What are the possible complications of alcohol abuse?
Posted on April 6, 2009
Filed Under Alcoholism Remedies, Complications |
Drinking alcohol affects the brain together with the central nervous system. You may experience stimulation initially when drinking alcohol. However, as you continue to drink more alcohol, you become more and more sedated. Alcohol is a depressant after all.
Alcohol lowers your inhibition and can severely affect your judgment If you continue to drink you will soon notice impaired speech and muscle coordination. In extreme cases, too much drinking can lead to a coma and eventually, to death.
When drinking becomes excessive, you may experience fatigue, memory-loss, weakness and eye muscles can become paralyzed. Below are some of other complications caused by too much drinking:
Liver Problems
Alcoholic hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver caused by too much drinking. If you notice loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, pain in the abdomen and tenderness, fever, yellowing of the skin, and confusion, it may be time to have a check up. Hepatitis can become cirrhosis if you don’t stop drinking. Cirrhosis is irreversible.
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Alcohol intake can inflame the lining of the stomach and lead to gastritis. As a result, the absorption of nutrients such as folic acid and thiamine and B vitamins can become limited. Too much alcohol can also damage the pancreas. The pancreas plays a very important role in digestion as it secretes the enzymes that help digest fats, proteins and carbohydrates. The pancreas also produces the hormones that regulate metabolism.
Cardiovascular Problems
High blood pressure can be caused by too much alcohol. It can also damage your heart muscles causing cardiomyopathy. You also increase the chance of heart attack and stroke by drinking too much alcohol.
Diabetes Complications
The release of sugar from your liver can be prevented by alcohol. This increases the risk of low blood sugar also called hypoglycemia. If you have diabetes and taking insulin to lower your blood sugar level, taking too much alcohol can pose a real threat.
Problems With Sexual Function and Menstruation
Your sex life may be affected by drinking too much. Erectile dysfunction is one of the complication of alcoholism in men. In women, it can disrupt menstruation.
Birth Defects
Women drinking alcohol during while pregnant increases the risk of giving birth to a child with defects. This birth defect is called fetal alcohol syndrome. Some of the birth defects include: small head, heart defects, short eyelids, and other abnormalities in the baby. Drinking during pregnancy also increases the likelihood of disabilities in the baby.
Bone Loss
The human body continuously produces new bones. Alcohol can interrupt the production of new bone resulting in thin brittle bones. This increases the likelihood of fractures.
Neurological Complications
Too much alcohol affects the central nervous system. This can cause numbness in the hands and feet. It also results in thinking disorder in extreme cases, dementia.
Cancer Risk
Drinking excessively increases the likelihood of several cancers. Mouth cancer, throat cancer, esophagus cancer, larynx cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, rectum cancer and breast cancers are just some of the cancers known to have increased risks with too much alcohol intake.
Non-Medical Complications
Aside from the medical complications stated above, there are also alcohol related problems that should be seriously considered. In the US, traffic deaths are almost 50% caused by alcohol one way or another.
Alcohol makes you drowsy and your muscle coordination can become impaired. This could lead to injuries caused by accidents. So don’t drink and drive. Alcohol could also lead to domestic violence that often leads to divorce. Alcohol dependents and alcohol abusers experience problems at work or in school.
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Women’s drug and alcohol problems are further compounded by addition issue that are unique to women; co-dependency, body distortion issues, love addition and eating disorders to name a few, and these destructive behaviors are just a symptom of a woman’s deep beliefs about herself. Women internalize their shame, which often leads to deep depression, suicide attempts, destructive relationship patterns and many more negative consequences. Admitting that she has a problem and seeking professional help, such as drug and alcohol treatment and other forms of therapy are her only hope at this point. Many women also fear the shame of her drug and alcohol problems so intensely that it may take an intervention with the help of family and loved ones to get her to seek help.