How Booze Enters Your Body

"Yeah, I've had a few... but I'm still in control, definitely... just having a really, really brilliant time."

It's the way so many big nights begin. Enjoying the effects of moderate alcohol consumption you've become the life and soul of the party - and don't you just love all your friends?

As the drinks continue to flow, things can start to go badly wrong. How fast that happens depends what you're drinking, what you've eaten and your physical build.

Can you take it?

Only 20% of the alcohol you swallow is absorbed by the stomach. The majority seeps into the bloodstream from the small intestine, the piece of bowel directly below the stomach. Separating the two is a trapdoor called the pyloric valve which can hold the key to how quickly you get drunk.

Lining the stomach

To pace yourself on a night out eat some food with fat or protein in it before you leave the house. When the stomach is full the pyloric valve closes and the alcohol is trapped in the stomach where it is absorbed more slowly.

This way your liver is given more time to break down the alcohol that's already in your bloodstream.

That fatal fizz
If you're trying to catch up with your mates who've been in the pub since lunchtime, go for champagne. The bubbles in carbonated drinks can cause the pyloric valve to open, sending alcohol straight to the part of the body that absorbs it best.

Next page: What happens to your body when you're completely plastered?