Alcoholic beverages are the most common products on almost any grocery store shelf. Certain doses of alcohol can cause serious changes and disorders in the body. Being aware of the dangers of alcohol can help to completely reject alcohol or limit alcohol intake to acceptable levels.
What harm does alcohol do to the human body?
The abuser does not consider the consequences of intoxication, which are:
- mental deterioration;
- Deterioration of physical and mental health;
- social problem;
- bad genetics;
- financial problem;
- Immoral behavior.
According to statistics, men are more likely to drink alcohol. This happens for many reasons, for example, because of poor company or the illusion that alcohol can relieve stress. But it also extends to women, and worst of all, teens.
Harmful substances in alcohol
Know which harmful substances contain the most common types of alcohol and you can understand how it affects our quality of life.
Popular intoxicating liquids contain substances harmful to health and life:
- Ethanol. Regular and excessive use can lead to addiction. Small amounts are not harmful to the body, but an overdose can cause sudden loss of consciousness and even death.
- phytoestrogens. Female hormones (contained in beer) can disrupt both male and female reproductive systems.
- fusel oil. In large quantities they are poisonous. With continued ingestion, they can increase the risk of stomach ulcers, leading to blindness, impotence, and liver disease.
- cobaltIn small amounts, it is a useful trace element, but if it accumulates in the body it can be dangerous to the normal functioning of the heart and gastrointestinal tract.
- N-nitrosodimethylamine. Highly toxic substances, especially destructive to the liver.
- biogenic amines. Toxic compounds. It can be useful in small amounts, but if abused, it can cause convulsions, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- Sodium Benzoate (E-211). Once in the stomach, it causes dramatic oxidation of the epithelial cells. This can lead to gastritis, stomach ulcers, and pancreatitis. Contributes to the exacerbation of chronic allergic diseases: asthma, urticaria, psoriasis.
- Phosphoric Acid (E-338). Destructively affects bone tissue and tooth enamel. It can cause gastrointestinal disorders, leading to weight loss. High concentrations of the substance can cause burns to the respiratory tract.
Adverse effects on teenage bodies
Alcohol adversely affects adolescent growth and development:
- Intellectual and emotional decline.
- Vitamins and useful trace elements that enter the body are poorly absorbed, which can negatively affect the condition of teeth, nails, hair and skin.
- Risk of heart, blood vessel, gastrointestinal problems, usually increased in people of more mature age (eg, pancreatitis, diabetes).
- Growth of bone and muscle tissue stops.
- Liver, kidney, and reproductive system damage.
female alcoholism
Differences in the development of addiction between men and women:
- In women, addiction occurs faster, and treatments for the disorder are ineffective. This is due to the characteristics of the female body: it contains fewer enzymes to help break down alcohol-containing products. As a result, toxins cannot be excreted from the body for a long time, and can quickly adversely affect the organs.
- Women prefer low-alcohol beverages (wine, champagne, cocktails). Because of this, controlling levels of intoxication becomes more difficult, and the transition to strong beverages often occurs already in the final stages of alcoholism.
- Embarrassed by addiction, women are more likely to drink alone and seek help when it is difficult to hide changes. The recovery process is more difficult and longer than for men.
Pregnancy, carrying and having a baby can be a difficult or even impossible task due to the effects of alcohol on eggs.
Conception while poisoning affects the genetic information of the egg. After giving birth to such a fetus, there is a fundamental threat of an heir born with cerebral palsy syndrome (infantile cerebral palsy) or other diseases of internal and external organs. It is also possible that the placenta may fall off during pregnancy and the fetus may die.
social hazard
Wife/husband, children, relatives, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and bystanders can be victims of inappropriate behavior by drunken people:
- Work. Employers do not want to accept or immediately fire a drinker for unexcused missed shifts or poor performance.
- drive. Half of all accidents are due to drunk drivers.
- illegal act. Most crimes are committed by people who are intoxicated or fairly intoxicated because they are more vulnerable to attack and even murder.
- Immoral behavior. First sexual experiences, unwanted pregnancies and rape cases most often occur when one or both partners are intoxicated.
- unhealthy family atmosphere. Children who grow up in an unfavorable environment are likely to inherit the negative example of their parents.
- divorce. All innocent family members suffer. Mothers or fathers raise their children alone and are affected by the upbringing of incomplete families.
How does alcohol affect health?
This table shows popular alcoholic beverages, their ingredients, and the organs they affect.
| drink | work | Organ damage and possible consequences |
|---|---|---|
| beer | Carbohydrates, ethanol, nitrogenous substances |
|
| vodka | Purified water, ethanol. The composition may include chemical additives and fragrances |
|
| cognac | Alcohols, organic acids, ethyl esters, tannins and tannins |
|
| low alcohol cocktails | Ethanol, synthetic additives and chemical additives |
|
Liver and Digestive System
Disruption of the liver is associated with disruption of protein metabolism and is usually not accompanied by changes in subjective sensory and laboratory parameters during the first phase.
There are five stages of liver destruction:
- Adaptive hepatomegaly (enlarged liver);
- Alcoholic steatosis;
- alcoholic hepatitis;
- Alcoholic fibrosis of the liver;
- cirrhosis of the liver.
Common symptoms of these diseases:
- persistent weakness;
- yellow skin and eyeballs;
- the temperature is higher than normal;
- Right rib pain.
In fact, alcohol that gets into the gut can cause chemical burns to its mucous membranes. Frequent poisoning can lead to problems with bowel movements (loose or constipated stools, fecal stones), which can usually only be resolved with surgery.
More possibilities:
- Angioedema;
- diarrhea;
- measles;
- gastritis;
- Ulcerative dyspepsia;
- pancreatitis;
- necrosis of pancreatic tissue;
- Bowel cancer.
heart and blood vessels
After drinking alcohol, ethanol enters the bloodstream and stays in the blood vessels for about 7 hours, causing the blood vessels to dilate and disrupt the normal rhythm of the heart. Regular drinking, even in small amounts, inevitably leads to blockage of blood vessels in the brain, which rupture as blood pressure rises. At best one survives and remains disabled, at worst a fatal outcome.
Alcohol in minimal but constant doses is dangerous and can trigger distressing conditions such as:
- hypoxia;
- Thickening, constriction, rupture of blood vessels;
- atrial fibrillation;
- premature beats;
- cardiac disease;
- arterial hypertension;
- hypertension;
- heart attack;
- Atherosclerosis.
Pulse rose from 95 to 100 beats per minute. Fat accumulates in the heart muscle separately, it increases and becomes loose.
brain and nervous system
Ethanol entering the bloodstream can have devastating effects on the red blood cells responsible for transporting air to the brain. Oxygen stops entering the brain cells, and as a result, they die one by one.
This results in poor performance:
- vestibular instruments;
- "moral" center (shame disappears, swagger appears);
- memory;
- attention.
The excitation and inhibition processes of the nervous system are disturbed, leading to the following signs of antisocial and distressing behavior:
- manifestations of aggression;
- unable to control oneself;
- The expression of ideas is illogical;
- Suicidal tendencies;
- Violation of kinematics;
- the occurrence of epileptic seizures;
- The appearance of hallucinations.
respiratory system
A rough, raspy sound with a special tone is aptly named "drunk" bass. People who enjoy abuse are most at risk of developing TB.
Addiction can damage the following areas of the respiratory system:
- pharynx;
- the entire nasopharynx;
- throat.
People who drink regularly can develop chronic respiratory diseases, such as:
- laryngitis;
- Tracheobronchitis;
- Atrophic pharyngitis.
Shortness of breath occurs during both moderate physical exertion and rest. Drinkers also emit unpleasant odors, which are responsible for the breakdown of ethanol, which is excreted through the lungs.
sexual dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction and even impotence are consequences of alcoholism. Regular consumption of strong beverages can adversely affect fertility. Erection problems can lead to long-term depression.
The myth is the assertion that small doses of alcohol have a positive effect on male strength. Accumulated ethanol disrupts the normal function of nerve endings, so intimacy does not bring the expected pleasure.
Alcohol abuse has a negative impact on women's quality of sex life. It is this disease that is one of the main causes of frigidity, and it manifests most severely. This leads to emotional problems on both sides and often leads to family breakdown.
immunity
The benefits of high-quality (preferably red) wine from natural juices, in limited quantities, do happen: it removes toxins and boosts the immune system. But large amounts, even of the most expensive alcoholic beverages, can have adverse health effects.
The problem is, at this point the following defenders of the immune system are suppressed:
- lymphocytes;
- Macrophages;
- granulocyte.
Consequences of immunodeficiency:
- The wound does not heal for a long time;
- the bones are not formed properly;
- Greater likelihood of HIV transmission;
- Burned and injured skin does not recover well.
Appearance change
The reason for the purple color of the skin is ethanol, which works by increasing the pulse rate and blood pressure. Over time, the blood vessels cannot withstand the constant pressure and blue and red bruises develop.
The reason for puffiness is that when the toxins in vodka, beer, and other intoxicating beverages enter the body, the body is doing everything it can to restore the water balance. The female body will do it more actively. Alcoholics suffer from constant thirst, however, water is absorbed very slowly. He drank water and the water accumulated, causing swelling in his hands, feet and face.
In addition to the unattractive appearance, there may be "obvious" complications (scratch, bruises, abrasions, broken bones) following a fight, and chronic alcohol drinkers are often involved in these complications.
During the development of chronic alcoholism, the anesthesiologist observes the patient for external symptoms such as:
- physical fatigue;
- puffy face;
- dark red tongue;
- temperature rise;
- dry, flaky or oily skin;
- profuse sweating;
- Tachycardia, arrhythmia.
Photo storage
The effects of alcohol on various organs can be seen in the photos below.
,%20the%20appearance%20of%20which%20is%20caused%20by%20alcohol.png)
%20is%20a%20serious%20and%20fatal%20liver%20disease%20caused%20by%20alcoholism.%20.jpg)
%20and%20alcoholics%20with%20irreversible%20consequences%20(bottom).jpg)
.jpg)
Terms of Use
It is best to categorically reject regular use of alcohol-containing products. However, if a person decides to just reduce its quantity, it would be interesting for him to know that there is an acceptable rate of consumption.
Weekly standard (two days of complete rejection) Alcohol with a lower risk of harm from strong sexual activity is less than 5 liters of 4. 5 proof beer or 50 grams of vodka or cognac at lunch and dinner (every day), Or three glasses of dry wine. For women, this is 3 liters of beer per week, or 80 grams of vodka with dinner, or two glasses of wine.
It's worth considering that if you quit drinking on some days, that doesn't mean you can drink more on another day without ill consequences.
However, the consumer's calculations must be done separately, taking into account:
- weight;
- grow;
- age;
- metabolism;
- hereditary;
- First time drinking experience.
attention!This information is for informational purposes only and is not a guide to action. Do not self-medicate, consult your doctor first.