According to the research, at least 85% of people aged 18 years and older have reported having consumed liquor at some point in their life. Unfortunately, the number will continue to rise as alcohol’s popularity is synonymous with social situations like celebrations, barbeques, and parties.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has an updated dietary guideline for moderate drinking. One of its clauses states that adults of legal age should consume one drink or less for women, while two drinks or less for men in a day.
Why is alcohol dangerous to your health?
Excessive drinking is not good for your health because it disrupts your body’s sleep regulator. Sleep is an integral part of ensuring you are healthy and energized. While sleeping, your body recharges and reorganizes itself by eliminating toxins accumulated during the day.
Alcohol increases the production of Adenosine in your brain. Adenosine is a chemical that helps you sleep. With alcohol in your system, it interacts with Adenosine, making you more drowsy and relaxed. However, because it’s induced, it wears out very fast, prompting you to wake up spontaneously without having enough rest.
As a result, lack of enough sleep puts you at a high risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, or heart disease.
How alcohol affects various parts of your body
Alcohol abuse affects you, both internally and externally. Although you are unable to see, it can cause extensive internal organ damage.
Heart
Your heart is vulnerable to the harmful effects of excessive drinking.
Heavy drinking over time weakens your heart, which can impact the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to other vital organs. Long-term usage can lead to stroke or sudden cardiac arrest.
Liver
Too much alcohol in your liver can overwhelm the metabolism process, leading to fatty liver. It can cause type 2 diabetes, obesity, and liver failure.
Brain
Prolonged drinking can cause temporary effects like loss of muscle coordination but can also cause irreversible long-term effects.
Other Effects of Alcohol
Consuming too much alcohol can cause adverse effects on your general health. However, occasional alcohol consumption may not cause significant health issues except for temporary side effects while drunk. They include:
- Lack of muscle control
- Staggering gait
- Short attention span
- Mood swings
- Slurred speech
Short-term effects:
While the temporary side effects are still applicable every time you consume alcohol, other effects are caused by the alcohol side effects. They include:
- Violence – This includes sexual assault, homicide, suicide, or domestic violence. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, alcohol is a factor in 40% of the crimes committed in the country.
- Engaging in risky sexual behaviors, including sexual intercourse with multiple partners without protection. These acts can result in the spread of STIs, STDs, HIV/AIDS, and unwanted pregnancies.
- Injuries either by falling, burning, or car accidents
- Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders if the woman drinking was pregnant
Long-term effects:
Over time, the continuous consumption of alcohol can lead to the development of chronic and other diseases. They include:
- Alcohol dependence
- Having high blood pressure, stroke, digestive problems, liver and heart diseases
- Memory problems like dementia
- Mental issues like depression and anxiety
- Social awkwardness leading to unemployment and alienation
Who should avoid alcohol?
An ordinary drink in the United States contains 6 ounces of pure alcohol. Although there is a regulation on drinking alcohol, there is a limit on who can’t consume it. They include:
- Recovering addicts
- People below 21 years (its illegal)
- Breastfeeding mothers
- Pregnant women
- People under certain medications like blood pressure medications can interact with alcohol
Alcohol abuse can deflect your dreams and goals. However, it would help if you didn’t lose hope as specialized centers, like Impact Recovery center help people with alcohol addiction problems. It’s never late to seek help and live a better and healthy life.
