The physical side affects of daily alcohol intake

Four Effects of Drinking Alcohol Daily Hard narcotics like meth and heroin deserve their reputation as being incredibly destructive to the human body. A lot of time and public money are rightfully spent on awareness campaigns and law enforcement efforts to eradicate the use of these drugs. Alcohol, however, often misses this list of dangerous drugs. While everyone knows that getting drunk can result in embarrassing yourself at a party or waking up with a hangover, not everyone knows the many serious and long-term health effects caused by drinking alcohol regularly.

The Effects of Alcohol

Here are four serious health risks you should know about:

1. Blood Troubles 

The main function of blood in the body is as a carrier system. It brings oxygen and nutrients to cells and carries carbon dioxide and waste away. Heavy drinking can also severely decrease the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, contributing to the drinker suffering from the shortness of breath, lightheadedness and fatigue that are characteristic of anemia. Blood also carries plateletsÑcells that clot together to prevent blood loss when you have a cut or other injury. One major effect of heavy drinking is that it can slow the production of blood platelets, contributing to a condition called thrombocytopenia. In this condition, the body can experience internal bleeding or fail to stop external bleeding.

 2. Liver Disease 

One of the main functions of the liver is to remove toxins from the bloodstream. As the body treats alcohol as a toxin, heavy drinking can cause major damage to the liver as it struggles to perform this function. Over time, a heavy drinkerÕs liver becomes inflamed and then scarred as it continues to filter out alcohol. Finally, the liver reaches a condition called cirrhosis, in which scarring and fibrosis (excess fibrous connective tissue) almost completely replace healthy liver tissue. Cirrhosis is incurable, and some of its symptoms include bleeding and bruising easily, yellow discoloration in your eyes and skin, nausea, loss of appetite and weight loss. If detected early enough, further damage can be prevented, but the body can never repair this damage once it is already done.

3. Cancer 

In addiction to all the other damage alcohol can do to your body, it can also cause seven different types of cancer, including liver cancer, bowel cancer and breast cancer. This may be due to the fact that the body converts alcohol into acetaldehyde, a known carcinogen (a cancer-causing substance.) The more you drink alcohol, the more of this substance is being created in your body before it can be broken down into less-harmful substances. The risk is even higher when a heavy drinker also smokes regularly. People who both drink and smoke are up to fifty times more likely to get some types of cancer than people who do neither.

4. Dementia 

Any amount of drinking can cause the familiar symptoms of loss of coordination, slowed reflexes and slurred speech, but heavy drinking over time can actually cause permanent brain damage and dementia. DementiaÑthe severe loss or impairment of the ability to think, reason and rememberÑcan occur even in younger people due to the destructive effect of constant binge drinking. The potential damage is so serious that experts estimate up to one fourth of all dementia cases in Great Britain, for example, are actually caused by alcohol-related brain damage. These are serious health risks that cannot be overlooked. Talk to your family today about the serious effects of alcoholism so that your loved ones can stay safe and healthy.

References: 

• Slowed Blood Platelet Production: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/thcp/printall-index.html 
• Alcohol and Anemia: http://www.livewellwinona.org/get-the-facts/risk-factors-related-illnesses/alcohol/  
• Cirrhosis: http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/cirrhosis/DS00373/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print 
• Alcohol and Cancer: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/check-the-facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/effects-on-the-body/alcohol-and-cancer#drinkingandsmoking 
• Alcohol Converted Into a Carcinogen: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA72/AA72.htm 
• Dementia: http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/guide/alzheimers-dementia 
• Dementia in Great Britain: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5303917/Binge-drinking-causes-up-to-one-in-four-dementia-cases.html

Behaviors to avoid after rehab

Behaviors to Avoid While Recovering From Addiction If drugs are so addictive, why aren't even more people addicted to drugs? While many adults drink the occasional beer or glass of wine, most are not alcoholics. Is there a reason that some people become addicted to drugs and alcohol while others don't? The answer may be that 10% to 15% of Americans could have what is referred to as an 'addictive personality.' This term describes someone with a combination of personality traits (or possibly even genetic makeup) that makes them more likely to become addicted to a drug than the average person. For those with an addictive personality, life is a constant battle to keep obsessive or destructive urges under control. While it's already difficult for someone with an addictive personality to kick a drug habit, additional difficulty lies during the process of becoming sober. This is because once the person starts to get drug-free, he may find that he starts substituting a different addiction in place of the original one. For this reason, it's important that all addicts practice moderation and self-control in their lives. There are several behaviors that addicts should avoid while recovering from addiction.

Comfort Eating

Many addictive behaviors begin in order to 'fill a hole' or help cover some difficulty the addict is having in life. One such behavior an addict should avoid is comfort eating. 'Comfort eating' is when a person eats not because they are hungry, but because he or she is trying to relieve stress or cope with some negative emotion. Someone with an addictive personality can tell himself that eating in stressful situations is healthier than doing drugs or drinking alcohol, and to a degree it probably is. Constant and unnecessary overeating, however, can themselves lead to serious health problems. When an addict is recovering from an addiction, it is important that he or she eat healthy foods in proper quantities. This healthy eating is necessary to help the addict recover from the malnourishment that usually accompanies addiction. Self-control is vital, though, to make sure that the addict doesn't overdo it with any type of food.

Gambling

Another common addictive behavior is gambling. The number of casinos in the United States is rising, and experts say that 4 to 6 million Americans are problem gamblers. The problem is that gambling itself can produce a high very similar to that of drugs. Compulsive gambling stimulates the same area of the brain as cocaine. When an addict is trying to recover from a drug addiction, he or she needs to avoid gambling at all costs, lest they replace one serious addiction with another. Also, while gambling may not have the same immediate and destructive health effects as using meth or heroin, the destructive effects of this addiction can simply take longer to manifest. Compulsive gamblers often report feeling anxiety, depression and other stress-related problems.

Self-Control

While it's easy to assume that self-control (or the lack thereof) plays a major role in addiction, there is also scientific observation that the two are linked as well. It's very important, then, that an addict practice self-control and moderation in his or her life. This can be extremely difficult due to physical, chemical dependence on a drug, but as in most things dealing with addiction, a balanced approach is key. Addicts should practice not engaging in any potentially damaging behaviors to an extreme level, or they may find that they have simply swapped one addiction for another.

References: 

• Addictive Personality: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/look-it-way/200903/the-addictive-personality 
• Comfort Eating: http://www.helpguide.org/life/emotional_eating_stress_cravings.htm 
• Obesity Health Problems: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/effects/ 
• Healthy Eating for Recovering Addicts: http://alcoholicsvictorious.org/faq/diet.html 
• Number of Casinos in the US: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-57583065/luck-turning-for-u.s-casinos/ 
• Number of Problem Gamblers in the US: http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2013/03/28/gambling-addicts-seduced-by-growing-casino-accessibility 
• Gambling and Health Problems: http://www.problemgambling.ca/EN/AboutGamblingandProblemGambling/Pages/TheEffectsOfGambling.aspx 
• Addiction and Self-Control: http://emlab.berkeley.edu/~rabin/addiction_self-control_rabin.pdf