Mapenzi noticed that even after drinking a small amount of alcohol, he didn’t feel great. He felt nauseous, had warm skin, and when he fell asleep, it was as if he was dead. His family would complain that it frightened them because they imagined he would never wake up. No matter how much noise they made, he lay still like a corpse. After a night of drinking, he would only wake up around 3 p.m. the following day, sleeping almost an entire day. And if he went drinking on Sunday, he would fail to report for work on Monday due to the abnormal sleep pattern.

Sepi was seriously considering quitting alcohol. She thought that by taking ciders only, her problem of wetting the bed after a night out would come to an end, but alas, whatever alcoholic beverage she took would still make her wet the bed and give her a running stomach.

Mr. Zibs was on the verge of losing his marriage. Every time he got paid and had a few drinks, he would find that he had no money in his account. He somehow had no remembrance of the day’s events on payday as long as he had a bottle or two. His wife could no longer tolerate it and was even suspecting him of having a girlfriend because she couldn’t understand what or where he took all his money a day after payday and could not believe the stories of him forgetting everything.

Alcohol is a drug that affects your central nervous system. It is considered a depressant because it slows down your speech, movement, and reaction time. Since alcohol depresses your nervous system, you may experience serious complications if you drink at a rate that is much faster than your liver can process, and these complications can include slow breathing, gag reflex, cardiac arrest when the body temperature decreases, or seizures as a result of low blood sugar levels. Some people have died in their sleep after a drinking spree because they vomited in their sleep, inhaled the vomit into their lungs, and stopped breathing.

Alcohol intolerance is a metabolic disorder that affects how one’s body converts and uses energy. Our bodies are full of enzymes that break down food. Alcohol intolerance is a problem with a specific enzyme that helps the body metabolize alcohol. Even drinking a small amount of alcohol causes unpleasant symptoms. Alcohol intolerance is a genetic metabolic disorder of the digestive system that does not allow the body to process alcohol the way it should.

Alcohol allergy is an immune system response. It is how the immune system overreacts to an ingredient in alcohol. One may be allergic to a substance in the alcohol (a chemical, grain, or preservative).

Allergic symptoms differ from person to person, but both intolerance and allergy can cause nausea. Alcohol allergies include rashes, itchiness, swelling, and severe stomach cramps. These symptoms are often more painful and uncomfortable than alcohol intolerance symptoms.

Some people think that being alcohol intolerant means you get drunk faster, hence they take their time sipping their drink. Alcohol intolerance can affect anyone with the enzyme deficiency that causes it, as the body will not convert acetaldehyde to acetic acid. This acetaldehyde starts to build up in the blood, causing intolerance symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, rapid heartbeat or palpitations, hypotension (low blood pressure), stuffy nose, diarrhea, or asthma. Alcohol intolerance has no cure except for someone to simply stop taking alcoholic beverages. Continuing to take alcohol when you are intolerant puts one at a higher risk for cancer of the mouth and throat and liver disease.

Allergic reactions to alcohol (ethanol) are very uncommon, but when they do happen, they likely cause flushing, rashes, and irritant reactions. People with alcohol allergies can react to as little as 1 ml of pure alcohol, and this can cause difficulty in breathing, stomach cramps, or collapsing. Apart from drinks such as beer, wine, or spirits, other products that contain alcohol include alcoholic soft drinks, mixers, food marinades, some cough syrups, and some injectable medicines. The best way to live with alcohol intolerance or allergy is to avoid alcohol as much as possible.

Since alcohol is processed in the body by the liver, problems occur when the alcohol cannot be broken down properly, hence causing adverse effects such as heart palpitations, headaches, stomach discomfort, or a drop in blood pressure. The reason for this is the high blood acetaldehyde levels.

Apart from ethanol, alcoholic drinks contain a mixture of other products such as:
• Substances derived from grapes, yeast, barley, or wheat
• Food chemicals such as salicylates
• Preservatives derived from wood such as sodium metabisulfite
• Egg and seafood proteins which are used to make the alcohol less cloudy

Allergic reactions can occur in people who do not necessarily have an alcohol allergy but are allergic to the other ingredients when they consume the alcohol. A lot of people with asthma complain that wine, beer, or spirits worsen their asthma, and this is due to preservatives in the alcohol. Some wines contain histamine, which triggers sneezing, runny nose, and sometimes stomach upsets or headaches.

Apart from allergies, some people get anxious and agitated when they drink due to the drug-like activity of alcohol. This agitation is what makes some men beat up their wives after a drinking spree — like the case of Mr. Mboo, who didn’t understand why he always kicked his loving wife after a few drinks. Mrs. Mboo tried all the tricks taught by bana Chimbusa to stay calm and avoid the kicks. She even went to prayer mountains and ended up thinking someone had bewitched her husband, who was a darling but turned into a beast every month-end when he went drinking.

Consuming alcohol in large amounts can have negative effects on the liver, stomach, brain, and mental functioning, and none of these reactions can be attributed to allergies.

Our forefathers knew alcohol was not to be consumed daily; hence, it was mainly prepared during festival periods. Our problem is taking alcohol frequently, knowing very well its strong side effects on the liver and kidneys. The liver filters the blood and breaks down 80 to 90 percent of the alcohol into water, carbon dioxide, and energy, which the body can process. By consuming a lot of alcohol, we are putting too much pressure on the liver. The kidneys filter blood, balance the amount of liquid in the body, and remove wastes through urine. Alcohol forces the kidneys to work harder because they produce more urine to get rid of the waste products from broken-down alcohol. The body excretes up to 10 percent of alcohol consumed through urine.

Alcohol moves from the bloodstream into the brain within 5 to 10 minutes after drinking. It therefore causes mood changes, difficulty with thinking and coordination, and sometimes blackouts. In the lungs, it evaporates as breath; hence a person may breathe out up to 8 percent of the alcohol they consume. A pregnant woman passes alcohol through the placenta to her unborn child; hence, drinking alcohol at any stage of pregnancy is not advised.

Alcohol is consumed because it has a relaxing effect, and many consume it as a healthy social experience. However, pain, nausea, and vomiting can be signs of alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning occurs when one takes too much alcohol, more than what the body can safely process. A hangover will resolve on its own, and resorting to another bottle to kill a hangover is not a wise decision. Instead, sip on water, sleep, and snack on food.

There is no such thing as good alcohol, it’s a marketing strategy. Alcohol is alcohol, and our brains trick us into thinking something is better when it is more expensive. For those who need help with quitting alcohol, visit your nearest local clinic, and if in Lusaka, Chainama Hospital will give you the best affordable treatment.

Seek help when in need. Visit a counsellor near you!

About the author

Aka Monde, is a licensed Professional Counsellor who holds a Master of Science in Counselling from the University of Zambia. She believes in the adage “a problem shared, is a problem half solved.” Speak to your pastor, church elder, elderly family member or see a professional counsellor when in need.

Email: [email protected]