Alcohol

Alcohol, sometimes referred to by the chemical name ethanol, is a psychoactive drug that is the active ingredient in drinks such as beer, wine, and distilled spirits (hard liquor). It is one of the oldest and most common recreational substances, causing the characteristic effects of alcohol intoxication ("drunkenness"). Among other effects, alcohol produces a mood lift and euphoria, decreased anxiety, increased sociability, sedation, impairment of cognitive, memory, motor, and sensory function, and generalized depression of central nervous system function. Ethanol is only one of several types of alcohol, but it is the only type of alcohol that is found in alcoholic beverages or commonly used for recreational purposes; other alcohols such as methanol and isopropyl alcohol are toxic.

In chemistry, alcohols are organic compounds that carry at least one hydroxide functional group (C–OH) bound to their aliphatic substructure. The term alcohol originally referred to the primary alcohol ethanol (ethyl alcohol), which is used as a drug and is the main alcohol present in alcoholic beverages. An important class of alcohols, of which methanol and ethanol are the simplest members, includes all compounds for which the general formula is CnH2n+1OH. Simple monoalcohols that are the subject of this article include primary (RCH2OH), secondary (R2CHOH), and tertiary (R3COH) alcohols.

The suffix -ol appears in the IUPAC chemical name of all substances where the hydroxyl group is the functional group with the highest priority. When a higher priority group is present in the compound, the prefix hydroxy- is used in its IUPAC name. The suffix -ol in non-IUPAC names (such as paracetamol or cholesterol) also typically indicates that the substance is an alcohol. However, many substances that contain hydroxyl functional groups (particularly sugars, such as glucose and sucrose) have names which include neither the suffix -ol, nor the prefix hydroxy-.

Alcohol was brewed as early as 7,000 to 6,650 BCE in northern China. The earliest evidence of winemaking was dated at 6,000 to 5,800 BCE in Georgia in the South Caucasus. Beer was likely brewed from barley as early as the 6th century BCE (600–500 BCE) in Egypt. Pliny the Elder wrote about the golden age of winemaking in Rome, the 2nd century BCE (200–100 BCE), when vineyards were planted.

Furthermore, Discovery of late Stone Age jugs suggest that intentionally fermented beverages existed at least as early as the Neolithic period (c. 10000 BC).

Alcohols are fermented drinks and distilled alcohol(spirits). 

The fermented drinks are soft drinks which are mostly enjoyed during gathering and parties by casual drinker. It's common for most people to drink this alcohol. They are:

• Beer
• Cider
• Mead
• Pulque
• Wine

Distilled alcohol are hard drinks which are enjoyed by heavy drinkers. They are mostly taken in low quantity. The distilled alcohols are:

• Whiskey
• Vodka
• Many different styles of fortified wine have been developed, including port, sherry, madeira, marsala, commandaria, and the aromatized wine vermouth.

The average number of people who drink as of 2016 was 39% for males and 25% for females (2.4 billion people in total). Females on average drink 0.7 drinks per day while males drink 1.7 drinks per day. The rates of drinking varies significantly in different areas of the world.

Alcohol are used widely in medicinal field as well as for various experiments in scientific experiments.

In the society, alcohol can be a factor to get one into accidents and crimes. Alcohols are inclusive in most parties and most people drink due to peer pressure. If not controlled, it could become addiction leading to destruction as any addiction would do. Being addict also means causing oneself to damage own's body organs and functionality. Alcohols are also used to lure people to do certain things. Being careful and enjoying the drink with will is proved to be the best solution.