Do you know that it takes exactly 6 minutes for your brain to react to alcohol? Now, it can react in many ways. Alcohol can affect your brain in various ways. With this, a question pops out. Is alcohol a stimulant? This further leads to the question of whether alcohol is a depressant. Well, this can be a tricky question.
Whatever it be, we are all set to find out. Let us know that whether alcohol is a stimulant or is it actually a depressant. In essence, alcohol is both a stimulant and a depressant. The whole story is that alcohol initially affects your brain as a stimulant. It gives you a rush of energy and increases your heart rate. However, primarily, alcohol acts as a depressant. Gradually, the stimulant side of alcohol diminishes. This leads your body to slow down and relax.
We will discuss more about the stimulating and depressing effects later. First, it is time to know more about this interplay.
Depressant at variance with Stimulant
Basically, both stimulants and depressants influence your brain function and the nervous system. However, their respective influence is opposite to each other. If we talk about stimulants, they alert your body. They will increase your heart rate and blood pressure. If consumed in large doses, it can lead to insomnia.
Moreover, it can make you more impulsive and jiggery. Caffeine is an example of a mild stimulant. Cocaine and amphetamines act as powerful stimulants.
Coming to the depressant side of alcohol. As a depressant, alcohol does the exact opposite to that of the stimulant side. It decreases your blood pressure and heart rate. This gives you a relaxing feeling. One might feel sleepy as well due to the alcohol. Opiates and benzodiazepines are examples of a depressant. These are actually used to help people with anxiety and insomnia.
In this way, alcohol’s case is just like the two sides of the same coin. It has characteristics of both, just like nicotine. It also has two sides, as a stimulant and depressant. However, alcohol is primarily a depressant. On the other hand, nicotine is primarily a stimulant.
Let us now learn more about the stimulating and depressing effects of alcohol.
Effects of Alcohol as a Stimulant
At first, a dose of alcohol acts as a stimulant for the brain. It gives an instant rush of energy by triggering the happy hormone. That is also known as dopamine. Stimulation occurs as the result of the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reaching 0.05 mg/l. Moreover, you should know that the stimulating effects of alcohol vary based on many factors. These factors are sex, weight, alcohol dose, body chemistry, and alcohol tolerance.
In some cases, people might not feel the stimulating effects that much, compared to the depressing effects. Experts say that people who feel more stimulating effects are at a higher risk of developing alcohol addiction. In case of alcohol addiction, one must opt for natural treatments such as Ibogaine therapy. It ensures overall well being. Moreover, it is quite effective in treating all sorts of addictions.
Effects of Alcohol as a Depressant
After you reach the pinnacle with the stimulating effects, then starts the depressing side. As a result, your blood pressure and heart rate drop. In this state, your BAC will be at 0.8 mg/l. If the BAC level falls to 0.2 mg/l, it can cause you to fall into a coma or even death.
The Bottom Line
In the case of alcohol, you should be mindful. Keep your intake moderate. This will enable you to balance and manage both effects of alcohol. Observe how your body reacts to alcohol. Now, accordingly, watch your alcohol intake. Please check the Ibogaine treatment cost and how does Ibogaine work.