Alcohol: the poison that wrecks your body, sip by sip
by David Peters
With today's competitive world and the endless pressures that come along with the breakneck pace at which we live, resorting to a soothing drink to tide you through the tough times isn't an uncommon phenomenon. In fact, with every day that passes, larger numbers of people are falling prey to the devastating disease called alcoholism. The problem lies not only in the fact that they are trying to drink
their worries away, but also that they are in the dark about the fact that alcohol is in itself a depressant. And hence, they continue to drink, in order to relieve the depression which they have brought on to themselves by consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. And while they delve deeper into the recesses alcohol plunges them into, their bodies also suffer severe and often irrevocable damage, which if not treated in time, can also result in death. When you drink alcohol, it passes into your esophagus and then into your stomach, from where it is absorbed into the blood. All this blood then passes into your liver, which is responsible for breaking down this alcohol into other chemicals, which are then further converted into water and carbon dioxide which can be excreted. This process is far from simple and cannot be carried out by your liver instantaneously. So, when you drink more alcohol than your liver can put up with, the level of alcohol in your bloodstream rises.
The liver is the first to face the wrath which alcohol lashes out on your body. Alcohol makes your liver store excessive amounts of fat, which, if disregarded, can culminate in Alcohol Hepatitis. Although this condition can be averted by simply cutting down on your intake of alcohol at the early stages, it is relatively difficult to do so as Hepatitis does not boast of any typical traits which can be accorded to it. However, if you allow the inflammation of your liver to become chronic, your liver will begin to produce surplus amounts of bilirubin which results in jaundice and ultimately liver failure. Your alcohol abuse can also lead to the formation of scar tissue in your liver, which damages the healthy cells and prevents new ones from taking their place. Thus, your liver grows weaker and finally gives up on you, a condition which is known as Cirrhosis. This disease many take years to progress to its advanced stages and usually does not display any major symptoms before the disease is at its most crucial phases.
Alcoholics are also more prone to heart disease as their over-consumption of alcohol causes severe damage to the heart and also increases their blood pressure. Prolonged abuse may also lead to your heart becoming weakened and enlarged, a dangerous complication known as Cardiomyopathy. Your cardiovascular health is also compromised on as a result of the elevated triglyceride levels alcohol leads to.
Sustained abuse of alcohol also results in Alcohol Dementia, where your drinking patterns inflict severe damage on your nervous system, negatively influencing your memory, learning abilities and reasoning. With time, you may even begin to experience lapses in your memory which many alcoholics try to cover up with elaborate tales, which is called Korsakoff Psychosis which can even result in paranoia. The alcoholic may also experience difficulties with his basic cognitive functions like reasoning and problem solving which impairs his social and personal interactions.
Prolonged abuse of alcohol also affects the pancreas, causing a severe inflammation which is called Pancreatitis, a condition which may also lead to him contracting Diabetes. Also, the high calorific content of most alcoholic drinks makes the victim susceptible to obesity and high blood pressure. A victim of alcoholism may also be undernourished as alcohol wears out the inner lining of the stomach and thus interferes in the absorption of many essential nutrients, while also impairing the individual's appetite. Alcohol is also directly responsible for the growth of cancerous tissue in the mouth, liver, colon and gullet while also causing erectile dysfunction in males and putting female alcoholics at an acute risk of developing complications during pregnancy.
Many casual and social drinkers often find solace in the fact that their body is capable of absorbing moderate amounts of alcohol and even benefiting from the heart-disease thwarting characteristics that have been accorded to alcohol. But they risk walking on a very fine line here, as increasing your consumption to just one extra drink above the recommended average of three times a day, makes you vulnerable to a host of diseases -which far outweigh the benefits of alcohol. There are several other, more time tested methods that can be used to curb heart disease like a controlled diet and regular routine of exercise. The most dangerous of all the characteristics which are typical to alcoholism is that the victim is unable to discern his own addiction. Which is why, unless the more drastic complications come to the fore, the victim may be in the stage of denial unless only desperate measures can have to be implemented to rid the body of the innumerable afflictions that alcohol imposes. So, the next time you are tempted to reach for that bottle for one night of excess, think about how much damage this seemingly innocuous drink can cause your body and if that tempting drink is indeed worth risking your health and happiness for
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Drinking Causes problems. Having the right info and the right sources can really make a difference. Begin finding up Myths about Alcohol for Teens.