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Alcoholism Is Putting You At Risk

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Alcoholism has become a widespread issue in today’s world. It is known by various terms, including alcohol dependency and alcohol abuse. These terms are also referred to as alcohol use disorder and can put your life at risk. While an occasional alcoholic drink with dinner is fine, drinking it constantly until your body becomes dependent on alcohol is very dangerous. 

If you want to learn all about alcoholism and the health risks associated with it, then keep on reading.

  • Alcohol use disorder is linked to a higher risk of developing certain types of cancer, including breast cancer.
  • Heavy drinking can actually alter the structure of your brain, affecting cognition and memory.
  • People with alcohol use disorder are more likely to experience sleep disturbances despite feeling fatigued.
  • Studies show that alcohol dependence can reduce the size of the hippocampus, which affects memory.
  • Chronic alcohol consumption can impact your skin, leading to premature aging and conditions like rosacea.
  • Research suggests that women are more vulnerable to the negative effects of alcohol than men, particularly regarding liver damage

What Causes Alcoholism?

While the root cause of alcoholism is still unclear, this disorder usually develops when you drink and rely on alcohol so much that chemical changes occur in your brain. These changes work so that whenever you drink, your body instantly gets a feeling of immense pleasure, making you drink even more. Over time, this can become incredibly harmful because while these pleasurable feelings attract you to the bottle, your liver can get damaged silently. 

After some time, the pleasurable feelings go away, and the person suffering from alcoholism keeps on drinking to avoid alcohol withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms are challenging for a person and can even become dangerous.

 Alcoholism develops over time and is primarily because of a family history of abusing alcohol. 

Symptoms Of Alcohol Use Disorder

If you are struggling with alcohol use disorder or someone close to you is dealing with this condition, their symptoms can be spotted easily. The signs of alcoholism depend on one’s behaviour pattern and physical outcome. 

Following are the common symptoms that people struggling with this disorder experience: 

  • Prefer to drink alone
  • Get defensive or angry if you discuss their drinking habits
  • Consuming more than average to feel pleasure
  • Neglecting your personal hygiene
  • Eating poorly or not eating at all
  • Missing work due to drinking habits
  • Bringing up reasons to drink and not being able to control it
  • Drinking even if it brings issues in your personal life
  • Giving up on recreational or occupational activities due to alcohol

Apart from behavioural symptoms, some common physical symptoms of people struggling with alcoholism include:

  • Involuntary shaking in the morning after you drink
  • Severe alcohol cravings
  • Blacking out after a night out drinking alcohol
  • Withdrawal symptoms when you do not drink may include vomiting, shaking, and nausea

Am I dependent On Alcohol?

Suppose you find it hard to find a balance between drinking a small quantity of alcohol with dinner only or abusing alcohol. In that case, it is time to self-test yourself. 

The Mayo Clinic has created a series of questions that you can ask yourself and determine if you are struggling with alcoholism. If the answer to these questions is “yes”, then you need to get professional help with this disorder immediately. 

  1. Do you drink excessively to feel the proper effects of alcohol?
  2. Do you get angry and violent after drinking?
  3. Do you get irritable and guilty about drinking?
  4. Are you having problems at work or school due to your drinking habits?
  5. Do you occasionally think about cutting back on this vice?

Risks Associated With Alcoholism

Alcoholism directly affects your nervous system and can make your life complicated. With alcohol use disorder, safety and health complications are prevalent. Too much alcohol can affect your muscle coordination, speed, and brain. 

Over time, a heavy drinker may even face a life-threatening situation which is why you must control the use. If you want to learn more about the effects alcohol has on your safety and health, then keep on reading.

Effect On Your Health

Alcoholism is believed to directly affect your health. Depending on your consumption levels, it can put you in a constant state of coma or even death. Some other effects it has on your body include:

Liver Disease

Heavy drinkers have more fat in their liver and even undergo liver inflammation. These two conditions are known as hepatic steatosis and alcoholic hepatitis, respectively. Over time, continuous drinking can lead to irreversible scarring and tissue destruction, known as cirrhosis.

Diabetes

 Since Alcohol affects the liver, it can inhibit the release of glucose from your body and increase the risk of low blood sugar. Also, if you struggle with diabetes, this can be very dangerous. 

Heart Issues

 Extreme drinking can cause high blood pressure and increase the chances of heart failure, stroke, and an enlarged heart. It can even cause irregular heartbeats known as atrial fibrillation. 

Digesting Issues

Another common issue is inflammation of your stomach lining, which can cause digestive problems. Also, heavy drinking can reduce your body’s ability to absorb essential nutrients and minerals. 

Issues With Periods And Sexual Performance

Drinking excessively can lead to erectile dysfunction in men and disrupt the menstrual flow in women. 

Poor Eyesight

  Drinking heavily can lead to rapid eye movement and weaken eye muscles.

Neurological Complication

 It also affects your nervous system and causes pain and numbness in your feet and hands. Excessive alcohol use is also a leading cause of dementia and short-term memory loss.

Bone Deterioration

Alcohol affects your bones and can cause them to lose mass, making you more susceptible to fractures and bone problems.

Birth Defects And Weak Immunity

If a pregnant mother is a drug addict and drinks heavy quantities of alcohol, then she has a higher chance of giving birth to a baby with a defect. Also, it can lead to a weak immune system for both the baby and mother and can be unhealthy in the long run. 

Effect On Your Safety

Alcoholism affects your safety and the safety of those around you. Some common effects related to security that alcohol has on you include:

  • Loss of interest in your hobbies and personal appearance
  • Weak coordination between your brain and your muscles 
  • Slurred speech and red eyes
  • Changes in relationships and difficulty in connecting with people
  • Reckless driving and a higher risk of getting into accidents
  • Hurting your loved ones and pushing them away

Takeaway

Alcohol use disorder is a prevalent issue, especially in the Western world, and it is hazardous. Drinking is dangerous for the addicted person and everyone around them. With the information mentioned above, you can understand precisely how alcohol can affect your health and the safety of those around you. 

So stop drinking alcohol and take help from an alcohol rehab facility to keep yourself and your loved ones protected. 

 

 

Alcoholism Is Putting You At Risk

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