The Physical Effects Of Alcoholism
Alcoholism effect men and women at different levels and over different amounts of time but one thing that everyone who is an alcoholic has in common is that their bodies will be negatively affected and damaged from the regular intake of alcohol. Alcoholism affects all of the body systems including the brain. There are short-term effects that last during the drinking phase but once the person is in recovery, those effects go away. There are also long-term effects that are caused by the alcoholism and are permanent damage to the drinker.
Some of the short-term effects of alcoholism are related to being drunk. These include things such as weight loss, intoxication, drunk driving, poor decision-making, and irresponsibility and reproductive disorders. Once the alcoholic is sober, they may have to go through counseling in order to learn better responsibility and decision-making tools but without the alcohol, the person is much better. Of course being intoxicated goes away when the person stops drinking and they have a tendency to gain weight because time that was spent drinking and not eating is replaced with at least eating regular meals. Alcohol alters the brain and inhibits its functioning. Interestingly, people will feel like they are extra creative and will believe that they are “with it”. However, alcohol is a depressant and actually slows brain function. Alcohol will actually inhibit creativity and productivity regardless of how it makes the alcoholic feel. The regular use of alcohol will actually alter the reproductive cycle in women and can cause infertility as well as other reproductive related problems.
The long-term or even permanent effects of alcoholism are more dangerous and difficult if not impossible to recover from. Alcoholism causes the human brain to literally shrink over time. This causes brain cells to die and can affect memory, sight, smell, hearing, hormones, and the nervous system. Alcoholism can also cause infertility in both men and women as well as permanent birth defects in babies who are born to alcoholic mothers. Cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer can result from excessive drinking as well as cancers of the stomach and breast, too.
In addition to health, related effects from alcoholism a person can also suffer in other ways. Many alcoholics drive while they are drunk which can cause traffic accidents. Traffic accidents can include one car or multiple vehicles. These incidences can hurt and even kill many innocent people. Often times the drunk driver simply causes the accident but is not even involved in the actual altercation. Due to the relaxation effects of the alcohol, many times the alcoholic walks away from accidents unharmed.
Alcoholism carries with it a multitude of physical effects. The risks of permanent problems and even death are so great that the regular use of alcohol is strongly discouraged. There are so many ways that an alcoholic can ruin his or her life due to alcohol and they greatly out way any benefits that a person may feel drinking brings. Abstinence is recommended because many people have a difficult time determining how much alcohol is too much and can get easily addicted.
Recommended Reading
- Alcoholism And Its Effects On The Brain
- What Is Alcoholism
- Alcoholism Is It Curable Or Controllable
- The Basic Facts About Alcoholism
- A Brief Summary Regarding The Condition Known As Alcoholism
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