The effects of alcohol

Around 1-2 units

• your heart rate will speed up and your blood vesselswill expand
• you get the warm, sociable feeling associated with moderate drinking

Around 4-6 units

• your decision making and judgement will start to be affected, making you lose your inhibitions and become more reckless
• the cells in your nervous system will start to be affected, making you feel lightheaded
• your co-ordination will be affected and your reaction time may be slower

Around 8-9 units

• your reaction times will be much slower
• your speech will be slurred
• your vision will begin to lose focus
• your liver won't be able to remove all of the alcohol overnight, so it's likely you'll wake up with a hangover

At this stage you should seriously consider not drinking any more alcohol.

If you do:

Around 10-12 units

• your co-ordination will be seriously impaired, placing you at high risk of having an accident
• you may stagger around or feel unstable on your feet
• you'll feel drowsy or dizzy
• the amount of alcohol in your body will begin to reach toxic (poisonous) levels
• you may need to go to the toilet more often as your body attempts to quickly pass the alcohol out of your body in your urine
• you'll be dehydrated in the morning, and probably have a severe headache
• the excess alcohol in your system may upset your digestive system, leading to nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or indigestion

More than 12 units

• you're at high risk of developing alcohol poisoning, particularly if you're drinking lots of units in a short space of time
• the alcohol can begin to interfere with the automatic functions of your body, such as your breathing, heart rate and gag reflex
• you're at risk of losing consciousness