Many people are addicted to alcohol nowadays. There are many rehabilitation centres and institutions that are working on alcohol abuse for people.
According to research, alcohol is good for the body if consumed in limited quantities. But excessive use of alcohol can cause various diseases and is harmful to the body.
If you consume alcohol in excess quantities, it can cause numerous diseases in the body. The main organ affected by alcohol abuse is the liver, as it causes cirrhosis of the liver. Along with liver damage, it is one of the prime reasons for automobile accidents.
The right range for alcohol
Alcohol has been related to many physical illnesses, but it also leads to some chronic diseases such as heart attacks and cancer. There are many consequences to heavy drinking that should be clear.
Sometimes alcohol has severe effects on the body, and you may have to get hospitalized for a long time. It is an addiction that destroys people in the long run.
Even if people do not have money, they somehow arrange money to have alcohol. In bizarre cases, when people are left with no money source, they go for loans. Sometimes, they may not have a job but need money to drink.
In such cases, they try to avail unemployed loans from direct lenders. In the UK, some people go this way to fulfil their addiction. Later on, there are high numbers of defaults in such cases.
People borrow loans to buy alcohol but do not focus on repayments. Hence, slowly slide into a debt trap. Hence it should be avoided to avail of loans for consuming alcohol.
Health risks
Alcohol is not bad for the body. It depends upon the quantity consumed. Some of the risks are mentioned below for alcohol if consumed in large quantities.
1. Anemia
Anemia is a condition that has a low RBC in the body and makes a person weak in immunity. Consuming alcohol heavily can lead to anemia in the body. Having low red blood cells in the body causes anemia, and that can affect the hematological system.
The hematological system consists of bone marrow, blood, liver, and spleen. If you are addicted to alcohol, you can damage your liver, along with reduced red blood cell count.
If the Red blood cells are abnormally low, it causes a condition in the body that is called anemia. Shortness of breath, fatigue, and Lightheadedness are common symptoms of anemia.
2. Cancer
As mentioned above point alcohol can lead to cancer in the body cancer is a life-threatening chronic disease. Most people drinking alcohol usually increase their chances of cancer in the body.
It’s a chronic disease that is caused by various reasons, and alcohol is one of them. If you consume alcohol, it produces carcinogens which are made from acetaldehyde.
Various types of cancers can be caused due to drinking. For example, throat cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, and larynx cancers are some of the cancer forms. Most of the drinkers also smoke along with their drinks.
This further increases the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Cancer is an expensive and life-threatening disease.
3. Cardiovascular Disease
Heart failure is one of the common causes of excess drinking. Excessive drinking is not good for the body as it weakens your heart. It causes heart attacks and strokes.
Triglycerides are at a high level when alcohol is consumed in higher quantities. This can lead to high BP and eventually stroke.
Many other abnormalities can be caused due to drinking’s, such as heart rhythm of normality, Cardiomyopathy, ventricular tabulation, and atrial fibrillation.
Cardiomyopathy is the weakening of the heart muscle. If the heart muscle is weak, it distracts the smooth functioning of the heart and leads to a heart attack.
4. Cirrhosis
What is one of the major parts that are being damaged by alcohol? Excessive drinking leads to inflammation of the liver. Inflammation of the liver further leads to cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is a fatal condition in the body in which the liver no longer functions.
It eliminates the function of the liver in the body and causes scarring of the liver tissue. With increased drinking, the chances of cirrhosis also increase. If you are drinking for a long time, the chances of cirrhosis also increase.
Although it is not mandatory to have cirrhosis, if you are a heavy drinker, the chances increase, and it is also run in families. According to research, a woman often Lee suffers from cirrhosis more than men.
5. Dementia
The functioning of the brain controls our body. If the brain is damaged, the body stops functioning. Alcohol drinking does the same thing to our bodies. It affects our brains and causes memory loss.
Further, it leads to Alzheimer’s and the weakening of the body’s muscles. Some of the basic symptoms of Alzheimer’s can be seen in people who consume alcohol in heavy quantities.
Along with dementia, it also causes other symptoms such as poor judgment, indecision, and forgetting things. It has been observed that if you are consuming alcohol for a longer time and in heavy quantities, it leads to Korsakoff syndrome.
This syndrome is related to short-term memory loss. You may not remember too many things in a short period. Along with memory loss, it also leads to some nutritional deficiencies in the body that further aggravate the symptoms of dementia.
It is a vicious cycle that leads to dementia, and other symptoms further aggravate the problem.
6. Depression
Heavy alcohol consumption and depression go hand-in-hand. Most of the time, depression is connected to alcohol abuse.
Many people feel depressed while consuming alcohol in larger quantities. When people are in depression, most of them turn up to alcohol to get relief as it numbs the brain for some time.
This self-medication technique leads to further addiction to alcohol. According to some studies, people consuming alcohol show symptoms of depression and anxiety. Hence, alcohol should be used in limited quantities.
7. High Blood Pressure
If alcohol drinking damages the heart, it automatically interferes and intervenes with normal BP. Alcohol drinking can lead to hypertension problems in the body. Hypertension is high blood pressure that puts the person at risk of death.
The more you drink alcohol in excessive quantities, the more your body becomes prone to high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to severe heart diseases such as stroke and blockage of veins and arteries in the heart.
Along with heart diseases, it also leads to kidney diseases.
8. Nerve Damage
Alcohol, most of the time, damages your nerves and leads to the condition of alcoholic neuropathy. The damage to nerves is caused by heavy drinking.
Along with heavy drinking, if you are into poor nutrition, it damages your nerves and leads your body to various diseases. Muscle weakness, pain, and tingling, numbness are common symptoms of nerve damage.
Along with these symptoms, other symptoms define your disease, such as diarrhoea, vomiting, loss of bowel control, constipation, etc.
Conclusion
There are many health problems associated with alcohol drinking. There can be damaging effects on the body, and can be life-threatening.
It is advisable to monitor the quantity of your alcohol consumption and work on your body to keep it healthy and fit in the long run.