For many people, alcohol is an integral part of any holiday or celebration. Often, when drinking another glass of wine or a glass of strong alcohol, a person does not think about the harmful effects of intoxicating liquids, in addition to pleasant feelings. Excessive alcohol consumption leads to irreversible consequences: at certain stages of alcohol dependence, severe pathologies of the nervous and other systems of the body are detected.
What is alcohol
Scientifically speaking, alcohol is directly ethyl alcohol. Ethanol is a colorless liquid with a special 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 that contain ethanol in different concentrations.
What is the harm of alcohol
Once in the human body, alcohol plays a crucial role in destroying the fatty membrane of red blood cells. As a result, blood cells stick together. Such formations can impede blood flow in small capillaries. The process leads to the brain not receiving enough oxygen and nutrients, and its cells die. Failure of the central nervous system leads to dysfunction of other organs. Large amounts of alcohol cause chronic, irreversible pathologies.
What will happen if you drink
The consequences of alcohol consumption are associated with the toxic effects of ethyl alcohol on men and women. The severity of the side effects of drinks depends on their strength, quantity and frequency of drinking. Drinking small amounts of alcohol at important events may not be harmful. Excessive use threatens the development of alcoholic encephalopathy, the formation of dependence, dysfunction of internal organs, social degradation and other negative consequences.
Moderate use
According to some experts, moderate consumption of alcohol in the amount allowed by the WHO does not cause much harm to the body, does not cause addiction and does not lead to intoxication. Alcohol in small doses can be helpful in preventing disease because it forces the immune system 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
The World Health Organization warns that the daily use of ethanol is strictly prohibited. A person who drinks every day is at risk of gradually becoming addicted. There is a risk of loss of control, the desire to systematically increase the dose - this is a direct path to alcoholism, mental and physical health disorders. It is recommended to take a few days off to remove slag from the body.
Abuse
The body perceives an increasing dose of strong alcohol as a poison, so even if you rarely drink it, you will hurt yourself. Large amounts of alcohol have a negative effect on the brain, liver, cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract. Constant alcohol abuse can lead to chronic addiction, which can lead to irreversible consequences.
Alcohol dependence
When ingested, increased alcohol concentrations can lead to persistent dependence. This is explained by the toxic properties of ethanol. Alcoholism is a disease characterized by constant, uncontrolled consumption of alcohol, pathological attraction to intoxication and changes in alcohol tolerance. Experts identify the following symptoms of the disease:
- Presence of alcohol withdrawal syndrome - when the patient refuses to drink alcohol, the patient experiences negative physical and psychological changes.
- The urge to drink appears in any situation that has emotional significance.
- Behavioral changes are revealed: memory impairment, aggression, unwillingness to communicate with loved ones, etc.
- In the absence of the system, alcohol consumption can last more than a day (binges).
- Increased tolerance to ethyl alcohol, increased alcohol withdrawal.
- Constant hangover, the desire to drink to relieve his symptoms.
- Presence of certain external manifestations (purpleness, thickening of blood vessels, rapid aging of the skin).
When a person is considered an alcoholic
Experts recommend separating domestic intoxication from alcoholism. In the first case, a person can be allowed to drink systematically, but stopping the use of alcohol does not lead to serious consequences, aggression occurs at will. This condition is not classified as a disease. An alcoholic is a person who suffers from alcoholism. He can't control his desire to drink, the amount of alcohol he consumes, and he tends to drink a lot.
Causes
Anyone who stops controlling himself can become an alcoholic, as some cultural traits motivate people to drink intoxicants during times of joy, sorrow, and celebration. There are two groups of citizens who are particularly prone to ethanol dependence. Experts identify the following causes of alcoholism:
- Hereditary predisposition. People who are alcoholic among their ancestors can get genetic material that is responsible for the high risk of alcohol dependence.
- Psychological factors. Emotional experiences (job loss, unrequited love, death of loved ones) can lead to alcohol dependence. A person tries to drink alcohol in order to relax and avoid emotional trauma. As a result, you get a constant craving for ethanol.
How alcoholism develops
A dangerous factor in the development of alcoholism is the fact that chronic addiction can occur without the patient's consent. During the holidays, a person starts drinking alcohol in companies or occasionally drinks to calm the nerves. Ethanol may not cause adverse reactions at this stage. A sense of relaxation and fun leads to more frequent alcohol consumption. As a result, the person becomes addicted, and the symptoms of alcoholism begin to appear. Gradually, the personality decays, and there is a physical urge to drink alcohol.
Stages of alcoholism
Experts distinguish 3 degrees of alcoholism. Each stage is characterized by the following factors:
- First degree - at this stage of the disease the patient often has a desire to drink alcohol. If you are not satisfied, it disappears after a while. When the patient drinks, there is a sharp loss of control over the amount of alcohol consumed. The person becomes aggressive, irritable, and episodes of memory loss occur. Each intoxication has one or another reason that the patient has to substantiate. Alcoholism ceases to be seen as a negative phenomenon.
- The second stage is characterized by increased tolerance to alcohol. At this stage, physical dependence is formed: withdrawal symptoms, headache, thirst, irritability, trembling hands and body, sleep disturbances. With abrupt cessation of binge, complications can occur.
- The third stage - the desire for alcohol increases. Mental disorders occur, causing amnesia. Physical, social and personal degradation is increasing. Hard drinks cause severe depletion of the body, and if cut without medical intervention, metal-alcohol psychosis can occur.
Expected life of alcohol
It is impossible to give an unequivocal answer to the question of how long alcoholics live, because each person's body reacts individually to ethyl alcohol. An important factor is the quality and quantity of beverages consumed. Drinking a glass of good wine with dinner can lead to a long, happy life. Many scientists believe that some people may even benefit from this.
The use of cheap drinks, surrogates can not only damage the internal organs, but also cause acute intoxication. According to statistics, the average life expectancy of an alcoholic is 48-55 years. At the same time, the period may be shorter for women, heavy drinkers and people who started drinking alcohol during adolescence. Patients with stage 3 addiction have the highest risk of death. They die from severe organ pathologies and live 6-7 years after such a diagnosis.
Consequences of alcohol
Excessive alcohol consumption at any age increases the risk of diseases of body systems, disrupts the functioning of the human brain. The consequences of such processes are irreversible changes in the psyche, reduced social activity, physical harm to the patient. With regular use, a person is exposed to constant poisoning, which causes the deposition of harmful substances inside the body.
Social effects
Alcohol dependence directly affects not only the patient himself, but also his family, social circle and career. The patient faces economic hardships because of the high cost of alcohol. In addition, addiction can cause problems at work, as alcoholics are unable to perform their functions properly and spend their working days due to hangovers.
Chronic intoxication also has a devastating effect on the patient's family. This is due to the frequent conflicts and the patient's aggression. The lives of alcoholics and others are endangered by driving while intoxicated. Driving after consuming alcohol significantly increases the likelihood of an accident. People who are drunk have a higher risk of committing crimes.
Health consequences
Alcohol dependence has a significant impact on a patient's physical and mental health. Excessive consumption of alcohol can lead to the following consequences of alcoholism:
- The toxic effects of ethanol on neurons (nerve cells) and brain structures begin even when small doses of the substance enter the body. Experts note the disruption of the control centers, failures in the regulatory mechanisms of the cortex. Such processes contribute to rapid mood swings, partial loss of control of movements, irritability, aggression and mental disorders.
- Pathological processes in neurons have a negative impact on the activity of the sensory organs, the patient's intellectual abilities and memory. With systematic use of alcohol, chronic encephalopathy is observed and cerebral infarction is possible. Prolonged exposure to alcohol causes Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease.
- Cerebral vessels become brittle, and subsequent ruptures can cause aneurysms. There is an increased risk of blood clots, impaired blood supply, atrophic events of the auditory and optic nerves, ischemic strokes of the spinal cord and brain. Gradually, chronic alcoholism leads to irreversible mental illness, complete degradation of personality.
- The consequences of alcohol consumption by the cardiovascular system are: cardiomyopathy with the development of heart failure, hypertension prone to rupture of arteries, veins, aneurysms, ischemia, myocardial infarction, blockade and arrhythmia.
- Often the negative impact of alcohol consumption on the human reproductive system is a violation of the viability and maturity of microbial cells, the formation of infertility and a high risk of congenital fetal abnormalities. The danger for men is a decrease in erections, which leads to the gradual development of impotence. Also, with long-term use, persistent hormonal disorders occur.
- Frequent consequences of alcoholism are damage to the pancreas, accompanied by necrotic ulcers and inflammatory processes in the stomach (gastritis, peptic ulcer), chronic pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus. Gradually, doctors note a depletion of the whole body associated with metabolic disorders and loss of appetite. The appearance of oncological diseases of the stomach and intestines is possible.
- Liver disease is considered by experts to be the most dangerous consequence of systemic intoxication. Organ cells are unable to cope with chronic intoxication, so alcoholics often suffer from fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatitis.
How often can you drink alcohol?
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that drinking every day is a risk to the body's normal functioning by setting a safe daily dose of alcohol. It is recommended to take breaks to prevent pathological conditions. Experts recommend consuming alcohol more than once every 3 days, and this should be done with a minimum dose.
Safe dose of alcohol per day
The standard dose of alcohol prescribed by the WHO is 10 g of pure ethanol. This part is called the drink or unit. Its equivalent is 330 ml of beer, 150 ml of dry wine, 45 ml of strong alcohol. The World Health Organization has identified the following safe doses of alcohol per day:
- For men - 100 g of vodka, 3 glasses of dry wine, 4 drinks equal to 1-2 cans of beer.
- The safe dose for women is 3 units, which is 1-2 glasses of dry wine, 80 g of vodka, 1 bottle of beer.