptors – inhibitory)
Alcohol’s main effect is to push the brake pedal and slow down the brain. After prolonged exposure, in an attempt to regain balance, the brain will reduce the amount of brake pedals it has, so when the alcohol is removed, the balance is removed in favor of excitatory stimulus and seizures.
Alcohol also blocks the gas pedals which causes the brain in a similar, but opposite response, to make more gas pedals available which also helps push the brain toward too much excitement when the brakes (alcohol) are removed.
Latest Answers