For many people, alcoholic beverages are an integral part of any holiday or celebration. Often, when drinking another glass of wine or a glass of strong alcohol, the person does not think about the fact that, in addition to pleasant sensations, the intoxicating liquid is harmful. Excessive alcohol consumption leads to irreversible consequences: in certain stages of alcohol dependence, serious pathologies of the nervous system and other systems of the body are found.
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 by fermentation or artificially. Substance is used as disinfectant, fuel, solvent. In everyday life, alcohol is called a beverage, which includes ethanol in different concentrations.
what's the harm of alcohol
Once in the human body, alcohol acts as a solvent, destroying the fatty membrane of red blood cells. As a result, blood cells stick together. These 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. Malfunctioning of the central nervous system contributes to the disturbance of the functioning of other organs. A lot of alcohol causes chronic and irreversible pathologies.
what happens if you drink
The consequences of alcohol consumption are associated with the toxic effects of ethyl alcohol on the bodies of men and women. The severity of side effects from beverages is related to the strength, quantity and frequency with which they drink. Drinking small amounts of alcohol at important events may not be harmful. Excessive use threatens the development of alcoholic encephalopathy, the formation of dependency, the interruption of the functioning of Organs internal organs, social degradation and other negative consequences.
Moderate use
According to some experts, moderate consumption of alcohol in quantities allowed by the WHO does not cause much damage to the body, does not form dependence and does not lead to intoxication. Alcohol in small doses can be beneficial for disease prevention as it forces defense systems to function. It must be remembered that this method of disease prevention 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. By drinking every day, one runs the risk of gradually becoming addictive. There is a risk of loss of control, the desire to systematically increase the dose - this is a direct path to alcoholism, the acquisition of mental and physical disorders. It is recommended to take breaks of several days for the toxins to be removed from the body.
Abuse
The body perceives increased doses of strong alcohol as poison, so you hurt yourself, even if you rarely drink. A large amount of alcohol negatively affects the brain, liver, cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract. Constant alcohol consumption can cause persistent addiction, which leads to irreversible consequences.
Alcoholism
Once inside the body, high concentrations of alcohol can cause persistent addiction. This is explained by the toxic properties of ethanol. Alcoholism is a disease characterized by constant and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, a pathological attraction to the state of 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 appears in any situation of emotional significance.
- Behavioral changes are found: memory lapses, aggressiveness, unwillingness to communicate with loved ones, etc.
- In the absence of a system, alcohol consumption can last for more than a day (drinking).
- Increased tolerance to ethyl alcohol, increased alcohol rejection threshold.
- Constant hangover, desire to drink to relieve symptoms.
- The presence of certain external manifestations (bruises, thickening of the veins, rapid skin aging).
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, however, interrupting the use of alcoholic beverages does not bring serious consequences, aggression occurs at will. This condition is not classified as a disease. An alcoholic is a person who suffers from alcoholism. He cannot control his desire to drink, the amount of alcohol consumed, and is prone to excessive drinking.
Occurrence causes
Anyone can become addicted to alcohol if they stop controlling themselves, as some cultural characteristics make people drink intoxicating drinks in times of joy, sadness and holidays. There are 2 groups of citizens who are especially prone to ethanol addiction. Experts identify the following causes of alcoholism:
- Hereditary predisposition. People who have alcoholics among their ancestors can obtain the genetic material responsible for the high risk of alcoholism.
- Psychological factors. Emotional experiences (loss of a job, unhappy love, death of loved ones) can lead to alcohol dependence. A person tries to drink alcohol to relax, to avoid moral trauma. As a result, he acquires a constant craving for ethanol.
How Alcoholism Develops
A dangerous factor in the development of alcoholism is that persistent addiction can go unnoticed by the patient. A person starts drinking alcohol in companies on holidays or occasionally to calm his nerves. Ethanol may not cause negative reactions at this stage. The feeling of relaxation and fun makes drinking more frequent. As a result, the person becomes addicted, begins to show symptoms of alcoholism. Gradually the decay of the personality occurs, the 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 disease's development, the patient usually has the desire to drink alcoholic beverages. If not satisfied, it disappears after a while. When the patient drinks, there is a great loss of control over the amount of alcohol consumed. The person becomes aggressive, irritable, episodes of memory loss occur. Every drunkenness has a reason or another that the patient invents to justify. The alcoholic fails to evaluate it as a negative phenomenon.
- The second phase is characterized by an increased tolerance to alcoholic beverages. At this stage, physical dependence forms: withdrawal symptoms, headache, thirst, irritability, hand and body tremors, sleep disorders. With an abrupt cessation of the binge, complications can occur.
- The third stage - the craving for alcohol increases. Mental disorders occur, leading to amnesia. Physical, social and personal degradation is on the rise. Excessive alcohol consumption causes severe exhaustion of the body; if stopped without medical intervention, metal-alcohol psychosis may occur.
Life expectancy of an alcoholic
It is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question of how long alcoholics live, since each person's body responds individually to ethyl alcohol. An important factor is the quality of the drinks and the quantity of their consumption. Drinking a glass of good wine with dinner can lead to a long and happy life. According to many scientists, some people can even benefit from it.
The use of cheap drinks as a substitute can cause not only damage to internal organs, but also acute intoxication. According to statistics, the average life expectancy of an alcoholic is 48 to 55 years. At the same time, the period can be shorter for women, heavy drinkers and people who started drinking alcohol in their teens. Patients in stage 3 addiction have the highest risk of mortality. They die of serious organ pathologies, living 6 to 7 years after this diagnosis.
The consequences of drinking alcohol
Excessive alcohol consumption at any age increases the risk of diseases of the body systems, disrupts the activity of the human brain. The consequences of such processes are irreversible changes in the psyche, decreased social activity, physical harm to the patient. With regular use, the person experiences constant intoxication, which causes the deposition of harmful substances within the body.
social implications
Alcohol addiction directly affects not only the patient himself, but also his family, social circle and career. The patient faces economic difficulties, as he spends a lot of money on the purchase of alcohol. In addition, due to addiction, problems can arise at work, since the alcoholic cannot perform his duties properly, skips 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 lives of an alcoholic and others are threatened by drunk driving. Driving after drinking alcohol significantly increases the likelihood of an accident. Intoxicated people are at greater risk of committing a crime.
Health consequences
Alcohol dependence has a significant impact on a patient's physical and mental health. Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages can cause the following consequences of alcoholism:
- The toxic effect of ethanol on neurons (nerve cells) and brain structures begins even when small doses of the substance enter the body. Experts observe a violation of the activity of control centers, failures in the regulatory mechanisms of the cortex. These processes contribute to a rapid change in mood, partial loss of control over actions, irritability, aggression and the occurrence of mental disorders.
- Pathological processes in neurons adversely affect the functioning of the sense organs, the patient's intellectual abilities and memory. With systematic alcohol consumption, chronic encephalopathy is seen and cerebral infarction is possible. Prolonged exposure to alcohol causes Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's.
- Cerebral vessels become fragile, aneurysms can form with subsequent ruptures. The risk of blood clots, disturbances in the blood supply, 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 degradation of the personality.
- The consequences of alcohol consumption by the cardiovascular system are: cardiomyopathy with development of heart failure, hypertension with a tendency to rupture arteries, veins, aneurysms, ischemia, myocardial infarction, blockage and arrhythmias.
- The negative impact of frequent alcohol consumption on the human reproductive system is the compromised viability and maturation of germ cells, the formation of infertility and a high risk of congenital fetal anomalies. For men, the danger is the decrease in erection, leading to the gradual development of impotence. Furthermore, with prolonged use, persistent hormonal disturbances occur.
- The frequent consequences of alcoholism are ulcerative and inflammatory necrotic processes of the stomach (gastritis, peptic ulcer), pancreatic lesions, accompanied by chronic pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus. Gradually, doctors notice the depletion of the entire body, associated with metabolic disturbances and decreased appetite. The appearance of oncological diseases of the stomach and intestines is possible.
- Liver diseases are considered by specialists as the most dangerous consequences of systematic drunkenness. The organ's cells cannot cope with chronic intoxication, so alcoholics often suffer from fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatitis.
How often can you drink alcohol?
The World Health Organization, defining a certain safe dose of alcohol per day, warns that drinking every day is a risk to the normal functioning of the body. To prevent the emergence of pathological conditions, taking breaks is recommended. Experts advise the consumption of alcoholic beverages at most 1 time in 3 days, and it is necessary to do this with a minimal dose.
Safe alcohol dose per day
The standard dose of alcoholic beverages, established by the WHO, is equal to the content of 10 g of pure ethanol. This portion is called a drink or unit. Its equivalent is 330 ml of beer, 150 ml of dry wine, 45 ml of strong alcohol. The worldwide organization has established the following safe doses of alcoholic beverages per day:
- For men - 4 drinks, which is equivalent to 100 g of vodka, 3 glasses of dry wine, 1 to 2 cans of beer.
- For women, a safe dose is 3 units, which is 1-2 glasses of dry wine, 80 g of vodka and 1 bottle of beer.