Ridiculist: (Alleged) Butt Chugging

soundoff (2 Responses)

1. Gordon Shumway
   

   Kim, you are incorrect. The anus is one of the areas where the portal and caval systems anastamose. Unlike when something is ingested orally and is first processed by the liver before entering into the systemic circulation, entering through the anus provides a much higher bioavailability because it DOES skip the first-pass metabolism of the liver. This means that more of the alcohol is absorbed and made available, faster, than by drinking. I do agree with the rest of your post, including that the liver can only metabolize a certain amount of alcohol at a time; referred to as 0-order metabolism. It is one of the few drugs that has a variable half-life so a constant amount can be metabolized at a time. So, since more alcohol is absorbed per anal route, and metabolism is still limited by the liver, there is less control and is more dangerous.

   Do a quick google search on first-pass metabolism. Also, bioavailability, which is the main point of my post, and this article.

   September 26, 2012 at 11:00 pm |
2. KIm Pouncey
   

   The article says it "bypasses the liver" which is not the case. Regardless of how alcohol is consumed, the liver can metabolize only so much alcohol at a time and once it has all it can handle the rest of the alcohol stays in a holding pattern in the bloodstream until the liver is ready for more. That is what causes intoxication. When alcohol is consumed too rapidly the body can't protect itself, the BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) increases quickly and begins to effect the brain's ability to regulate body function including breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, etc. At this point it becomes a matter of life and death.

   September 26, 2012 at 5:58 pm |