For many people, alcoholic beverages are an integral part of any party or celebration. Often, drinking another glass of wine or a glass of strong alcohol, a person does not think about the fact that in addition to pleasant sensations, the intoxicating liquid is harmful. Excessive alcohol consumption has irreversible consequences: at certain stages of alcohol dependence, severe pathologies of the nervous system and other body systems are found.
What is alcohol
Scientifically speaking, alcohol is directly ethyl alcohol. Ethanol is a colorless liquid with a specific taste and odor. This type of alcohol is obtained by fermentation or artificially. The substance is used as a disinfectant, fuel, solvent. In everyday life, alcohol is called drinks, which contain ethanol in different concentrations.
What is the harm of alcohol
Once in the human body, alcohol acts as a solvent, destroying the fatty membrane of red blood cells. As a result, the blood cells stick together. Such formations can block blood flow in small capillaries. The process leads to the fact that the brain does not receive enough oxygen and nutrients, its cells die. Central nervous system dysfunctions contribute to disrupting the functioning of other organs. A large amount of alcohol causes chronic irreversible pathologies.
What happens if you drink
The consequences of alcohol consumption are associated with the toxic effects of ethyl alcohol on the bodies of both men and women. The severity of side effects of drinks is related to their strength, quantity and frequency of consumption. Drinking small amounts of alcohol at important events may not be harmful. Excessive use threatens the development of alcoholic encephalopathy, the formation of addiction, disruption of the functioning of internal organs, social degradation and other negative consequences.
Moderate use
According to some experts, moderate alcohol consumption in the quantities allowed by the WHO does not cause much damage to the body, is not addictive and does not lead to a state of intoxication. Alcohol in small doses can be beneficial for disease prevention because it forces the defense systems to work. It should be remembered that this method of disease prevention is very dangerous, especially for people with a genetic predisposition to alcoholism.
Daily use
Representatives of the World Health Organization warn that the daily use of ethanol is strictly prohibited. By drinking daily, a person runs the risk of gradually becoming addictive. There is a risk of loss of control, the desire to systematically increase the dose - this is a direct route to alcoholism, the acquisition of mental and physical disorders. It is recommended that you take breaks for several days to flush toxins out of the body.
Abuse
The body perceives increased doses of hard alcohol as poison, so you harm yourself even if you rarely drink. A large amount of alcohol negatively affects the brain, liver, cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract. Constant alcohol abuse can lead to persistent addiction, which leads to irreversible consequences.
Alcohol addiction
Once inside the body, high concentrations of alcohol can cause persistent addiction. This is due to the toxic properties of ethanol. Alcoholism is a disease characterized by constant and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, a pathological attraction to the state of intoxication and a change in tolerance to alcohol. Experts identify the following signs of the disease:
- The presence of alcohol withdrawal syndrome - when the patient refuses to drink alcohol, the patient experiences negative physical and psychological changes.
- The urge to drink arises in any situation of emotional importance.
- Behavior changes are noted: memory lapses, aggressiveness, lack of desire to communicate with loved ones, etc.
- In the absence of a system, alcohol consumption can last more than a day (binges).
- Increased tolerance to ethyl alcohol, increased alcohol rejection threshold.
- Constant hangover, urge to drink to relieve symptoms.
- The presence of certain external manifestations (bruising, thickening of the veins, rapid aging of the skin).
When a person is considered an alcoholic
Experts recommend separating domestic drunkenness from alcoholism. In the first case, a person can afford to drink systematically, however, stopping the consumption of alcoholic beverages does not lead to serious consequences, the aggression occurs at will. This condition is not classified as a disease. An alcoholic is a person suffering from alcoholism. He is not able to control his urge to drink, the amount of alcohol consumed and is prone to binge drinking.
Causes of occurrence
Anyone can become addicted to alcohol if they stop controlling themselves, as there are cultural characteristics that lead people to drink intoxicating drinks during times of joy, sadness, and vacations. There are 2 groups of citizens who are particularly prone to ethanol addiction. Experts identify the following causes of alcoholism:
- Hereditary predisposition. People who have alcoholics among their ancestors can obtain the genetic material responsible for the high risk of alcohol dependence.
- Psychological factors. Emotional experiences (job loss, unhappy love, death of loved ones) can lead to alcohol addiction. A person tries to drink alcohol to relax, to avoid moral trauma. As a result, it acquires a constant need for ethanol.
How alcoholism develops
A dangerous factor in the development of alcoholism is that the persistent addiction can occur unnoticed by the patient. A person begins to drink alcohol in business on vacation or to drink it occasionally to calm the nerves. Ethanol may not cause negative reactions at this point. The feeling of relaxation and pleasure leads to the fact that alcohol consumption becomes more frequent. As a result, a person becomes dependent, he begins to exhibit symptoms of alcoholism. Gradually, the decadence of the personality occurs, the physical need for alcohol sets in.
Stages of alcoholism
Experts distinguish 3 degrees of alcoholism. Each stage is characterized by the following factors:
- First degree - at this stage of the development of the disease, the patient often has a desire to drink alcohol. If it is not satisfied, it disappears after a while. When the patient drinks, there is a great loss of control over the amount of alcohol consumed. The person becomes aggressive, irritable, episodes of memory loss occur. Each intoxication has a reason or another that the patient invokes to justify. The alcoholic stops evaluating it as a negative phenomenon.
- The second stage is characterized by an increase in tolerance to alcoholic beverages. At this stage, a physical dependence is formed: withdrawal symptoms, headaches, thirst, irritability, hand and body tremors, sleep disturbances. With an abrupt cessation of the binge, complications can arise.
- The third stage - the craving for alcohol increases. Mental disorders occur, leading to amnesia. Physical, social and personal degradation is increasing. Excessive alcohol consumption causes severe exhaustion of the body. If it is stopped without medical intervention, a metal-alcoholic psychosis can occur.
Life expectancy of an alcoholic
It is impossible to unambiguously answer the question of how long alcoholics live, because the body of each person individually reacts to ethyl alcohol. An important factor is the quality of drinks and the quantity of their consumption. Drinking a glass of fine wine with dinner can lead to a long and happy life. According to many scientists, some people could even benefit from it.
The use of cheap drinks, a substitute can cause not only damage to internal organs, but also acute poisoning. According to statistics, the average life expectancy of an alcoholic is 48 to 55 years. At the same time, the period may be shorter for women, heavy drinkers, and people who started drinking alcoholic beverages as a teenager. Patients with stage 3 addiction have the highest risk of death. They die of severe organic pathologies, living 6-7 years after such a diagnosis.
The consequences of alcohol consumption
Excessive alcohol consumption at any age increases the risk of diseases of the body systems, disrupts the activity of the human brain. The consequences of such processes are irreversible changes in the psyche, a decrease in social activity, physical damage to the patient. With regular use, a person experiences constant intoxication, which causes the deposition of harmful substances inside the body.
Social implications
Alcohol dependence directly affects not only the patient himself, but also his family, social circle and career. The patient faces economic hardship, because a lot of money is spent on buying alcohol. In addition, due to addiction, problems may arise at work, as the alcoholic is not able to perform his duties properly, skips working days due to a hangover.
The constant drunkenness also has a devastating effect on the patient's family. This happens because the conflicts become more frequent, the patient becomes aggressive. The life of an alcoholic and others is threatened by drunk driving. Driving after drinking alcoholic beverages greatly increases the likelihood of an accident. People who are intoxicated are at greater risk of committing a crime.
Health consequences
Alcohol addiction has a big impact on the physical and mental health of the patient. Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages can lead to the following consequences of alcoholism:
- The toxic effect of ethanol on neurons (nerve cells) and brain structures begins even when small doses of the substance enter the body. Experts note a violation of the activity of control centers, failures of the regulatory mechanisms of the cortex. Such processes contribute to a rapid change of mood, a partial loss of control over actions, irritability, aggressiveness and the occurrence of mental disorders.
- Pathological processes in neurons negatively affect the functioning of sense organs, the patient's intellectual abilities and memory. With systematic alcohol consumption, chronic encephalopathy is observed and cerebral infarction is possible. Prolonged exposure to alcohol causes Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease.
- The cerebral vessels become brittle, aneurysms can form with subsequent ruptures. The risk of blood clots, disturbances in the blood supply, atrophic phenomena of the auditory and optic nerves, ischemic strokes of the spinal cord and brain increases. Gradually, chronic alcoholism leads to irreversible mental illness, a complete degradation of the personality.
- The consequences of alcohol consumption on the part of the cardiovascular system are: cardiomyopathy with the development of heart failure, hypertension with a tendency to rupture of arteries, veins, aneurysms, ischemia, myocardial infarction, blockage and arrhythmias.
- The negative impact of frequent alcohol consumption on the human reproductive system is impaired viability and maturation of germ cells, the formation of infertility, and a high risk of congenital fetal abnormalities. For men, the danger is a decrease in erection, leading to the gradual development of impotence. In addition, with prolonged use, persistent hormonal disorders occur.
- Frequent consequences of alcoholism are ulcerative and inflammatory necrotic processes of the stomach (gastritis, peptic ulcer), pancreatic damage, accompanied by chronic pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus. Gradually, doctors notice the exhaustion of the whole body, associated with metabolic disorders and a decrease in appetite. The appearance of oncological diseases of the stomach and intestines is possible.
- Liver disease is considered by experts to be the most dangerous consequences of systematic drunkenness. The cells of the organ cannot cope with chronic poisoning, so alcoholics often suffer from fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatitis.
How often can you drink alcohol?
The World Health Organization, setting a certain dose of alcohol per day, warns that drinking every day is a risk for the normal functioning of the body. To avoid the appearance of pathological conditions, it is recommended to take breaks. Experts advise not to consume alcoholic beverages more than once in 3 days, and you should do so with a minimum dose.
Safe alcohol dose per day
The standard dose of alcoholic beverages, established by the WHO, is equal to the content of 10 g of pure ethanol. This portion is called a drink or unit. Its equivalent is 330 ml of beer, 150 ml of dry wine, 45 ml of strong alcohol. The world organization has established the following safe doses of alcoholic beverages per day:
- For men - 4 drinks, which is equivalent to 100 g of vodka, 3 glasses of dry wine, 1-2 cans of beer.
- For women, a safe dose is 3 units, that is, 1-2 glasses of dry wine, 80 g of vodka, 1 bottle of beer.