The Truth about What Alcohol Does to Your Body

Posted by Amos Fred on December 17th, 2018

You’ve heard the incessant advertisements: excessive use of alcohol is harmful to your health. But have you ever taken a moment to consider what that popular disclaimer means to your brain, liver, heart, bones, nervous system, eyesight, love life, and career?

Here is what they really mean, according to credible sources such as the Centers for Disease Treatment and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), World Health Association (WHO), as well as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

1.      That Drink May Damn You with 5 Types of Cancers

 The US National Toxicology Program identifies alcohol as a known human carcinogen, a property that leads to cancer. Alcohol has been linked to causing:

• Head and throat cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Liver cancer
• Breast cancer
• Colorectal cancer

2.      Excessive Alcohol Impairs Your Brain’s Function

The most prevalent example is the loss of balance and staggering that one-too-many drinks cause. Alcohol causes brain function impairment including blurred vision, sluggish reaction time, garbled speech, uncoordinated movement and vision, and poor judgment. These are some of the reasons driving under the influence is illegal—one of the leading causes of road accidents worldwide.

3.      Excessive Alcohol Can Kill your Liver

The calories in alcoholic drinks are stored in the liver in the form of acetaldehyde, a toxic substance that can, in turn, lead to fatty liver disease, liver hepatitis, and liver cancer. Sipping past two drinks a day for men and one for women may lead to liver cirrhosis, too. Persistent alcohol intake under the condition can lead to fatal complications such as advanced liver cancer or liver failure.

4.      That Social Drink May Not Be as Friendly to Your Heart

Is alcohol heart-friendly?

Some studies have claimed it is. But more recent ones, including by the NIAAA, indicate binge drinking may lead to high blood pressure, increased heart rate, irregular heartbeat (arrhythmias), and weakened heart muscles (cardiomyopathy) which can, in turn, lead to heart failure and stroke.

5.      Another Drink Can Ruin Your Nerves and Immune System

Alcohol can ruin your stomach’s lining causing ulcers, produce excess acid leading to gastritis, stomach bleeding, and chronic cholecystitis. Heavy drinking can hamper your immune response system for up to 24 hours after binge drinking (more than four drinks in a day).

While responsible drinking releases stress-busting hormone, endorphin, binge drinking or long-term alcohol intake can cause anxiety, nausea, spasms, weak muscle reflexes, poor memory, mood swings, hallucinations, delusions, and nightmares.

6.      There’s a Huge Connection Between Alcohol Intake and Depression

Purdue University researchers published a study in the JAMA Psychiatry journal that indicated alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and depression are birds of a feather. While some social circles hail alcohol as a stress-buster, depression is often diagnosed in persons battling with an alcohol use disorder—as many as 140 million worldwide.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) in 2014 also established out of the 21.5 million Americans dealing with a substance use disorder, 17.2 million (80%) were struggling with an alcohol use disorder, making alcohol abuse one of the most pinching forms of addiction worldwide.

That’s what else they found

These and more reasons offer all the more reasons to seek help from a supportive and professional alcohol treatment center in Pasadena. It could save your life just in time to avoid the deadly consequences of alcohol addiction.