Alcohol is classified as which type of substance in its effect on the body?

Alcohol is a depressant: it slows the central nervous system, impairing functions such as judgment, reaction time, coordination, balance, and speech. Although people may initially feel more relaxed or sociable (because alcohol first affects the parts of the brain controlling inhibition), the underlying effect is to depress nervous-system activity. As consumption increases, the impairment deepens, affecting motor skills and decision-making. Understanding that alcohol is a depressant helps servers grasp why intoxicated customers show slowed, impaired behavior and why over-service is dangerous.