Alcohol consumption is harmful to your health. From the moment you take in your first sip, alcohol starts to make an impact on every body system. Whether you are into moderate or heavy drinking, alcohol consumption damages vital body tissues and organs. The harm caused by alcohol depends on the quality of alcohol you drink, your drinking pattern, and how much you drink.
Furthermore, gender, body mass, genetics, age, drinking experience, nutritional status, metabolism, and social factors will influence how your body responds to alcohol. Current studies show that alcohol consumption is life-threatening and it leads to the preventable cause of death.
Some individuals experience chronic heavy drinking that makes it hard for vital body organs to function efficiently. When you take excess alcohol that the body can metabolize, the excess builds in your bloodstream and circulates throughout the body.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol consumption is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. Here are the most common effects of alcohol consumption.
Contents
1. Causes Ulcers and Gastrointestinal Problems
Alcohol consumption poses a threat to your digestive system. There is a close connection between alcohol consumption and the digestive system, but it is never clear until serious damage is caused. Some of the problems that affect the digestive system include heartburn, gastritis, stomach ulcers, acid reflux, and bloating.
Furthermore, drinking alcohol damages the tissues in the digestive tract, preventing the intestines from absorbing nutrients and digesting food. This is why most drinkers have a feeling of fullness.
Alcohol interferes with gastric secretion and this can impair muscle movements in the entire bowel. You may not realize but alcohol consumption causes a lot of damage to your gastrointestinal tract.
Heavy drinkers have ulcers and hemorrhoids problems, and they cause serious internal bleeding. If you have ulcers and hemorrhoids, you seek serious medical treatment because they can be life-threatening when left untreated.
2. Liver Disease
The liver is a vital organ that cleans the blood, produces digestive bile, and stores energy in form of sugar. When you drink alcohol, you bring problems to your liver and make it hard to function. This is because; alcohol is metabolized in the liver and it suffers the most. Still, alcohol consumption puts you at risk of alcoholic liver disease.
Furthermore, heavy drinking causes alcoholic fatty liver disease that can be reversed by quitting alcohol. You can also experience alcoholic hepatitis or long-term inflammation of the liver. Over a period of time, the scarring invades your liver, causing it to be hard. This is called liver cirrhosis a life-threatening condition.
If your liver can’t function effectively, other organs can fail. Therefore, the best way to avoid liver diseases is to quit alcohol.
3. Cancer
Alcohols contain ethanol and it is broken down to a carcinogen, called acetaldehyde. The compound destroys DNA and prevents involved cells from repairing the damage. Over time, cancerous cells grow, leading to different cancers.
Whether you are a moderate or heavy drinker, you are at more risk of developing different cancers. However, heavy drinkers are more at risk than moderate drinkers. Alcohol consumption increases your risk of cancers, such as colon, liver, stomach, larynx, esophagus, breast, and rectum.
Other than drinking, a combination of smoking and alcohol consumption puts you at risk of cancer of the upper respiratory tract and gastrointestinal.
4. Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is the painful inflammation of the pancreas that needs serious medical attention. When you drink too much alcohol, the pancreas produces abnormal digestive enzymes. Pancreatitis becomes a long-term condition and it causes some serious complications.
The inflammation of the pancreas is related to chronic exposure to chemical activities in the pancreas caused by alcohol injury. In addition, most pancreatitis cases affect about 70% of individuals who drink heavily.
5. Brain Damage
Alcohol consumption has a deep effect on the important structure of the brain. It blocks chemical signals between brain cells, leading to symptoms, such a slurred speech, impulsive behavior, difficulty walking, memory lapses, poor memory, and slowed reflexes.
Furthermore, it alters the brain’s neurotransmitters and receptors, and it interferes with an individual’s moods, cognitive function, reactions, and emotions. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and it makes it hard to process information and solving problems.
Still, alcohol disrupts the balance and motor coordination, leading to shaking and injuries from falls. Heavy drinking can make it hard to remember events and it can speed the brain’s normal aging process, leading to dementia and cognitive impairment.
6. Weakens the Immune System
Alcohol consumption weakens the body’s immune system, making it hard to fight diseases, infections, and viruses. Drinkers have high chances of developing tuberculosis and pneumonia than non-drinkers. About 10% of tuberculosis cases worldwide are tied to alcohol consumption.
Alcohol causes a change in white blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. A drop in white blood cell count happens when the production is suppressed, and cells become trapped in the spleen.
Each episode of drinking reduces the body’s ability to fight diseases and heavy drinking will affect the production of white blood cells over time. With a weak immune system, your body will struggle to fight tuberculosis, pneumonia, HIV infection, etc.
7. Alcohol Causes Osteoporosis
Studies clearly show that alcohol consumption affects bone health and increases the risk of osteoporosis. Alcohol consumption, mostly during adolescence affects bone health and can lead to loss of bone mass in the future.
With osteoporosis, your risk of fractures and overall body weakness is high. Alcohol affects the production of vitamin D, balance of calcium, and cortisol levels. This interference easily leads to the weakening of the bone structure.
Those at early age should avoid alcohol consumption to reduce their risk of osteoporosis later in life.
8. Vitamin Deficiencies and Malnourishment
Do you know that alcohol consumption leads to deficiencies and malnourishment? Vitamin deficiencies and malnourishment occur when nutrients are not broken down effectively. Still, it can be because they are not well absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract into your blood.
Furthermore, deficiencies can occur when body cells are using nutrients and vitamins effectively. Most alcoholics experience a deficiency in vitamin B which is essential for neurobiological health. Still, it can lead to a deficiency in vitamin A, C, D, E, and K.
9. Alcohol Leads to Cardiovascular Diseases and Heart Disease
Drinking affects the heart and lungs. Alcoholics have a higher risk of heart disease and cardiovascular issues than non-drinkers.
For instance, drinking causes circulatory system complications including:
- High blood pressure
- Angina (chest pain)
- Heart failure
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Arrhythmia
- Coronary artery disease
- Aorta disease.
These complications are life-threatening and require serious medical attention.
10. Causes Injuries, Accidents, and violence
Alcohol consumption is linked to domestic violence, car accidents, drowning, suicides, occupational injuries, falls, and homicides. Even by taking one drink, your brain’s function becomes impaired, and this makes you make bad decisions.
Drinking slows the brain’s function, leading to slow response time and this increases the like hood of an accident. For instance, let’s say you are drunk and the car in front of you brakes suddenly or maybe a pedestrian crosses the street. Because you are drunk, the brain will take longer to process the situation, leading to an accident.
Besides, alcohol plays a role in violence and criminal activities. Excessive drinking impairs a person’s judgment, increasing the risk of aggressive behaviors.
Wrapping Up
Time is out! Stop drinking alcohol. Quitting alcohol will help you live a healthy life and protect you from multiple health conditions. Whether you are a moderate or heavy drinker, alcohol leads to life-threatening complications, and eventually, you will die. If you are alcohol dependent, you should look for the best treatment programs that will help you recover fully.