For many people, alcoholic beverages are an integral part of any vacation or party. When drinking another glass of wine or a glass of strong alcohol, one often fails to think that the intoxicating liquid, in addition to pleasant sensations, is harmful. Excessive alcohol consumption leads to irreversible consequences: at certain stages of alcohol addiction, serious diseases of the nervous system and other body systems are noted.
What is alcohol
Scientifically speaking, alcohol is directly ethyl alcohol. Ethanol is a colorless liquid with a specific taste and smell. This type of alcohol is obtained through fermentation or artificially. The substance is used as a disinfectant, fuel, solvent. In everyday life, alcohol is called drinks that contain ethanol in different concentrations.
What's the harm from alcohol?
In the human body, alcohol acts as a solvent and destroys the fat membrane of the red blood cells. This causes the blood cells to stick together. Such formations can block blood flow in small capillaries. The process leads to the fact that the brain does not receive enough oxygen and nutrients, its cells die. Malfunction of the central nervous system contributes to the disruption of the function of other organs. A large amount of alcohol causes chronic, irreversible pathologies.
What if you drink
The consequences of alcohol consumption are linked to the toxic effects of ethyl alcohol on the bodies of both men and women. The severity of the side effects of beverages depends on the strength, amount, and frequency of drinking. Drinking small amounts of alcohol at important events cannot be harmful. Excessive consumption threatens the development of alcoholic encephalopathy, the formation of addiction, the disruption of the functioning of internal organs, social degradation and other negative consequences.
Moderate usage
According to some experts, moderate alcohol consumption in the quantities permitted by the WHO does not harm the body, does not create addiction and does not lead to a state of intoxication. Alcohol in small doses can be beneficial for disease prevention because it forces the immune systems to work. It should be remembered that this method of preventing disease is very dangerous, especially for people with a genetic predisposition to alcoholism.
Daily use
World Health Organization officials warn that the daily use of ethanol is strictly prohibited. If you drink every day, you run the risk of gradually becoming addicted. There is a risk of loss of control, the desire to systematically increase the dose - this is a direct route to alcoholism, the acquisition of mental and physical health disorders. It is recommended to take several days of breaks so that toxins are removed from the body.
abuse
The body perceives increased doses of strong alcohol as poison, so even if you drink infrequently, you are harming yourself. Large amounts of alcohol negatively affect the brain, liver, cardiovascular system, and gastrointestinal tract. Constant alcohol abuse can lead to persistent dependence, which leads to irreversible consequences.
Alcohol addiction
Once in the body, increased levels of alcohol can cause persistent addiction. This is explained by the toxic properties of ethanol. Alcoholism is a disease characterized by constant, uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, a pathological attraction to intoxication, and a change in alcohol tolerance. Experts identify the following signs of the disease:
- The presence of alcohol withdrawal syndrome - when the patient refuses to drink alcohol, the patient experiences negative physical and psychological changes.
- The urge to drink occurs emotionally in every situation.
- Changes in behavior are noted: memory lapses, aggressiveness, lack of desire to communicate with loved ones, etc.
- In the absence of a system, alcohol consumption can last longer than a day (binges).
- Increased tolerance to ethyl alcohol, increased alcohol rejection threshold.
- Constant hangover, cravings to drink to relieve symptoms.
- The presence of certain external manifestations (bruising, thickening of the veins, rapid aging of the skin).
When a person is considered an alcoholic
Experts recommend separating domestic drunkenness from alcoholism. In the first case, a person can afford to drink systematically, but stopping the consumption of alcoholic beverages does not have serious consequences, aggression occurs at will. This condition is not classified as a disease. An alcoholic is a person who suffers from alcoholism. He is incapable of drinking cravings, controlling the amount of alcohol consumed, and is prone to binge drinking.
Causes of occurrence
Anyone can become addicted to alcohol if they cease to control themselves as some cultural traits lead people to drink intoxicating beverages during the hours of joy, sadness, and holidays. There are 2 groups of citizens who are particularly vulnerable to addiction to ethanol. Experts identify the following causes of alcoholism:
- Hereditary disposition. People who have alcoholics among their ancestors may get the genetic material responsible for high risk of alcohol addiction.
- Psychological factors. Emotional experiences (job loss, unhappy love, death of loved ones) can lead to alcohol addiction. A person tries to drink alcohol to relax and avoid moral trauma. As a result, it acquires a constant need for ethanol.
How alcoholism comes about
A dangerous factor in developing alcoholism is that persistent addiction can go unnoticed by the patient. A person begins to drink alcohol in companies on holidays or to drink occasionally to calm the nerves. At this stage, ethanol must not cause any negative reactions. The feeling of relaxation and fun leads to alcohol consumption becoming more frequent. As a result, a person becomes addicted, showing symptoms of alcoholism. Gradually there is a decline in personality, physical desire for alcohol sets in.
Stages of alcoholism
Experts distinguish 3 degrees of alcoholism. Each stage is characterized by the following factors:
- First degree - at this stage of the development of the disease, the patient often has a desire to drink alcohol. If it's not satisfied, it will go away after a while. When the patient drinks, he loses control over the amount of alcohol consumed. The person becomes aggressive, irritable, there are episodes of memory loss. Any drunkenness has one reason or another which the patient brings up to justify it. The alcoholic stops judging it as a negative phenomenon.
- The second stage is characterized by an increase in tolerance to alcoholic beverages. Physical dependence develops at this stage: withdrawal symptoms, headache, thirst, irritability, tremors of the hands and body, sleep disorders. If there is a sharp interruption in the binge, complications can arise.
- The third stage - the craving for alcohol increases. Mental disorders arise that lead to amnesia. The physical, social and personal degradation increases. Heavy drinking provokes severe exhaustion of the body; if it is interrupted without medical intervention, metal-alcohol psychosis can occur.
Life expectancy of an alcoholic
The question of how long alcoholics live cannot be answered unequivocally, as each person's body reacts individually to ethyl alcohol. An important factor is the quality of the drinks and the quantity of their consumption. Having a nice glass of wine with dinner can lead to long, happy lives. According to many scientists, some people can even benefit from it.
The use of cheap drinks, a substitute, can not only damage internal organs, but also cause acute poisoning. According to statistics, the average life expectancy of an alcoholic is 48-55 years. At the same time, the period may be shorter for women, heavy drinkers, and people who started drinking alcoholic beverages as teenagers. Patients with stage 3 addiction have the highest risk of death. They die from severe organ pathologies and live 6-7 years after such a diagnosis.
The consequences of alcohol consumption
Excessive alcohol consumption at any age increases the risk of diseases of the body systems and disrupts the activity of the human brain. The consequences of such processes are irreversible changes in the psyche, a decrease in social activity, physical harm to the patient. With regular use, a person suffers constant intoxication, which leads to the deposition of harmful substances in the body.
Social implications
Alcohol addiction affects not only the patient himself, but also his family, social environment and career. The patient has economic difficulties as a lot of money is spent on buying alcohol. In addition, problems at work can arise due to addiction, as the alcoholic cannot perform his functions properly, skipping work days due to a hangover.
Constant drunkenness also has a devastating effect on the patient's family. This happens because conflicts become more frequent, the patient becomes aggressive. The life of an alcoholic and others is threatened by drunk driving. Driving after drinking alcoholic beverages increases the likelihood of an accident significantly. People who are drunk are at higher risk of committing a crime.
Health consequences
Alcohol addiction has a significant impact on the patient's physical and mental health. Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages can lead to the following effects of alcoholism:
- The toxic effect of ethanol on neurons (nerve cells) and brain structures begins even with small doses of the substance in the body. Experts note a violation of the activity of the control centers and failures in the regulatory mechanisms of the cortex. Such processes contribute to a rapid change in mood, partial loss of control over actions, irritability, aggressiveness and the appearance of mental disorders.
- Pathological processes in neurons affect the functioning of the sensory organs, the patient's intellectual abilities and memory. With systematic alcohol consumption, chronic encephalopathy is observed and a cerebral infarction is possible. Prolonged alcohol consumption provokes Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's.
- Brain vessels become brittle, aneurysms can form with subsequent ruptures. The risk of blood clots, circulatory disorders, atrophic phenomena of the auditory and optic nerves, ischemic strokes of the spinal cord and brain increases. Gradually, chronic alcoholism leads to irreversible mental illness, complete deterioration in personality.
- The consequences of alcohol consumption on the part of the cardiovascular system are: cardiomyopathy with the development of heart failure, high blood pressure with a tendency to rupture arteries, veins, aneurysms, ischemia, myocardial infarction, blockages and arrhythmias.
- The negative effects of frequent alcohol consumption on the human reproductive system are impaired viability and maturation of germ cells, the formation of infertility, and a high risk of congenital fetal abnormalities. In men, there is a risk of a decrease in erection, which leads to the gradual development of impotence. Persistent hormonal disorders occur even with prolonged use.
- Common consequences of alcoholism are necrotic ulcerative and inflammatory processes of the stomach (gastritis, gastric ulcer), pancreatic lesions, accompanied by chronic pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus. Gradually, doctors note the exhaustion of the entire body, which is associated with metabolic disorders and decreased appetite. The appearance of oncological diseases of the stomach and intestines is possible.
- Liver diseases are considered by experts to be the most dangerous consequences of systematic drunkenness. The cells of the organ cannot cope with chronic intoxication, so that alcoholics often suffer from fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatitis.
How often can you drink alcohol?
The World Health Organization, which sets a certain safe dose of alcohol per day, warns that daily drinking poses a risk to the normal functioning of the body. To prevent pathological conditions from occurring, it is recommended to take breaks. Experts recommend consuming alcoholic beverages no more than once in 3 days, and you need to do it with a minimal dose.
Safe dose of alcohol per day
The standard dose of alcoholic beverages set by the WHO corresponds to the content of 10 g of pure ethanol. This part is called the drink or unit. Its equivalent is 330 ml of beer, 150 ml of dry wine, 45 ml of strong alcohol. The world organization has established the following safe doses of alcoholic beverages per day:
- For men - 4 drinks equal to 100 g of vodka, 3 glasses of dry wine, 1-2 cans of beer.
- For women, a safe dose is 3 units, that is 1-2 glasses of dry wine, 80 g of vodka, 1 bottle of beer.