Alcohol, an ethanol containing beverage, has always been part of different occasions and people drink casually or out of a habit. But men and women have different tolerance levels when it comes to this beverage, the reason some get drunk easily and some don’t. Naturally, women are less tolerable of alcohol.
Despite several studies suggesting its diminishing effects to the body, we still continue to patronize this but what are these negative effects?
Cancer
Our body was made to process alcohol but in limited content only. However, in excessive amounts, the body stops detoxification and this results in certain types of cancers.
Women who drink are more likely to develop breast cancers compared to those who don’t. Drinking also leads to some ulcers in the mouth which cause gum and tooth decay. Other cancers linked to drinking are cancers of the esophagus, the upper gastrointestinal tract, throat, and colon.
This is because alcohol weakens the cells and act as irritants. Heavy alcohol absorption also opens our digestive tract to the harmful chemicals present in the body especially when drinking is accompanied by smoking. Alcohol also lowers vitamins and minerals absorption that leads to damaged immune system.
Destroyed Internal Organs
When the body tries to process nutrients, our internal organs work together.
For example, the pancreas aid the digestive tract in digestion. The liver also helps in food absorption and detoxification to rid the body of harmful chemicals. Too much alcohol forbids these organs to function properly due to inflammation induced by enzyme buildup.
The alcohol traps the enzymes in each organs that are supposedly released to the body for their function and this causes damage to each organ’s internal structure. In addition, extensive amount of ethanol causes the liver to scar. Naturally, the organs heal themselves but organ repair results in the alteration of the biological structure or commonly known as DNA that incite malicious tissue development. When these organs scar, they may also cause fatal internal bleeding.
Inefficient Nervous System
Alcoholism also deteriorates the brain and its cognitive functions.
Alcohol destroys the frontal lobes that leads to diminished thought processing, memory retention, and speaking. This is the reason why drunk people has slurred speech and uncontrolled motion.
In the long run, people will lose control over their actions because alcohol changes the brain anatomy. It also elevates the production of serotonin, the chemical responsible for the regulation of our emotional state. Continued alcohol abuse will cause brain injury that could lead to a worse mental condition called dementia where a person loses memory and suffers poor reasoning.
Aside that alcohol makes users susceptible to diseases induced by the buildup of chemicals and it acts as solvent, it also weakens the heart muscles, affects red blood cell production, and can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in newborns that could produce physical and mental birth defects that last a lifetime.
It must also be noted that acute alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be life threatening. For instance, withdrawal causes nausea, nervousness, anxiety, and tremors. Please contact our helpful intake coordinators at Intervention Drug Rehab Association today, and get started on the journey to success and sobriety.
