Answer this. How much alcohol do you drink per day? Even a single binge-drinking episode can negatively affect your physical and mental health.
No wonder many people worldwide, both men and women, drink alcohol to relax and socialize. People consume alcohol in various forms, such as whiskey, vodka, beer, wine, tequila, etc. According to a survey, 85.6% of people drank alcohol at some point in 2019.
Drinking alcohol isn’t bad only if you consume it moderately. However, heavy drinking can have some severe effects on your health. It is relevant to note that how your mind and body respond to alcohol consumption depends on the amount you drink, gender, age, and genetic factors.
While it is true that people who drink alcohol heavily or binge-drink may see health issues sooner yet, people who drink in moderation are not entirely safe from health risks either.
So are you dependent on alcohol? Many people start drinking initially to get high or escape real-life issues. However, as the drinking continues, the body becomes addicted to alcohol consumption, and it can’t seem to function normally without it. If such is the case with you, don’t feel upset. The good thing about alcohol addiction is it is treatable.
Do you wish to quit drinking and step on the road to recovery? Consider seeking help from delphi health group, which can offer you a unique treatment plan that is best suitable to your needs. In addition, the facility has experienced professionals that determine the root of your addiction and help you on the road to sobriety.
Are you wondering what impacts alcohol consumption has on your physical health? Then without further ado, let’s read the below article:
- Nervous System
Unfortunately, drinking too much alcohol can cause damage to your brain in a variety of ways. Simply put, too much alcohol consumption can affect your brain’s looks or work. The brain cells start to change, and the chemical imbalance makes maintaining your body temperature and controlling your body movement challenging.
Furthermore, alcohol can affect your concentration, memory, and mood. Thus, alcohol can increase the possibility of you having a stroke or developing dementia.
- Immune System
If an individual drinks too much alcohol, it can weaken the natural immune system. As a result, the person becomes more vulnerable to infectious diseases.
Alcohol interferes with your body’s white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. In case of excessive consumption, your body can’t make sufficient white blood cells that act as a shield against germs and viruses. Therefore, your chances of contracting illnesses such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, HIV infection, etc., would be higher.
- Liver
The alcohol metabolism process usually occurs in the liver. Due to this metabolism, the liver needs to handle plenty of toxins, thus putting it at more risk of damage. Alcoholic liver diseases may range from fatty liver to cirrhosis and acute alcoholic hepatitis.
Drinking heavily can change the liver metabolism, which accumulates excess fat in the organ. Be mindful that fatty liver is reversible. However, if the inflammation in the liver remains for an extended period, it may give rise to alcoholic hepatitis. Lastly, if a liver completely gets damaged, causing scars can lead to cirrhosis.
- Heart
Are you protecting your heart by drinking alcohol? That isn’t advisable. Your heart is a remarkable organ of your body responsible for various essential body functions.
So even one night of binge drinking with your friends can disturb your heart’s electrical signals, which are in charge of keeping your heartbeat steady. Imagine you doing it for a long time; surely, it would lead to a permanent change and cause arrhythmia. Moreover, chronic alcohol consumption can cause many cardiovascular complications such as high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes, etc.
- Reproductive System
Alcohol can affect different organs, and your reproductive system is no different. For example, regular heavy drinking can alter men’s testosterone levels. When the level drops in this primary male sex hormone, it can cause infertility, lower sperm count, and erectile dysfunction. Even when women have small testosterone in their ovaries, it can lower their sex drive. In addition, alcohol consumption can also affect women’s periods.
In addition, heavy drinking increases the chances of unsafe sex that you may regret later and cause sexually transmitted infections.
- Stomach
Drinking alcohol interferes with your digestive system’s functions in numerous ways. For example, you might get surprised to learn that heavy alcohol consumption affects your pee. It is because alcohol tells your brain to hold off the hormone that helps the kidney from making too much urine. As a result, you might need to pee repeatedly, leading to dehydration.
Moreover, binge drinking can cause digestive problems such as diarrhea, ulcers, gastritis, abdominal pain, etc.
- Lungs
Chronic alcohol use can have a toxic effect on your lungs. For instance, drinking alcohol regularly can cause inflammation in your lungs. As a result, you might become susceptible to many lung injuries or diseases. Moreover, alcohol consumption can lower the nitric oxide level in your body. Nitric oxide is responsible for protecting the lungs against harmful bacteria.
Common lung complications due to excessive alcohol intake include pneumonia, worsened asthma, ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome), and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
- Cancer
Excessive alcohol consumption can increase the risk of developing different cancers. According to a study, there is a strong connection between alcohol consumption and cancer. Nearly 750,000 cases of cancer are there globally, out of which 4% are attributed to alcohol consumption in 2020.
Are you wondering how alcohol leads to cancer? To put it straightforwardly, the ethanol in alcohol breaks down into acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is a toxic carcinogen that causes irreversible DNA damage. Thus, drinking alcohol can increase the risk of mouth, throat, liver, breast, esophagus, colon, and stomach cancers.
- Accidents and injuries
Excessive alcohol consumption on any occasion increases the risk of dangerous behaviors, which further might result in impairment and intoxication. For instance, a drunk person is more susceptible to severe and minor accidents, poisoning, drowning, and falls than a person in a sober state.
That’s because alcohol mainly acts as a depressant, which decelerates brain functions and adversely impacts its responsiveness. Also, alcohol-related injuries and accidents can have devastating effects on life, leading a person to hospitalization or, in some cases, even death.
CONCLUSION
Let’s face it, whether you binge-drink five drinks on your Saturday night out or consume one drink per day the entire weekend, no pattern of consuming alcohol is entirely risk-free. Yet, drinking small or in moderation would cause minor health problems. But, on the other hand, if you are a heavy drinker, your physical health might be at stake.
Ideally, experts believe drinking one glass a day for women is enough, whereas men can drink up to two glasses. However, drinking too much over a long period can lead to short and long-term harmful physical effects. Consequently, your job and relationships can also get compromised.
Read also : 9 WAYS ALCOHOL IMPACTS PHYSICAL HEALTH