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TED-Ed

How does alcohol make you drunk? - Judy Grisel

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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.

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?

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Meet The Creators

Educator
Judy Grisel
Director
Anton Bogaty
Narrator
Bethany Cutmore-Scott
Storyboard Artist
Anton Bogaty
Animator
Anton Bogaty
Sound Designer
Cem Misirlioglu
Director of Production
Gerta Xhelo
Editorial Producer
Alex Rosenthal
Producer
Bethany Cutmore-Scott
Associate Editorial Producer
Elizabeth Cox
Fact-Checker
Eden Girma

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