It is known fact that alcohol affects the brain or nerve cells. Modern researches have established that alcohol is also trigger factor in immunological response of brain. Through these two phenomenons it profoundly affects the social behavior of man almost changing his whole mindset. Alcohol may be termed as “roller –coaster” of human emotions.
The relationship between alcohol and man is very old and perhaps existed for centuries. Man has bee in the habit of using alcohol as intoxicant since long. Alcohol alters the thinking process, social and family behavior a great. In spite of the fact alcohol being
used by centuries, our understanding of the way alcohol changes man’s behavior is very limited. Alcohol exerts a powerful influence on the thinking of man and its thinking faculty. Alcohol primarily affects nervous system or nerve cells, but how it affects the nerve cells of brain and how it works? The scientists are still investigating to this area of curiosity. There are primarily two main area of its functioning in our body namely:
Nervous system or nerve cells
Immunological system of body
It directly affects the nervous system as well as immunological responses of brain. And through these two mediums it profoundly affects the mind and psychological behavior of the person. We know sufficiently that how it affects the human brain or nerve cells by exciting them a lot. Its primary action on brain is of excitement and euphoria but the secondary action is of depressive type.
Immunological response
It is said that it also triggers rapid changes in the immunological or immune system of human brain. This immune response is a significant factor in difficult controlling of muscles of walking and talking. The staggering gait of drunkard person is said to be triggered by immune response of brain together with brain nerve cells. The loss of orientation and coordination of muscles of extremities is well known effect of alcohol
Toll –like receptors
.
. There are present “toll like receptors”
in our brain and these are the special elements of the immune system. Some researchers have tried to establish the fact that by blocking these toll –like receptors of brain’s immune system by drugs or genetically reduces the effects of alcohol. "Medications targeting Toll-like receptor 4 may prove beneficial in treating alcohol dependence and acute overdoses," says Dr Hutchinson, a leading researcher of British Journal of Pharmacology. Toll like receptors are a class of proteins that play a key role in the immune system of human beings. These proteins find great similarity to the protein coded by toll gene. The “Toll gene” was identified by christiane Nusslein-Volhard in 1985 in Drosophila flies. After consuming alcohol the response is both immunological and neurological. And through these two responses it alters the mindset of man and makes him courageous and bold by removing his all inhibitions and cowardice of mind. Only people suffering from deep sense of “sexual insufficiency” and insecurity indulge in alcohol drinking as an experiment basis and gradually are addicted to it. One feels false sense of “well-being” “heroism” and pride after consuming alcohol. The deep rooted complex in his mind is lifted temporarily and all anxiety of “insufficiency” of the subject is removed. He becomes lion in jackal’s skin. The suppressed self of the drunkard person starts coming out from its shell or den in the form of exaggerated loquacity; and sometimes weeping also. He goes into a delusionary state of his mind in which he imagines himself as the hero of scene. Alcohol greatly exalts the fancies of man. Vivid fancies start revolving in his mind and ideas of grandeur and beauty start roaming in his mind. Thus his whole mindset is completely changed.