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For people who have been heavily drinking for years, alcohol damages their airways and interferes with their lungs’ ability to fight off infection. Furthermore, alcohol impairs the body’s ability to remove mucus from the lungs, leading to a higher risk of pneumonia and other health complications. Along with the hormone changes that alcohol triggers, that can keep your body from building new bone. Your bones get thinner and more fragile, a condition called osteoporosis. Alcohol also limits blood flow to your muscles and gets in the way of the proteins that build them up. Alcohol impacts your hearing, but no one’s sure exactly how. It could be that it messes with the part of your brain that processes sound.
Research also shows that heavy drinking by men may lower testosterone levels and affect the making of sperm. Tolerance and dependence can both happen as symptoms of alcohol use disorder, a mental health condition previously referred to as alcoholism, that happens when your body becomes dependent on alcohol. This condition can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the number of symptoms you have. Alcohol abuse can also lead to gastritis and ulcers, which are inflammations of the stomach lining.
Cancer risk
The more a person drinks, the more likely they are to cause damage to their organs or cause the escalation of the disease. Your kidneys are responsible for filtering out toxins and other substances from your body, as well as maintaining a normal amount of water in your body. This can cause increased production of acid as well as limit your ability to get rid of bacteria.
Some people choose to attend an addiction recovery center and take part in treatment therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy. Others will go through a rehabilitation program involving detoxification and providing medical support for those suffering from withdrawal symptoms. A loss of balance is another effect of chronic ethanol consumption, which occurs because the body becomes accustomed to consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. Alcoholics will often appear uncoordinated when they walk due mainly to damage to their cerebellum caused by long-term exposure.
Effects of Alcohol on your Body
Experts recommend avoiding excessive amounts of alcohol if you have diabetes or hypoglycemia. A damaged pancreas can also prevent your body from producing enough insulin to use sugar. This can lead to hyperglycemia, or too much sugar in the blood. Here’s a breakdown of alcohol’s effects on your internal organs and body processes.
What are the 7 effects of alcohol?
- Salivary gland damage.
- Gum disease and tooth decay.
- Esophageal ulcers.
- Acid reflux and heartburn.
- Stomach ulcers and gastritis.
- Internal bleeding.
- Hemorrhoids.
Within minutes of consuming alcohol, it is absorbed into the bloodstream by blood vessels in the stomach lining and small intestine. Alcohol is known to be harmful to developing brains, from before birth to adolescence. Damage can also be caused to the surface cells of the airway. Not all of the alcohol can be absorbed into the bloodstream, and a portion makes its way back into the lungs in the form of vapor. Individuals that overuse alcohol are more likely to develop infections such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, and respiratory syncytial virus. Overall, 5.1% of the global burden of disease and injury is attributable to alcohol, as measured in disability-adjusted life years . This occurs due to compromised respiration and circulation, motor responses and reflexes.
Physical Effects of Chronic Alcohol Abuse
The baby, when it is born, may be very small and could have reduced intelligence and facial deformities. This condition is called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and babies born to mothers with an alcohol problem are at a high risk of suffering from this. Heavy drinkers are at risk of harmful, potentially life-threatening liver problems. When you drink, your liver breaks down alcohol and removes it from your blood. However, too much alcohol in a short period of time can overwhelm the metabolism process and lead to fatty liver.
Doctor reveals the exact amount of alcohol that could cause damage this Christmas – Daily Mail
Doctor reveals the exact amount of alcohol that could cause damage this Christmas.
Posted: Wed, 21 Dec 2022 23:54:31 GMT [source]
The gastrointestinal tract is the hollow organ that leads from the mouth, through the stomach and small intestines and finally to the colon. Alcohol is an irritant to the inner lining of your GI tract and causes inflammation, or swelling and redness. The extent of alcohol’s effect on the central nervous system depends on how much is in your blood and how much blood you have. This is because alcohol is distributed through the body by the water in your bloodstream, according to the NIAAA. The more water in your blood, the more diluted the alcohol will be.
Long-term effects
In rarer cases, alcoholism can cause blindness brought on by optic nerve damage. People who drink heavily are at risk of having tooth decay, periodontal disease, and potentially precancerous oral lesions. Many alcoholic effects of alcohol on the body drinks have a high sugar content that causes tooth erosion and cavities. Bacteria feed on sugar, so a person with an alcohol use disorder provides the perfect environment in their mouth for bacteria to thrive.
If you’re concerned with your alcohol consumption and attitude toward drinking, talk to a healthcare provider as a first step. Carol’s past experience in the medical field has led to a deep knowledge of the struggles those with a substance use disorder face. She is passionate about helping people who are struggling with alcohol abuse and addiction and hopes her writing for Alcohol Rehab Guide can help. The pancreas is part of the digestive process and helps regulate your body’s blood sugar levels.
Short-term effects
Hepatic encephalopathy, a dangerous and potentially fatal brain disorder caused by compromised liver function. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome a collection of symptoms such as confusion, loss of balance, and memory loss due to vitamin B1 or thiamine deficiency. These direct negative effects, combined with other potential consequences such as drunk driving, make alcohol one of the most dangerous substances. For instance, a 12-ounce beer is equivalent to one standard drink. A standard drink of malt liquor is about 7% ABV, but that’s only 8 ounces.