How does alcohol make you drunk? - Judy Grisel
- 8,260,914 Views
- 28,712 Questions Answered
- TEDEd Animation
Let’s Begin…
Ethanol: this molecule, made of little more than a few carbon atoms, is responsible for drunkenness. Often simply referred to as alcohol, ethanol is the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages. So how exactly does it cause drunkenness, and why does it have dramatically different effects on different people? Judy Grisel explores alcohol's journey through the body.
Create and share a new lesson based on this one.
Additional Resources for you to Explore
How did alcohol develop across different civilizations? What are the different uses, and restrictions that apply across different cultures? To learn more about the history of alcohol, check out this lesson, A Brief History of Alcohol, and learn about the early fermentation of rice, millet, grapes, and honey.
Alcohol isn’t the only drug that has mixed affects on our bodies. Marijuana legalization has been subject to a lot of debate across countries. Could this drug, which was once classified among the strictest schedule of drugs in the United States, have medicinal benefits? Check out this lesson to learn more about if marijuana bad for your brain?
Interested in learning more about the potential long term effects of alcohol on our brains? Check out this video to learn about How Bad Is Heavy Drinking on the Brain?
Alcohol isn’t the only drug that has mixed affects on our bodies. Marijuana legalization has been subject to a lot of debate across countries. Could this drug, which was once classified among the strictest schedule of drugs in the United States, have medicinal benefits? Check out this lesson to learn more about if marijuana bad for your brain?
Interested in learning more about the potential long term effects of alcohol on our brains? Check out this video to learn about How Bad Is Heavy Drinking on the Brain?

TED-Ed
Lesson Creator
New York, NY
Create and share a new lesson based on this one.
More from How Things Work
407,839 Views
Design, Engineering & Technology
What happens if you don’t put your phone in airplane mode?
Lesson duration 04:55
1,886,638 Views
352,488 Views
2,873,930 Views