Alcohol Abuse

Alcohol is a carbohydrate with non-nutritional calories that rapidly add up. It has so little in the way of nutrition and vitamins that it could by no means ever replace food in the human diet.

Short term effects:

With a small amount of drinks (1-3) it isn’t usually very bad but it still damages your liver and brain. 1 drink often makes a person more loosened up or relaxed caused by depression of the nervous system as well does the stimulation effect. Drinking can make you a lot more laid back but it can make you withdrawn, depressed and unsociable.

Around the legal limit for driving is averagely 3-4 drinks (0.7-0.1). Even just under the legal limit your senses still become impaired and perception and reaction time is much worse. Statistics and studies show that drivers with a BAC of 0.10 are seven times more likely to cause a road or vehicle accident.

When alcohol levels start to get high (7.5-10 drinks). Intolerant people become very intoxicated stumble on their feet, become drowsy, decreased pain and increased sensation. They may experience unpredictable emotions, day dream, blackouts, loss of consciousness and possible comas. Any more drinks than ten result in loss of vital functions. If someone reaches a BAC of o.4-o.6 it is usually fatal Deaths from overdose usually result from excessive alcohol consumption. Alcohol increases stomach secretions which could cause heartburn. Kidneys increase urinary output, contributing to dehydration and a hangover. Blood vessels dilate in the skin causing loss of body heat despite a feeling of warmth, which could be dangerous in situations of extreme cold.

Long term effects:

Researchers have discovered that if youth drink at a young age it greatly affects learning and memory. The brain goes through dynamic change during adolescence, and alcohol can seriously damage long- and short-term growth processes. The development of frontal lobe and connection of pathways and refinement all continue until age 16. And youth use a high energy rate before then brain maturity occurs at age 20. Damage at a young age can be irreversible. Alcohol is linked to an amplified risk of high blood pressure, heartbeat rhythms out of the ordinary, deterioration of the heart muscle and heart disease. Anemia is common in people who abuse alcohol. Drinking majorly affects your gastrointestinal tract & Digestive system it can cause pancreatic disease, possible diabetes, increases acidity; this excess acid burns through the protective mucous lining causing ulcers on the stomach and intestinal walls. Bleeding from the stomach may occur from enlarged veins around the esophagus. persistent alcohol abuse is the solo most recurrent cause of illness and death from liver disease. In men, chronic ingestion of excess alcohol may lead to impotence, sterility, atrophy of the testes, and enlargement of the breasts. Early menopause and menstrual irregularities are common in women who drink excessively. Excess output of hormones from the adrenal gland can occur and low levels of sex hormones can lead to premature bone loss (osteoporosis). Cancer of the throat, voice box (larynx), mouth and esophagus, and liver are most commonly associated with extreme use of alcohol. little conclusive evidence of increased cancer exists for the stomach, large bowel, pancreas, lung, urinary tract, and breast.