comes in a variety of forms and does one thing quickly and well.

它存在的形式多變，而且有個又快又好的效果

It changes the way you feel

就是改變你感覺的方式

But to what do we owe these feelings of release and freedom?

但我們又怎麼會有放鬆和解脫的感覺呢？

How could the ingestion of one simple substance

只是吃了一種簡單的物質

so drastically change not only your actions

怎麼就會讓你的行為

but thoughts and perception.

思考還有感知改變這麼大！

As alcohol enters the body and makes its way to your brain,

當酒精進入身體，到達腦部時

it begins to interact with your neurons or brain cells.

它會開始和神經元或腦細胞作用

In our previous video on marijuana which you can click here

這裡有一部我們先前在討論大麻的影片，你可以點這裡進去看看

we explain the actions of neurons and their chemical messengers called neurotransmitters.

我們解釋了神經元的作用，還有它們的化學訊息傳遞者，神經遞質

But there are two main types of neurotransmitters

神經遞質主要有兩大類

that these neurons use to communicate, or send electrical signals.

神經元藉由它們來溝通或傳送電子訊息

Excitatory neurons use glutamate, while inhibitory neurons use GABA.

產生刺激效果的神經元使用谷氨酸鹽，而產生抑制效果的神經元使用 γ-氨基丁酸 (GABA)

The yin and yang if you will.

你可以想成是陰和陽

Much like the zeroes and ones of a computer, these two messengers have contrasting roles.

和電腦裡的0和1滿類似的，這兩種訊息傳遞者有截然不同的作用

Glutamate begins a wave of excitation while GABA not only inhibits this flow,

谷氨酸鹽產生刺激訊號，而 γ-氨基丁酸 (GABA) 不但能抑制刺激訊號

but helps to organize and differentiate the results in your brain.

還能協助組織、區分腦袋裡的結果

And just like a computer, these signals can be combined in enormous complexity to form actions and thoughts.

就像電腦，這些訊息可以組合起來，形成龐大的複雜體，進而產生動作或想法

So how does alcohol affect these two signals? Turns out it suppresses glutamate transmission

那酒精是如何干擾這兩種訊息的呢？原來，酒精抑制了谷氨酸鹽的傳遞

and enhances GABA transmission, so you get less excitation and more inhibition.

還增強了 γ-氨基丁酸 (GABA) 的傳遞，所以刺激訊息變少了，抑制訊息變多了

And because glutamate sites become less effective, information flow becomes slow,

因為接收谷氨酸鹽位置的效率變差，訊息傳遞就變慢

and only the largest signals can make it through.

只有較強的訊息能通過

This means you feel less, percieve less, notice less, and remember less.

這表示你的知覺、意識、警覺和記憶都會變弱

In conjunction, the increased GABA hushes the excessive background noise of activity

在神經元相接處，增多的 γ-氨基丁酸 (GABA) 會遮蔽過多的背景雜訊

fine tuning and clarifying your thoughts, but to an excessive degree.

好好調教思緒、使其清晰，只是做得太過頭了

This is why you may have heard that alcohol is a depressant.

這就是為什麼你可能聽過有人說，酒精是一種鎮靜劑

But inhibition of your neurons is not the same as social inhibition.

神經元抑制和社會抑制是不同的

Instead, it simply cleans up and removes extraneous activity by removing less significant excitation.

神經元抑制藉由消除次要刺激，來清除、取消外在活動

Without normal GABA transmission, the excessive excitatory action

若沒有正常的 γ-氨基丁酸 (GABA) 傳遞，過多的刺激反應

would resemble a epileptic seizure

就會像癲癇發作一樣

There'd be no clarity of thought.

也就不會有清楚的意識

While drunk, your GABA channels are wide opened.

酒醉時，γ-氨基丁酸 (GABA) 的通道大開

Combined with the lack of glutamate, you begin to think very little but with great clarity.

再加上沒有谷氨酸鹽，你開始不太能思考，但意識清楚

It's what causes the momentums attitude of a drunk, often repeating the same idea

這就是為什麼酒醉時會像鬼打牆一樣，一直重複同樣的想法

or proclamation over and over.

或者一直唸肖話，一直唸、一直唸

Thinking clearly about almost nothing.

沒有一件事情能好好思考

Hmm

恩

Got a burning question you want answered?

有迫切想得到解答的問題嗎？

Ask it in the comments or on Facebook and Twitter.

在留言處提問吧，臉書或推特上也行

And subscribe for more weekly science videos.

想看更多每周科學影片，歡迎訂閱

Subtitles written by the YouTube community.

本字幕由YouTube社群編輯 (VoiceTube中譯)