There are many people all around the world who enjoy drinking a glass of wine in the evening. Other people like drinking a few beers after work. When kept to a minimum, alcohol isn’t going to be a serious problem. However, drinking excess alcohol can create a wealth of problems for yourself, your family and your friends. If you’re not careful, you’re going to become physically addicted to the alcohol and that will make it nearly impossible to stop using. What are the impacts of alcohol addiction? You’ll find out in the in-depth guide below.
Excess And Moderate Drinking
First and foremost, you need to understand there is a different between moderate and excess drinking. Binge drinking is downright dangerous and it is going to lead to many problems. It will also increase your risks of dying in the near future. Moderate drinking is considered fairly safe. Women are allowed to have one drink per day. Men can have two drinks a day. Binge drinks occurs when women have about 4 drinks in two hours and when men have 5 drinks in two hours. Heavy alcohol use is defined as binge drinking for five or more days in the past month.
If you’ve crossed the threshold from moderate drinking to excess drinking, you really need to get help right away. If you do not, your problem is going to get worse and your life is going to spiral out of control. At the same time, there are some people who should avoid alcohol completely. This includes pregnant women, those taking specific medications and anyone who intends to drive or operate machinery.
Understanding Alcoholism
There are some people who are capable of drinking moderately without suffering from any harmful consequences. There are others who will have a few drinks and immediately head down a dangerous route. Problematic drinking cannot be described by how much or how often someone drinks. Instead, it is all about how the alcohol is impacted your life. If alcohol is causing you problems in your personal and professional life, there is a good chance that you’ve got a serious problem.
When the brain becomes dependent on the alcohol, you’re going to be suffering from alcoholism. This is obviously a drinking problem. Now, you’re going to learn about the negative effects of alcohol abuse.
Weakens The Immune System
First and foremost, you should understand that excessive alcohol is eventually going to weaken your immune system. This is important, because the immune system keeps you healthy. When your immune system’s performance is diminished, you’re going to be far more likely to catch a serious disease, such as pneumonia or even tuberculosis. It is really in your best interest to keep your immune system up and running at the optimum levels.
Pancreas
Alcohol is going to impact pretty much every single organ in your body. It will definitely have a negative impact on the pancreas. If you’ve consumed too much alcohol, there is a possibility that inflammation and swelling is going to impact the blood vessels. In return, this could prevent proper digestion. And of course, that is going to lead to even more problems.
Kidney Issues
It is also important to understand that alcohol is going to negatively impact the kidneys. Excess alcohol consumption can lead to many serious kidney problems, including chronic kidney disease and even acute kidney failure. If you want to keep yourself free of these problems, you should limit the amount of alcohol that you’re consuming on a daily and weekly basis.
Heart Problems
Alcohol can also take a toll on your heart. When you’re consuming too much alcohol, you’re going to have a higher blood pressure. Your risks of suffering from a stroke or irregular heartbeat are also going to increase significantly. With this in mind, you should definitely do your best to monitor your alcohol intake. Doing so can help you live a longer and more satisfactory life in the long run.
Short-Term Mental Issues
Alcohol is capable of negatively impacting the brain. Even if you binge drink just once, there is a possibility that the balance of neurotransmitters in your brain is going to be thrown out of whack. This will decrease the speed at which they’re capable of relaying information. It can also lead to erratic mood chances. You may begin to suffer from agitation, seizures, memory loss or even depression. Binge drinking in general is very dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.
Long-Term Mental Issues
Long-term alcohol use can severely damage your brain. It has been found that long-term alcohol consumption can actually decrease the size of the brain and the brain cells. In return, this can have a negative impact on your motor coordination, mood, sleep and many other cognitive functions. It is also important to understand that alcohol can impact the brains of human fetuses. This is why pregnant women should refrain from alcohol.
Short-Term Behavioral Effects
Alcohol is going to cause erratic behavior in many people. After a heavy night of drinking, there is a good chance that you’re going to experience impaired motor skills, confusion, memory problems and even slurred speech. This is why people who have drunk alcohol tend to be more susceptible to accidents. Alcohol is a leading factor in many injuries, homicides and drownings. It also plays a role in falls, sexual assaults and suicides. And of course, alcohol is going to increase your risks of getting into a motor vehicle accident. To avoid these problems, you should only drink alcohol in moderation.
If you cannot control yourself, you should seek out professional alcohol addiction help right away!
Professional Problems
Alcohol is really going to take a toll on your personal and professional life. When you’ve begun binge drinking on a regular basis, there is a possibility that you’re going to wake up later than normal and you may be more irritated. This could cause you problems at work. If you continue drinking for too long, you may eventually give up on the job all together. With this in mind, you really need to find a way to overcome this problem. Do not let it completely ruin your life.
Legal Problems
It is illegal to drink and drive pretty much everywhere. You might be able to drink a little, but there are specific limits that you cannot exceed. If you’re caught drinking over the limit, you’re going to experience a lot of legal problems. If you’re caught, you’re going to be sent to jail and you’ll be looking at a hefty fine. If you’re lucky, you’re not going to injure anyone. If you happen to get into an accident and kill someone, you’re going to be headed to prison for a long period of time.
Even if you’re going to binge drink, you should never get behind the wheel. Never put anyone else in harm’s way due to your stupidity.
Increased Risk Of Death
Pretty much everyone is interested in living a long and happy life. After all, you only have one life to live. Well, if you want to live as long as possible, you’re going to need to avoid excess drinking. Binge drinking or drinking too much during the week is going to greatly increase your risk of dying in the near future. It will increase the likelihood that you’re going to get into a terrible accident. Plus, it is going to cause your health to deteriorate.
Alcohol And Violence
Some people can drink their fill and never exhibit any type of violent behavior. However, this is rare because alcohol has a tendency to bring the worse out in people. Children living in a home with a violent alcoholic tend to isolate themselves from others. They are probably ashamed of their home life and do not want others to find out how they live. Whatever the case may be, violence and alcohol has a negative impact on small children and teenagers.
Liver Disease
Excessive alcohol intake results in liver disease, such as cirrhosis, which develops when healthy tissue is replaced by scar tissue. Long-term alcohol use will result in healthy cell damage and poor liver function. If you do not get control of your drinking now, you may end up suffering liver failure. The only treatment for liver failure is transplant surgery. And, if you are at all familiar with organ donation, it can be extremely difficult to get a free disease-free liver.
Cancer
Excessive alcohol consumption has been related to cancer of the liver, larynx, breast, oral cavity, colorectum and pharynx. Drinking alcoholic beverages, such as wine, liquor and beer, increase the female’s risk of developing “hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. The only way to reduce these risks is to decrease your alcohol intake or stop drinking all together.
Relationship Problems
As mentioned above, alcohol and violence go hand in hand. People who drink excessively are a burden and hindrance to their family. While the spouse or partner may stick around for a time, they will eventually give up and move out of the home, taking with them their pets, children and assets. By this point, it will probably be too late to save your relationship unless you are willing to get help. This promise may not even be enough to encourage your spouse to give you a second chance. Many people who have an addiction to alcohol will promise to get help, but never do. And those who do may or may not finish their treatment.
