Smashed, inebriated, liquored up, mangled, sloshed, hammered, tipsy, nicely irrigated with horizontal lubricant. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average American drinks about two gallons of alcohol each year, but what do they really understand about alcohol and why it gets them “tore up, from the floor up”?

Meet the main ingredient, ethanol. Ethanol and water share some common properties. They are both excellent solvents, and ethanol easily dissolves in water. Because alcohol is so soluble with water, it is quickly absorbed into the blood stream and transported throughout the body. The blood stream spreads alcohol so effectively it can take as little as 20 minutes to go from sober to sloshed.

However, unlike water, ethanol does not conduct electricity. Once alcohol reaches the brain, it interferes, or inhibits, communication between the brain and the rest of the body.

The first areas affected are the cerebral cortex and the limbic system, which control thought, emotion, memory and voluntary muscle movements. This usually corresponds to a blood-alcohol content between 0.03 and 0.25. The legal limit to drive is 0.08 in Iowa.

At this point, a person becomes more daring, has trouble with fine movements, like signing his or her names or high fives, and loses his or her social filter. As a person drinks more, he or she become sluggish, has trouble understanding or remembering recent events and experiences exaggerated emotions. He or she may also have dampened senses and have trouble seeing, smelling and feeling pain.

Around a BAC of 0.18 to 0.30, alcohol begins to affect the cerebellum. The cerebellum controls the muscles and motor control. People at this level become confused, sleepy, dizzy, have trouble catching objects and performing simple tasks, such as walking a straight line or touching a finger to his or her nose. This is usually when people experience “the spins.”

The next area of the brain affected is the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland at a BAC of around 0.25 to 0.4. These two systems regulate chemical and endocrine functions. Loosely translated, this means that a person loses control of the bladder and are less responsive to sexual stimulation. At this BAC, a person doesn’t respond well to stimuli, cannot stand or walk and may lapse in and out of consciousness.

The final area of the brain affected is the medulla, which controls involuntary body functions like breathing, heart rate and body temperature. This usually happens at a BAC of 0.35 to 0.50. With the brain unable to regulate basic functions to keep the body alive, a person lapses into a coma. A BAC exceeding 0.50 results in death.

Alcohol inhibits communication between the body and the brain, much like bad cell phone reception inhibits communication between people. The “drunk” feeling comes from muddled signals. So next time you reach for a margarita, remember there’s science hidden in that Cuervo.