For many people, alcoholic beverages are an indispensable part of any holiday or party. Usually, when drinking another glass of wine or a glass of spirits, people will not think of the fact that in addition to the pleasant feeling, intoxicating liquids are harmful. Excessive drinking can lead to irreversible consequences: in certain stages of alcohol dependence, serious diseases of the nervous system and other systems of the body can be found.
What is alcohol
Scientifically speaking, alcohol is directly ethanol. Ethanol is a colorless liquid with a specific taste and odor. This alcohol is obtained through fermentation or artificially. The substance is used as a disinfectant, fuel, and solvent. In daily life, alcohol is called beverage, which includes different concentrations of ethanol.
What is the harm of alcohol
Once in the human body, alcohol will act as a solvent, destroying the fatty membrane of red blood cells. As a result, blood cells stick together. This structure can block the blood flow in the small capillaries. This process causes the brain to not get enough oxygen and nutrients, and its cells die. The failure of the central nervous system can cause the interruption of the functions of other organs. Heavy drinking can cause chronic, irreversible disease.
What happens if you drink
The consequences of drinking are related to the toxic effects of ethanol on the bodies of men and women. The severity of the side effects of beverages is related to the intensity, quantity and frequency of drinking. Drinking small amounts of alcohol during important activities may be harmless. Excessive use can threaten the development of alcoholic encephalopathy, the formation of dependence, the destruction of visceral function, social degradation and other negative consequences.
Use in moderation
Some experts believe that moderate drinking in the amount allowed by the World Health Organization will not cause too much harm to the body, will not form dependence, and will not lead to a state of poisoning. Small doses of alcohol are good for disease prevention because it forces the defense system to work. It should be remembered that this method of preventing diseases is very dangerous, especially for people with a genetic tendency to alcoholism.
Daily use
The representative of the World Health Organization warned that the daily use of ethanol is strictly prohibited. Drinking every day, a person is at risk of becoming addicted. There is a risk of getting out of control, the desire to systematically increase the dose-this is a direct way to alcoholism and obtain mental and physical health disorders. It is recommended to rest for a few days to expel toxins from the body.
Abuse
The body treats increased doses of strong alcohol as poison, so even if you rarely drink alcohol, you can harm yourself. Heavy drinking can negatively affect the brain, liver, cardiovascular system, and gastrointestinal tract. Continuous abuse of alcohol can lead to continued dependence, which can lead to irreversible consequences.
Alcohol addiction
Once in the body, increased alcohol concentration can lead to continued addiction. This can be explained by the toxicity of ethanol. Alcoholism is a disease characterized by continuous, uncontrolled drinking of alcoholic beverages, pathological attraction to intoxication, and changes in alcohol tolerance. Experts determined the following signs of the disease:
- The existence of alcohol withdrawal syndrome-When the patient refuses to drink, the patient experiences negative physical and psychological changes.
- The urge to drink occurs in any situation that has emotional significance.
- Found behavioral changes: memory loss, aggressiveness, lack of desire to communicate with relatives, etc.
- Without a system, drinking can last more than a day (binning).
- The tolerance to ethanol increases, and the alcohol rejection threshold increases.
- Persistent hangover, craving for alcohol to relieve symptoms.
- The presence of certain external manifestations (bruising, thickening of veins, rapid skin aging).
When a person is considered an alcoholic
Experts recommend separating family drunkenness from alcoholism. In the first case, a person has the ability to drink alcohol systematically, but stopping the use of alcoholic beverages will not bring serious consequences, and aggressive behavior occurs randomly. This situation is not a disease. An alcoholic is a person who suffers from alcoholism. He can't control his desire to drink, the amount of alcohol he drinks, and he is prone to overeating.
cause
Anyone who no longer controls themselves will become addicted to alcohol, because certain cultural characteristics will prompt people to get drunk during joy, sorrow, and holidays. Two types of citizens are particularly prone to addiction to ethanol. Experts have determined the following causes of alcoholism:
- Genetic predisposition. People with alcoholics in their ancestry can obtain genetic material that leads to a high risk of alcohol addiction.
- Psychological factors. Emotional experiences (unemployment, unpleasant love, death of a loved one) can lead to alcohol addiction. One tries to drink to relax and avoid moral trauma. As a result, it has acquired a continuing desire for ethanol.
How does alcoholism develop
A risk factor for the development of alcoholism is that persistent addiction may be ignored by patients. A person starts drinking at the company or occasionally drinks to calm his nerves during the holidays. Ethanol may not cause negative reactions at this stage. The feeling of relaxation and fun leads to more frequent drinking. As a result, a person became addicted and he began to show symptoms of alcoholism. The character gradually declines, and the physical craving for alcohol begins.
Stages of alcoholism
Experts distinguish 3 degrees of alcoholism. Each stage has the following characteristics:
- Level 1-At this stage of disease development, patients often have the desire to drink alcohol. If it is not satisfied, it will disappear after a period of time. When a patient drinks alcohol, the control over the amount of alcohol consumed is rapidly lost. This person becomes aggressive, irritable, and suffers from memory loss. Every type of drunkenness has one or another reason that the patient can come up with. Alcoholics no longer see it as a negative phenomenon.
- The second stage is characterized by increased tolerance to alcoholic beverages. At this stage, physical dependence develops: withdrawal symptoms, headache, thirst, irritability, shaking hands and body, sleep disturbance. With the sudden interruption of binge eating, complications may occur.
- The third stage-increased cravings for alcohol. Mental disorders appear, leading to amnesia. The deterioration of the body, society and the individual is intensifying. Vigorous drinking can cause severe physical exhaustion. If interrupted without medical intervention, metal alcohol psychosis may occur.
Life expectancy of alcoholics
It is impossible to give a clear answer to the question of the lifespan of alcoholics, because everyone's body responds to alcohol. An important factor is the quality and consumption of the beverage. Drinking a glass of good wine at dinner can bring a long and happy life. Many scientists believe that some people might even benefit from it.
Using cheap drinks, surrogacy will not only cause internal organ damage, but also cause acute poisoning. According to statistics, the average life span of alcoholics is 48-55 years. At the same time, this period may be shorter for women, alcoholics, and people who started drinking alcoholic beverages as adolescents. Patients in the third stage of addiction are at the highest risk of death. They died of severe organ disease and lived 6-7 years after this diagnosis.
Consequences of drinking
Excessive drinking at any age will increase the risk of body system diseases and disrupt the activity of the human brain. The consequences of this type of process are irreversible changes in psychology, reduction in social activities, and physical harm to the patient. With regular use, a person will continue to be poisoned, resulting in the deposition of harmful substances in the body.
social influence
Alcohol addiction not only directly affects the patient himself, but also directly affects his family, social circle and career. The patient faces financial difficulties because a lot of money is spent on alcohol. In addition, due to addiction, problems may arise at work, because alcoholics cannot perform their duties normally and skip workdays due to hangovers.
Continued drunkenness can also have devastating effects on the patient’s family. This is because conflicts become more frequent and patients become aggressive. The lives of drink-driving people and others are threatened by drunk driving. Driving after drinking alcohol significantly increases the likelihood of accidents. People who are drunk are at greater risk of crime.
Health consequences
Alcohol dependence has a significant impact on the physical and mental health of patients. Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages can lead to the following consequences of alcoholism:
- Even if a small dose of the substance enters the body, the toxic effects of ethanol on neurons (nerve cells) and brain structures will begin. Experts pointed out that this violated the activity of the control center, and the cortical regulation mechanism failed. These processes can lead to rapid changes in mood, loss of control over part of the behavior, irritability, aggression, and mental disorders.
- The pathological process of neurons will adversely affect the function of sensory organs, the intelligence and memory of patients. With systemic drinking, chronic encephalopathy is observed, and cerebral infarction may occur. Long-term exposure to alcohol can cause Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
- Cerebral blood vessels become fragile, and aneurysms may form with subsequent rupture. There is an increased risk of thrombosis, blood supply disorders, auditory and optic nerve atrophy, spinal cord and cerebral ischemic stroke. Gradually, chronic alcoholism will lead to irreversible mental illness and complete deterioration of personality.
- The effects of drinking on the cardiovascular system are: cardiomyopathy with heart failure, hypertension with arteries, veins, aneurysms, ischemia, myocardial infarction, and arrhythmia.
- The negative effects of frequent alcohol consumption on the human reproductive system are impaired reproductive cell viability and maturity, the formation of infertility, and the high risk of congenital fetal malformations. For men, the danger is reduced erection, leading to the gradual development of impotence. In addition, with long-term use, continuous hormonal imbalance will occur.
- The common consequences of alcoholism are necrotizing ulcers and inflammatory processes of the stomach (gastritis, peptic ulcer), pancreatic disease, accompanied by chronic pancreatitis and diabetes. Gradually, the doctor noticed that the whole body was tired, which was related to metabolic disorders and decreased appetite. The appearance of gastric and intestinal tumor diseases is possible.
- Experts believe that liver disease is the most dangerous consequence of systemic drunkenness. Organ cells cannot cope with chronic poisoning, so alcoholics often suffer from fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatitis.
How long can you drink?
The World Health Organization has set a certain safe daily dose of alcohol, warning that daily drinking is a risk to the normal function of the body. To prevent pathological conditions, it is recommended to rest. Experts recommend drinking alcoholic beverages no more than once in 3 days, and you need to drink them at the lowest dose.
Safe daily dose of alcohol
The standard dosage of alcoholic beverages established by the World Health Organization is equal to the content of 10 grams of pure ethanol. This part is called the drink or unit. Equivalent to 330ml beer, 150ml dry wine, 45ml spirits. The world organization has established the following safe daily doses of alcoholic beverages:
- Men-4 drinks, equivalent to 100 grams of vodka, 3 glasses of dry wine, 1-2 cans of beer.
- For women, the safe dose is 3 units, namely 1-2 cups of dry wine, 80 grams of vodka, and 1 bottle of beer.