Immediate effects of alcohol use

The immediate effects of alcoholic drinks are seen soon after drinking excess amounts of alcohol. A typical effect on mental status is sedation (it makes people sleepy). There are also other effects on the body, e.g. a lower heart and respiration rate, a slower reaction time (speed of reaction of a person to an incident requiring a fast response), impaired coordination (e.g. difficulty in walking straight), and even loss of consciousness in the case of very heavy alcohol intake.