Is Alcohol a Stimulant or Depressant?

The timeless debate - whether alcohol is a

stimulant or depressant - continues to this day. The
following article explores exactly what effect it has
on the body and the mechanism of action behind
such effect.
Alcohol plays a dichotomous role once it enters
your system - it starts off by acting as a stimulant
but ends up as a depressant. You see, alcohol is
one of the most volatile compounds and happens
to have multiple personalities! From alchemists to
physicians, from poets to lovers, alcohol has never
ceased to garner widespread attention - be it in the
form of appreciation or criticism! Alcohol and liquor
have occupied prestigious ranks in the courts of
pompous kings and emperors besides holding
endearing significance in the life of the homeless
and pauper! However, the question of whether
alcohol is a stimulant or a depressant has pervaded
time and continues to this day, its patrons and
connoisseurs taking a stand in favor of it while its
critics going the other way. Let us take a detailed
look at, and find out, the effects of alcohol on the
body to determine whether alcohol is a stimulant
or depressant.
So, what exactly is alcohol, a stimulant or a

depressant? Well, it's both! Which of its effects you

experience depends upon how much alcohol you
consumed and how long ago! Alcohol attracts,
what may be called, a biphasic response. In other
words, it attracts both stimulant and depressant
responses from the consumer and the effects vary
between light and heavy drinkers.
Stimulating Effects of Alcohol
Whether alcohol is a stimulant or depressant
depends upon the amount consumed and how
much time has passed since the last intake. The
ethanol content in alcohol that is meant for
consumption causes the release of Dopamine in
the brain. Dopamine is a neurohormone whose
increased release causes the heart rate and blood
pressure to increase. This gives the initial "flushed"
feeling and imparts a sudden warmth to the face
and extremities of the body. Speech becomes
faster and a person tends to lower his guards and
drop inhibitions as the initial effects of alcohol start
setting in. This effect can, especially, be seen
within the first few minutes of drinking alcoholic
liquors such as brandy, vodka or rum. Red wine
also gives a similar flush but this effect is more
gradual in wine's case and the sudden warmth is

substituted by a gradual "glow", if you know what I

mean. Therefore, in the initial moments of its
intake, alcohol acts as a stimulant and acts as an
anti-inhibitor.
Depressing Effects of Alcohol
The ethanol found in alcohol is a psychoactive drug
and is a central nervous system depressant.
Alcohol and depression are inseparable
companions. High quantity consumption for a long
duration and chronic alcohol addiction causes such
side effects as slurred speech, blurred vision, poor
balance and coordination, loss of muscle
coordination, diminished mental focus and ability
to concentrate and, in severe cases, even death!
After the initial rush, high levels of ethanol in the
bloodstream get carried to the brain. Being a
central nervous system depressant, it slowly starts
loosening the nervous system's control over the
body's other organs and functions. This is what
causes loss of coordination and balance. It also
causes the heart rate to slow down, leading to
hypotension, which imparts a feeling of dizziness or
drowsiness, followed by hangover. The depressant
side effects of alcohol manifest slower if alcohol is
consumed with meals or on a full stomach as this

causes its rate of absorption into the bloodstream

to slow down. Taken on an empty stomach, the
alcohol reaches the bloodstream in no time,
causing its side effects to manifest quickly and
more potently! To determine if alcohol is a
stimulant or a depressant for the nervous system,
I'd say it is definitely a depressant, judging by its
long-term effects and assuming that the regular
drinker's alcohol intake, per occasion, tends to be
on the moderate to higher side! You may read is
alcohol a depressant to find out more about
alcohol's depressant features.
As we saw, whether alcohol is a stimulant or
depressant depends upon the quantity consumed
and the time that has passed since its
consumption. However, to give a final verdict on
the debate regarding whether alcohol is a
stimulant or depressant, it would not be unfair to
say that alcohol is definitely a depressant in the
end. The stimulating effects are initial and shortlived whereas the depressant effects, that set in
later, are longer lasting and are experienced the
most by victims of alcoholism. After all, a drunkard
is better identified by his faltering steps and slurry
speech rather than his garrulous confidence and
ruddy glow!