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
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