I’ve mentioned this before, but the anatomy and physiology of the human body is simply amazing. Our central nervous system (CNS) is largely to credit for this and it’s something we want to keep healthy and running like a well-oiled machine. Our senses (which are controlled by the CNS) keep us out of harm’s way.

When we touch something hot, our brain gets a message instantly that tells us to pull back. When we smell something awful, we cover our nose or maybe even gag a little. We rely on these senses on the scene: whether you work as a first responder or a last responder, we all enter our scenes cautiously at first so that we can get the most information to process what to do next.

The effect that drinking has on our senses and our central nervous system is that it depresses it and slows it down - similar to an injured brain. This explains our poor decision making, our lack of forming memories and having no clue what happened last night, and it explains why we shouldn’t drive under the influence. Our processing is slowed and our senses dulled. And we did this to our body voluntarily!

In addition to the fact that those senses are there to save our lives, they are also there to help us experience life to its fullest. The smell of flowers on a spring day or maybe the smell after a fresh rain are hard to explain....you just have to smell them. Hearing your baby cry for the first time is music to your ears. The taste of that fresh-squeezed orange juice is a burst of flavor that is hard to deny!

Why would we choose to purposely dull our senses? Imagine a world without smells, without vision, without taste. I sure don’t need alcohol robbing me of the joy I receive from hearing my kids laugh or the peace I feel when I smell fresh coffee brewing in the morning!