The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or prescribe treatment, or to replace a doctor's appointment.Please contact your doctor!
psychology and nervous system
Alcohol is a poison and drug that can cause nausea and headaches in the morning, as well as premature aging and disease in the long run.However, the number of drug users continues to rise, the Ministry of Health warnsharmWhen drinking, they still don't get the attention they deserve.
Ethanol causes uncontrollable cravings for alcohol, and people are either unaware of information about the dangers of alcohol or believe that the pleasure of being drunk is worth the harm it causes.EthylAlcohol
The reason is the contradictory changes in human psychology.Many processes related to the work of neurotransmitters in the brain are disrupted and therefore rely on:
- Feelings of joy and pleasure cannot be experienced without alcohol;
- Become depressed and may attempt suicide;
- Becoming aggressive, his personality and behavior will change drastically.
In the second stage of alcoholism, a certain dose of alcohol can still bring about pleasurable feelings.Depending on the dose and neurological characteristics, addicts may feelcalmRelaxation, if ethanol acts on him as a relaxant, or pleasure and desire for movement, if the euphoric effects of alcohol dominate.
in the final stageaddictionOne can no longer be happy.A dose of alcohol will relieve the discomfort for a short time, but within a few minutes, the patient will need alcohol again.
In addition to an increased need for ethanol, patientsdevelopingand other complications related to psychological functioning:
- Due to the toxic effect of alcohol on neurons, the cognitive function of the brain slows down, and people become forgetful and inattentive;
- A person's coordination is impaired when intoxicated, which is why drunk people are prohibited from driving cars and doing jobs that require high concentration, but chronic alcoholics can develop coordination impairments even when sober;
- Ethanol can change a person's personality, making him depressed or lethargic, or irritable and bad-tempered.
In the early stages of addiction, a person may feel that drinking alcohol helps them relax, relieve stress, and feel better.Unfortunately, that's the impressionWrong: Alcohol rapidly damages the nervous system and does not always restore brain function lost to addiction.
Immunity
The myth that alcoholics never catch a cold, never get sick, and are generally in excellent health is based on the fact that a large number of alcoholicschronicDisease or factors that precipitate its development, they are either forced to give up their bad habits or die from the complications that arise.The remainder can actually drink heavily for long periods of time and weather complications relatively stably, exemplifying the myth that "nothing can take away an alcoholic."
Human immunity, regularconsumeAlcohol is damaged, causing various illnesses.
- If the immune system is unable to fight off the antigens surrounding a person, patients can begin to suffer from ongoing respiratory illness, food poisoning, skin diseases, genital and other infections.
- If the immune system begins to work aggressively but incorrectly, it can overreact to factors that do not cause significant harm to the body.As a result, intolerances to specific foods, pollens, plants, synthetic ingredients, etc. can occur.
- Autoimmune disease is one of the most serious complications of alcoholism, in which the protective body begins to destroy its own cells.The condition cannot be completely eliminated, and treatments that inhibit its progression can have many side effects.
Immune system diseases can causefailAmong other systems, primarily the nervous system and the endocrine system.
Such complications can becountand oncology, because a healthy immune system helps fight cancer, halting its progression and rapidly destroying pathological cells.
There is a misconception that certain drinks, such as wine, contain many antioxidants that are effective in preventing malignant tumors.Natural wine does contain beneficial ingredients, but you can find plenty of them in any fresh vegetable or fruit.Depend onstatisticsAddicts often suffer from tumors in a variety of organs, from cancer of the larynx and esophagus to damage to the liver and rectum.The prognosis for oncology treatment in addicts is poor because the weakened body has difficulty fighting the disease itself and the consequences of complex and lengthy treatment.
digestive system
After alcohol enters the human body, it first contacts the gastrointestinal tract: oral mucosa, esophagus, and stomach.Ethanol actively enters the blood from the stomach and affects other organs of the digestive system together with the blood: liver, pancreas, etc.
List of diseases you may encountersick, wide As examples, we can only give the most common ones.
- domesticbleeding- The fatal consequences of alcoholism, which have unnoticed consequences and cause only abdominal pain, which many people do not notice.This phenomenon is caused by the dilation of blood vessels on the mucous membrane of the organ: in alcoholics, the walls of blood vessels, which are often weakened by high cholesterol and lack of nutrition, become damaged, and venous blood begins to pour into the person's stomach.
- Cirrhosis– An extremely serious disease that has no cure and no supportive care, such as kidney failure.The liver of an alcoholic is under a lot of stress.The organ's liver cells are damaged, functional tissue is replaced by scar tissue or fat, and the liver gradually fails.The danger with this condition is that liver disease often occurs in hidden forms that go unnoticed.
- pancreatitis– Inflammation of the pancreas, causing frequent severe abdominal pain, nausea, and indigestion.The abdomen becomes distended, the patient is troubled by increased gas formation and fatty stools, and the quality of life deteriorates significantly.
conditionaggravateOther ingredients contained in alcoholic beverages: dyes, preservatives, foaming agents.
urinary system
The kidneys clear the half-life products of ethanol from the blood, so they are also often exposed to the toxic effects of ethanol.There are several mechanismsfailKidney tissue:
- The development of malignant hypertension, in which intrarenal blood vessels and capillaries are damaged;
- Development of autoimmune processes affecting the kidneys (systemic lupus erythematosus, glomerulonephritis, vasculitis).
The kidneys canlong termIt takes time for the function of the dead nephron to condense, but when replacement tissue exceeds 50%, the glomerular filtration rate begins to decrease, resulting in:
- swelling;
- hypertension;
- poisoning and vomiting;
- There is an ammonia smell in the mouth and skin.
When organs fail, patients are forced to undergo continuous hemodialysis procedures (3-4 times a week for 3-6 hours each time), or resort to organ transplantation.at the same timeProbabilityThe likelihood that an alcoholic will be able to receive a donated kidney and that his body will be able to withstand the immunosuppressive treatment after surgery is slim.
cardiac pathology
Diseases related to heart function and blood vessel conditions cause most of the deaths in the world.In a country that actively discourages drinking, thisindexIt is usually lower, demonstrating the effects of ethanol on the heart.
- When you are intoxicated by alcohol, your body rapidly loses potassium and magnesium, which are important in maintaining the health of your organs.Muscles wear down, and cardiomyopathy often occurs, in which the heart increases in size but its health and ability to perform its designated functions rapidly declines.This disorder is also known as Beer Heart Syndrome.
- Due to disorders of lipid metabolism and damage to the organs of the digestive system, the inside of the blood vessel lumen begins to be covered with cholesterol plaques and triglycerides (brown fat), disrupting blood flow, including nutrition to the heart, and increasing the risk of cardiovascular accidents several times.
The heart works during drunkenness and alcoholismlimitWhat they are capable of: Patients often complain of tachycardia, sudden feelings of weakness, and dizziness.If you do not provide prompt medical care to the patient, his condition may worsen due to acute processes: stroke, heart attack.
What determines the complications of drinking alcohol?
People who deny the harmful effects of alcohol on the body cite the example of their friends who drank for a long time without any problems.seriousdisease.
These isolated examples are no match for official statistics and scientific research confirming that alcohol:
- Lead to organ function and organic disorders;
- Causes addiction so a person is unable to kick bad habits, even if aware of the dangers of ethanol use;
- Leading to mental disorders: pathological intoxication syndrome, in which a person loses control after drinking a small amount of alcohol and commits suicide due to acute depression in the context of withdrawal.
What are the specific ones?complicationA person's appearance depends on him:
- age;
- lifestyle;
- existing chronic disease;
- Genetic factors and hereditary predispositions.
Both the quantity and quality of "fire water" consumed are important.Although ethanol itselfHarmful, despite the fact that drinks containing it are soldHoneyIn the wine market or dispensary, under the guise of medicinal hawthorn tincture, the quality of the other ingredients is important, as well as the degree of purification of the alcohol.
There are many misconceptions about how alcohol affects the body.You should not trust unreliable sources: it is important to remember that the production and sale of alcohol in our country and around the world is a way of replenishing the state budget.This means there will always be people who benefit from alcoholic beverages being viewed as a safe and sometimes healthy form of recreation.You can learn about the dangers of alcoholism and how to treat it during a consultation with an anesthesiologist at a drug treatment clinic.