Alcohol - Effects on our Body

Alcohol
Effects on our Body

 

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The brain

Steady Drinking Over Many Years Leads To Permanent Changes In The Brain. One Of The Permanent Effects Of Alcohol On The Brain Is To Reduce The Amount Of Brain Tissue And To Increase The Size Of The Ventricles Instead. Another Way In Which Alcoholic Drinks Affect The Brain Is Through Depriving It Of Food Substances Such As Vitamins. This Is Because Heavy Drinkers Often Neglect Their Diet, Which Can Lead To Vitamin Deficiencies. Thiamine, One Of The 'B' Vitamins Is Most Commonly Missing From The Diet And Can Lead To Serious Mental Disturbance.


                                The Heart 

The heart can be affected by the vitamin deficiencies caused by a neglected diet. The pumping action of the heart is weakened. Heart failure can result from this.

                                 

                         The Liver

Some Of The Most Serious Effects On The Body Of Drinking Alcoholic Drinks Are Caused By Damage Done To The Liver By Alcohol. If Alcohol Is Frequently In The Blood In Large Amounts, It Causes The Liver Cells To Die And Prevents The Liver From Working Efficiently. This Disease Is Called Cirrhosis. In The Case Of A Generally Healthy Person, If Alcohol Is Taken Infrequently Or Only In Moderate Amounts, Any Damaged Liver Tissue Has Time To Repair Itself. Two-thirds of the cases of Cirrhosis of the liver diagnosed in the UK are caused by alcohol.

The Stomach 

Just one occasion when you drink heavily can irritate the stomach and cause sickness and pain. The steady drinking of alcohol can lead to the regular occurrence of these symptoms.

The Skin 

Alcohol causes small blood vessels in the skin to widen, allowing more blood to flow close to the skin's surface. This produces a flushed skin colour and a feeling of warmth.

The Reproductive Organs 

Your sex life can be harmed by drinking alcoholic drinks. Alcohol depresses nerve impulses. In men, it can depress those which cause erections. In women, heavy drinking during pregnancy can harm the foetus. The baby, when it is born, may be very small and could have reduced intelligence and facial deformities. This condition is called Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and babies born to mothers with an alcohol problem are at a high risk of suffering from this.

Weight 

Alcohol contains sugar and other carbohydrates and so is a good from of energy. Heavy drinking can cause a serious weight problem due to alcohol's high carbohydrate content.

The Harmful Effects of Alcohol

Brain and Central Nervous System 

Impaired behaviour, judgment, memory, concentration and co-ordination. Drinker experiences mild euphoria and loss of inhibition as alcohol impairs regions of the brain controlling behaviour and emotion. Alcohol impairs judgement, memory, concentration and co-ordination; as well as inducing extreme mood swings and emotional outbursts.

Brain Damage and Effect

Alcohol acts as a sedative on the Central Nervous System, depressing the nerve cells in the brain, dulling, altering and damaging their ability to respond. Large doses cause sleep, anesthesia, respiratory failure, coma and death.

Brain Disorders and Addiction 

Long term drinking may result in permanent brain damage, serious mental disorders and addiction to alcohol.

Other effects on the central nervous system 

Impaired visual ability 

Altered sense of time and space 

Impaired fine motor skills 

Loss of pain perception 

Unclear hearing 

Slows reactions 

Dulled smell and taste 

Impaired sexual performance

Eyes 

Distorted vision and ability to adjust to lights. Pinpoint pupils and red eyes

Ears 

Diminishes ability to distinguish between sounds and perceive their direction

Mouth 

Slurred speech. Dulls taste and smell, reducing desire to eat

Throat 

Irritation and damage of lining of oesophagus, induces severe vomiting, haemorrhaging, pain and difficulty swallowing. Cancer.

Heart 

Weakens the heart muscle and ability to pump (Cardiomyopathy). Heart enlargement, abnormal heart signs and irregular heart beat. Increases blood pressure, risk of heart attack and strokes. Inhibits production of white and red blood cells.

Lungs 

High amounts of alcohol may cause breathing to stop, then death. Lowered resistance to infection.

Muscles 

Muscles become weaker and atrophy, pain, spasms and tenderness

Liver 

Chromic heavy drinking may cause alcoholic hepatitis (inflammation and destruction of the liver cells) and then cirrhoses (irreversible lesions, scarring and destruction of liver cells). Impairs the liver's ability to remove yellow pigment and skin appears yellow(Jaundice). Liver damage causes fluid to build in extremities (Edema). Decreases production of blood-clotting factors; may cause uncontrolled bleeing. Liver accumulates fat which can cause liver failure, coma and death.

Stomach 

Irritation of stomach lining, peptic ulcers, inflammation, bleeding lesions and cancer.

Pancreas 

Significant risk of pancreatis, a chromic inflammation of the pancreas.

Intestines 

Irritation of the lining of the intestinal tract and colon. Chronic drinking may result in inflammation , ulcers and cancer of the intestines and colon. Nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, sweating and loss of appetite are common. Alcohol impairs small intestine's ability to process nutrients and vitamins.

Bones 

Alcohol interferes with the body's ability to absorb calcium resulting in bones being weak, soft, brittle and thinner (Osteoporosis)

Reproductive System

Males and Females 

Sexual functioning can be impaired and deteriorate, resulting in impotence and infertility, sometimes irreversible. Females also have high risk of developing breast cancer.

Pregnancy and Unborn Babies 

Drinking during pregnancy significantly increases the chance of delivering a baby with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, small head, possible brain damage, abnormal facial features, poor muscle tone, speech and sleep disorders and retarded growth and development.

Facts  About  Alcohol 

Alcohol is a Drug...

Alcohol is a depressant, which slows down thinking and actions. It acts on the brain and affects all parts of the body. An average-size person's liver can break down about one drink per hour; the rest of the alcohol circulates throughout the body, affecting behavior, judgment, perception, and motor skills - such as driving and operating machinery. 

Alcohol Affects Each Individual Differently...

Smaller-size people, women, younger or older people, and those who are ill will feel stronger effects from the same amount of alcohol than larger people, middle-aged adults, or people who are in good physical health. People with a history of alcoholism in their family may also be affected differently than people who have no history of alcoholism in their family. 

Alcohol Abuse is a Health Risk...

Abuse of alcohol can cause damage to many of the body's organs. Researchers report damage to brain tissue, heart muscle, and reproductive organs in both males and females. Alcohol may cause the drinker's blood pressure to rise, putting him or her at risk for heart attack and stroke. Stomach ulcers, poor nutrition and sexual dysfunction have all been related to alcohol abuse. 

Alcohol Affects Driving Skills...

Alcohol is involved in over half of the fatal car crashes in the U.S. Although many states consider a driver legally intoxicated when their Blood Alcohol Content reaches .10%, driving skills are affected at levels as low as .03%. This is especially true of younger drivers, who may be less experienced. Alcohol affects crucial driving skills like quick reflexes and vision.

Alcohol is Harmful to Unborn Babies...

Alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman enters the bloodstream of the fetus she is carrying. Alcohol can affect the fetus in many ways: slowing both physical and mental growth before and after birth; causing severe physical malformations of the face and brain; creating learning disabilities or retardation. The safe choice is not to drink during pregnancy.

Alcohol Reacts with Other Drugs...

Combining alcohol with certain over-the-counter or prescription drugs is dangerous. Drinking while taking medication may cause impairment of coordination, a sharp change in blood pressure, seizures, convulsions, and even death. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about how a certain medications reacts with alcohol before combining these two drugs. 

Alcohol Abuse May Lead to Alcoholism...

Drinking large enough amounts of alcohol over a period of time can produce alcoholism, a physical dependence on alcohol. People with a history of alcoholism in their family are at much greater risk of developing alcoholism themselves. Alcoholism is a treatable illness; family members and friends may need to obtain help, too.

More Facts 

Alcoholism is one of the most serious public health problems in the US today. Among the 18.3 million adult "heavier drinkers," 12.1 million have one or more symptoms of alcoholism, an increase of 8.2 percent since 1980. 

One out of three American adults -56 million Americans- says that alcohol abuse has brought trouble to his or her family. 

Chronic brain injury caused by alcohol is second only to Alzheimer's disease as known cause of mental deterioration in adults. 

About 65 out of every 100 persons in the US will be in an alcohol-related crash at sometime in their life. 

Fifty-four percent of jail inmates convicted of violent crimes were drinking before they committed the offense. 

Over 80 percent of college presidents identify alcohol abuse as the biggest problem on campus. 

If a man and a woman of similar weight drink the same amount of alcohol, 30% more alcohol will enter the woman's bloodstream, because women have less of a certain stomach enzyme that digests alcohol.

THE SIZE IS DIFFERENT... 

THE ALCOHOL IS THE SAME. 

One Standard Drink is equal to: 

12 oz. beer (5% alcohol) 

5 oz. wine (12-17% alcohol) or 3 oz. fortified wine 

1.5 oz. hard liquor (80-proof)