The Problem of Alcoholism

A lot of alcohol was consumed in the name of celebration last week all over the world. Without judging anyone, let’s talk about this alcohol today. Alcohol’s impact on your body starts from the moment you take your first sip. While alcohol affects all the areas of life like social, financial, politics, etc, we will discuss effects of alcohol on health.

Inflammatory damage

The liver is an organ which helps break down and remove harmful substances from your body, including alcohol. Long-term alcohol use interferes with this process. It also increases your risk for chronic liver inflammation and liver disease. The scarring caused by this inflammation is known as cirrhosis. The formation of scar tissue destroys the liver. As the liver becomes increasingly damaged, it becomes difficult to remove toxic substances from your body.

Sugar levels

The pancreas helps regulate your body’s insulin use and response to glucose. When your pancreas and liver aren’t functioning properly, you run the risk of experiencing low blood sugar which can be life threatening. A damaged pancreas may also prevent the body from producing enough insulin to utilize sugar. This can lead to hypergycemia, or too much sugar in the blood. This predisposes to diabetes and  complicates already established diabetes.

Central nervous system

One of the easiest ways to understand alcohol’s impact on your body is by understanding how it affects your central nervous system. Slurrred speech is one of the first signs that your coordination and thus the brain is affected. Alcohol can reduce communication between your brain and your body. This makes coordination more difficult. You may have a hard time balancing. Hence the restriction on driving.

As alcohol causes more damage to your central nervous system, you may experience numbness and tingling sensations in your feet and hands.

Alcohol also makes it difficult for your brain to create long-term memories. It also reduces your ability to think clearly and make rational choices. Over time, brain damage(frontal lobe) can occur. This area of the brain is responsible for emotional control, short-term memory, and judgement, in addition to other vital roles.

Chronic and severe alcohol abuse can also cause permanent brain damage. This can lead to Wernicke’s-Korsakoff psychosis, a brain disorder.

Addiction

Some people who drink heavily may develop a physical and emotional dependency on alcohol. Alcohol withdrawal can be difficult and life-threatening. Seizures, hallucinations, and delirium may occur in severe cases of withdrawal. More about addiction later.

Digestive system

The connection between alcohol consumption and your digestive system might not seem immediately clear. The side effects often only appear after there has been damage. And the more you drink, the greater the damage will become. Alcohol can damage the tissues in your digestive tract and prevent your intestines from digesting food and absorbing nutrients and vitamins. So alcoholics tend to be deficient of minerals and vitamins. Difficulty absorbing vitamins and minerals from food can cause anemia- a condition where you have a low hemoglobin.

For people who drink heavily, ulcers or hemorrhoids (due to dehydration and constipation) are common. Intestinal perforations, gastritis, blood in vomitus are common presentations of alcoholics in any hospital emergency department.

Cancer

People who consume too much alcohol may also be at risk for cancer. People who drink frequently are more likely to develop cancer in the mouth, throat, esophagus,colon, or liver. People who regularly drink and use tobacco together have an evern greater cancer risk.

Digestive and endocrine glands

Drinking too much alcohol can cause abnormal activation of digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas. Buildup of these enzymes can lead to inflammation known as pancreatitis. Pancreatitis can become a long-term condition and can cause serious conmplications.

Circulatory system

Alcohol can affect your heart and lungs. People who are chronic drinkers of alcohol have a higher risk of heart-related issues than people who do not drink. Women who drink are more likely to develop heart disease than men who drink.

Circulatory system complications include: high blood pressure, heart attack, heart failure, heart muscle weakness(cardiomyopathy) etc.

Immune system

Drinking heavily reduces your body’s natural immune system. This makes it more difficult for your body to fight off invading germs and viruses. People who drink heavily over a long period of time are also more likely to develop pneumonia or TB than the general population. About 10 % of all TB cases worldwide are associated to alcohol consumption.

I think no other substance has such a multidimensional portfolio of damage potential. Yet alcohol happens to be one of the most consumed drink in the world. 

If you are currently consuming alcohol, think over it and seek ways to get rid of it. Seek professional help if you feel so.

If you haven’t tasted alcohol yet, congratulations! Never even touch it.

“As an alcoholic, you will violate your standards quicker than you can lower them”

Robbin Willliams, Weapons of Self Destruction.