Alcohol seems to act as a stimulant upon use. People become gregarious and outgoing. They find their inhibitions disappearing. But in reality alcohol is a depressant. With abuse it can cause muscle impairment and slurred speech. A heavy drinking binge can even lead to coma or death. Alcoholism is a serious disease with serious consequences. Here are some of them.
The most common negative effects of alcoholism are weariness, memory loss, and loss of eye muscle control. One or all of these symptoms are seen in just about every alcoholic.
ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS
Liver disorders are another common consequence of alcoholism. The liver can be come inflamed, called alcoholic hepatitis. The signs that this may be happening are a loss of appetite, extreme nausea, high temperature, pain or tenderness in the abdominal area, and jaundiced skin. In a long-term drinker this could turn into cirrhosis of the liver, an incurable destruction of the liver tissue.
Gastrointestinal problems are very common in alcoholism victims. Gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach lining, is caused by alcohol consumption. It also stops certain vitamins from being absorbed into the bloodstream, especially folic acid and thiamin. Pancreas deterioration is also likely. This results in an unregulated metabolism and difficulty in digesting fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
Risk of heart attack and stroke are significantly increased due to the increase in blood pressure and heart muscle damage associated with high alcohol consumption.
If you suffer from diabetes, alcoholism has a specific risk for you, especially if you are lowering your blood sugar with added insulin. Alcohol can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) by preventing the liver from releasing glucose.
Abuse of alcohol can disrupt menstruation in women and cause erectile dysfunction in men.
Most women know they shouldn't drink when pregnant. This wasn't commonly known until about 25 years ago, when certain birth defects were finally attributed to alcohol use. Alcoholism-related birth defects include an abnormally small head, certain heart defects, and developmental disabilities, amongst other things.
Bone loss leading to increased rate of fractures has also been associated with alcoholism.
Dementia, numbness in the extremities and other neurological disorders are sometimes caused by alcoholism.
Alcoholism has also been linked to a higher susceptibility to cancer of the esophagus, colon, liver and larynx.
The physical consequences of alcoholism are serious, but no less attention should be paid to these possible results of an alcoholic lifestyle:
- Rates of divorce and spousal or child abuse are higher in families of alcoholics.
- Performance at work or school diminishes.
- Increased chances of being involved in or being the cause of a serious traffic or other accident resulting in injury to self or others, not to mention resulting arrests, convictions and jail time.
- Much higher rates of murder and suicide than in the overall population.
Alcoholism has many negative consequences, some physical, others psychological. If you have an alcoholic in your home or your circle of friends, please help him or her get professional assistance, before more of the consequences hit home.
Complications Developing from Alcoholism ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS