Physiological model of the stimulative effects of alcohol in low-to-moderate doses.

A physiological model of alcohol use is proposed, based on the observation that ethanol is a natural intracellular metabolite. It is suggested that ethanol synthesis is an intermediate step in the metabolic pathway of elimination of the excess of energy-releasing substrates from mitochondria and the cytosol when the cell does not require additional energy. The process is first of all important for elimination of acetyl-CoA from mitochondria.