The effects of alcohol on the human body begin the second you take the very first sip. Having a glass of wine occasionally with dinner or social occasions is healthy for the heart and raises little concern. However, excessive indulgence in spirits, wine, and beer can trigger a wide array of unhealthy effects on the mind and body.
It is crucial to differentiate between the short and long-term effects of alcohol on the body and mind. You see, the liver requires an hour to metabolize one alcoholic drink. However, the metabolization duration tends to vary on the drinker’s age, weight, gender, and liver functioning.
The short-term effects of alcohol consumption include lack of coordination, concentration troubles, dulled vision and cognition, mood swings, and vomiting. Excessive drinking can give birth to chronic ailments and mental health disturbances. Heavy drinking can lead to cardiovascular complications, liver damage, and various types of cancers.
In the long-run, heavy drinking can cause gray and white matter in the brain to shrink, triggering memory loss and attention difficulties. It creates trouble with learning and focus, contributing to fatty liver, liver fibrosis, alcoholic hepatitis, and hypertension. It can also cause the heartbeat to become irregular, setting the stage for cardiomyopathy and heart strokes. Countries like America have promoted the foundation of awareness platforms and rehabilitation centers for curtailing the growing rate.
For instance, parents, guardians, and even offices recommend the affected individual to alcohol rehab in Texas for professional aid. This motive got adopted in other countries to help people with such symptoms.
This article will walk you through the six bodily effects of heavy alcohol consumption and why to steer clear of it.
1. LIVER DAMAGE
The liver is an instrumental organ as it breaks down and eliminates all toxic substances, such as alcohol, from the body. Excessive alcohol consumption can make this process complicated, raising the risk factors for liver disease and chronic liver inflammation. Inflammation leads to scarring, liver cirrhosis.
The scar tissues damage the liver, making it increasingly challenging for the organ to cleanse toxic substances. Liver diseases are fatalistic as they promote a buildup of harmful substances and wastes within the body. Female bodies have a greater risk of absorbing alcohol more readily and require longer durations for processing and excretion. Therefore, women experience quicker and more severe cases of liver damage than men.
2. HAYWIRE BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS
The pancreas is responsible for regulating insulin levels and the body’s response to glucose consumption. However, when the liver and pancreas are impaired, the body experiences hypoglycemia or low blood sugar levels. Pancreatic damages leave the body unable to generate sufficient insulin to make productive use of sugar.
This condition triggers hyperglycemia, which means excessive sugar in the bloodstream. The body’s inability to usual and balance blood sugar levels can give birth to a wide array of complications, including diabetes.
3. RISKS TO THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
Excessive drinking impacts the central nervous system by reducing the communication between the brain and bodily organs. It causes slurred speech, lack of coordination, loss of balance, and other cognitive disturbances.
Heavy drinking can damage the central nervous system, triggering tingling sensations and numbness in the limbs. It reduces the brain’s ability to create and store long-term memories. With time, heavy drinking can damage the frontal lobe, responsible for emotional restraint, memory, and judgment.
4. ALCOHOL DEPENDENCY
Heavy drinking leads to a physical and emotional dependency on alcohol, making withdrawal fatalistic, and increasingly challenging. In such situations, medical treatments and detoxification are crucial to breaking free from alcohol addiction.
People who suffer from alcohol withdrawals experience nausea, anxiety, irritability, high blood pressure, tremors, irregular heartbeat, hallucinations, and even seizures.
5. DIGESTIVE SYSTEM COMPLICATIONS
The connection between the digestive and heavy drinking becomes more apparent when the side effects start emerging. Excessive alcohol can cause severe damage to the tissues within the digestive tract. More alarmingly, it can diminish the intestines’ ability to digest food and absorb essential nutrients and vitamins. This condition sets the stage for malnutrition, gassiness, bloating, painful excretion, and diarrhea.
Heavy drinkers commonly experience hemorrhoids and ulcers due to prolonged constipation and excessive hydration. Binge drinkers also have a greater risk of cancer, particularly cancer in the esophagus, liver, colon, or mouth.
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM COMPLICATIONS
Excessive alcohol consumption can impair the heart and lungs, triggering a higher risk of heart-related complications. It can trigger irregular heartbeat symptoms, high blood pressure, and setting the stage for heart attack and stroke. More alarmingly, heavy drinkers experience difficulties in blood circulation throughout the body.
They also experience complications in absorbing minerals and nutrients from food, which can trigger anemia. Anemia is a condition that drastically reduces the count of red blood cells and leads to excessive fatigue.
CONCLUSION
Heavy drinking over a long period can severely impair sexual and reproductive health. People typically assume that by eliminating inhibitions, alcohol is excellent for their sexual health. However, that is not true at all. You see, men who consume excessive alcohol have a greater risk of suffering from erectile dysfunction.
Excessive drinking can reduce your libido and prevent the production of sex hormones. In women, heavy drinking can put a premature end to menstruation, thereby increasing infertility risk.
It is crucial to curb heavy drinking and, instead, adopt a mindful and balanced strategy to enjoy spirits in moderation. It is essential for your physical, emotional, and sexual well being.