ABSTRACT
Most people who choose to drink alcohol (ethanol, ethyl alcohol) have little or no problems limiting their consumption to amounts that does not generally cause serious health or social consequences. However, there are significant health affects associated with excessive alcohol consumption. Moreover, a given dose of alcohol may affect different people differently. Many of the toxic effects of alcohol are due to disturbances of a wide variety of metabolic functions. The elucidation of pharmacokinetic and pharmacogenetic factors that control and influence elimination and metabolism of alcohol in humans is thus fundamental to understand the biochemical basis of alcohol toxicity and alcohol abuse-related pharmacological and addictive consequences.
