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Alcohol: the poison that wrecks your body, sip by sip

Author: DavidPeters
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Alcoholism, or alcohol addiction as it is better known, is one of the most widespread diseases that afflict the modern world. With the ever increasing pace of life and the myriad tensions that come along with it, more and more people are turning to the bottle as a respite from the mounting stress of their workplace and social life. However, not many know that alcohol is, in itself, a major cause of all their woes. The reason for this is that alcohol, by nature, is a depressant which means, the more you drink, the more your mind succumbs to the plunging depths of despair, which in turn leads you to drink even more to cope with this depression. And as a result of this vicious cycle, the body of the alcoholic suffers, unable to keep up with the mounting levels of the intoxicant that are poured into it.

When you drink alcohol, it passes into your esophagus and then into your stomach, from where it is absorbed into the blood. All this blood then passes into your liver, which is responsible for breaking down this alcohol into other chemicals, which are then further converted into water and carbon dioxide which can be excreted. This process is far from simple and cannot be carried out by your liver instantaneously. So, when you drink more alcohol than your liver can put up with, the level of alcohol in your bloodstream rises.

Alcohol directly attacks your liver by causing large amounts of fat to be deposited in it. Although this condition is not very severe and can be reversed if you stop drinking heavily, it can also lead to alcohol hepatitis where your liver is inflamed. In its mild stages, hepatitis is usually not noticed as it does not have any distinct symptoms of its own. However, when this inflammation becomes chronic, it leads to over production of bilirubin in the liver, which causes jaundice and finally liver failure. Further, alcohol also leads to the production of scar tissue in the liver or fibrosis. This scar tissue damages the cells in your liver and prevents new ones from growing, which can also result in liver failure. Liver Cirrhosis is even more difficult to detect as the symptoms manifest themselves very gradually and often when the condition is at its most severe.

One of the most frequent origins of heart disease is excessive consumption of alcohol. Alcohol causes severe and long term damage to your heart, invariably leads to high blood pressure and can also lead to stroke. Victims of alcohol abuse are also known to develop Alcohol Cardiomyopathy, when their excesses with alcohol result in abnormal enlargement and diminishment of their cardio-vascular health.

Alcohol also assaults the nervous system, which includes the brain, the spinal chord and the peripheral nervous system, resulting in impaired cognitive abilities, a condition referred to as 'Alcohol Dementia'. The victim also suffers from frequent memory lapses, which he tries to cover up by concocting lucid stories, finds basic problem solving and activities which involve learning, extremely challenging and can even succumb to paranoia. This complication, known as Korsakoff Psychosis is very difficult to treat as the victim is actually dwelling in a delusional world.

Prolonged abuse of alcohol also affects the pancreas, causing a severe inflammation which is called Pancreatitis, a condition which may also lead to him contracting Diabetes. Also, the high calorific content of most alcoholic drinks makes the victim susceptible to obesity and high blood pressure. A victim of alcoholism may also be undernourished as alcohol wears out the inner lining of the stomach and thus interferes in the absorption of many essential nutrients, while also impairing the individual's appetite. Alcohol is also directly responsible for the growth of cancerous tissue in the mouth, liver, colon and gullet while also causing erectile dysfunction in males and putting female alcoholics at an acute risk of developing complications during pregnancy.

Many casual and social drinkers often find solace in the fact that their body is capable of absorbing moderate amounts of alcohol and even benefiting from the heart-disease thwarting characteristics that have been accorded to alcohol. But they risk walking on a very fine line here, as increasing your consumption to just one extra drink above the recommended average of three times a day, makes you vulnerable to a host of diseases -which far outweigh the benefits of alcohol. There are several other, more time tested methods that can be used to curb heart disease like a controlled diet and regular routine of exercise. The most dangerous of all the characteristics which are typical to alcoholism is that the victim is unable to discern his own addiction. Which is why, unless the more drastic complications come to the fore, the victim may be in the stage of denial unless only desperate measures can have to be implemented to rid the body of the innumerable afflictions that alcohol imposes. So, the next time you are tempted to reach for that bottle for one night of excess, think about how much damage this seemingly innocuous drink can cause your body and if that tempting drink is indeed worth risking your health and happiness for

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Drinking Causes problems. Having the correct information and the correct sources can truly make a difference. Start looking up Myths about Alcohol for Teens.