Alcohol and its effects on humans

Alcoholis an inhibitor, a substance that slows down all processes in the body. Small doses of alcohol give people a feeling of relaxation and confidence. In large doses, it can slow reactions and negatively affect things like eyes and coordination. Driving while impaired is extremely dangerous. People in a severe state of intoxication may feel nauseated, dizzy, and may even lose consciousness, in addition to the risk of choking on their own vomit.Blood alcohol concentration depends on many factors.

• If you eat greasy food, you won't get poisoned as quickly.
• High levels of animal and vegetable fats slow the absorption of alcohol and the digestion of the food itself.
• The fuller your stomach is, the longer it takes for alcohol to reach your circulation.
• The thicker your body fat is, the slower alcohol is digested and absorbed into your bloodstream.
• Weight: The heavier you are, the less effect alcohol will have on you.
• Your reaction to drinking 80 milligrams of alcohol may be completely different than someone else's. Generally, young people and women are more likely to drink alcohol.

The ability to drink alcohol and its effects on different people vary; however, it is believed that a safe dose (from a health perspective) is around 5 liters of medium strength beer or 10 large glasses of wine per week for men 2/3 of this dose, women take 2/3 of that dose, provided, of course, that the dose will be lost evenly over the week and not 1-2 times. If possible, try not to drink on an empty stomach.

Alcoholism – what is it?

alcoholism– Chronic, regular, compulsive and heavy drinking. It is the most serious form of drug addiction in modern times, affecting between 1% and 5% of the population in most countries. Alcoholics compulsively drink alcohol due to psychological or physical dependence on alcohol.Anyone can become an alcoholic. However, research shows that children of alcoholics are 4-6 times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than children of non-alcoholics.The research on adolescent drinking in my country largely draws on the experience of similar foreign research. This research was widely carried out in Western Europe and North America at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, and had multiple directions:

• The prevalence and patterns of alcohol use among students were studied.
• The effects of alcohol on the bodies of children and adolescents were studied.
• The relationship between academic performance and alcohol consumption was determined.
• An anti-alcohol education program was developed and tested.

Research from this period occupies an important place, and these works demonstrate the prevalence and nature of drinking practices, when alcoholic beverages were offered to children for the purpose of:

• "Promote health"
• "appetite"
• "Growth improved"
• "Relieving Teething Problems"
• "warm up"
• "to satisfy hunger"
• "calm"

six stages of alcoholism

Accidental drunkenness may lead to alcoholism: either because the drinker begins to turn to alcohol to relieve stress, or because the alcohol is so strong that the initial stages of addiction go unnoticed.Early alcoholism is characterized by memory loss. Most researchers consider alcoholism among younger generations to be an important indicator of a dysfunctional microsocial environment. This has determined continued interest in studying the prevalence and nature of early alcoholism.Boys drank major types of alcoholic beverages more often than girls, and this difference became significant as their strength increased. Urban schoolchildren usually mainly drink light alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine, while students in rural schools are more familiar with the taste of strong alcoholic beverages. In the 1920s and 1920s we can find fairly widespread use of moonshine among schoolchildren: 1. 0-32. 0% among boys and 0. 9-12% among girls. The frequency of vodka consumption increases with age.Nearly all social health and clinical social research on adolescent alcoholism has used different forms of survey methods—from correspondence questionnaires to telephone interviews and clinical interviews.basic alcoholism– Drinkers cannot stop until they reach the intoxication stage. He encouraged himself with self-justification and grandiose promises, but all his promises and intentions failed to materialize. He began avoiding family and friends, neglecting food, past interests, work, and money. Deterioration of physical health. Decreased resistance to alcohol.Chronic alcoholism is characterized by further moral decline, irrational thinking, vague fears, fantasies, and psychopathic behavior. Physical damage is increasing. The drinker no longer has an alibi, and he can no longer take steps to escape the situation. It takes a person 5-25 years to reach this stage.Treatment usually occurs through special programs for alcoholics. Psychologically, the alcoholic's desire to seek help is rekindled and he begins to think more rationally. Ideally, he will also develop hope, moral responsibility, external interests, self-esteem, and satisfaction in being sober.If an alcoholic refuses treatment or breaks down again after treatment, he or she will enter the final stages of alcoholism. Irreversible mental and physical damage often ends in death.If you simply write all of this down, you'll get the following result:

• family drunkenness
• early alcoholism
• basic alcoholism
• chronic alcoholism
• cure
• The final stages of alcoholism

What determines a person's level of drunkenness?The effects of alcohol on behavior depend on the amount of alcohol that reaches the brain through the blood. In addition to the amount of alcohol consumed, "blood alcohol content" depends on several other factors.The size of the liver determines how quickly alcohol is oxidized and eliminated.A person's own weight determines the amount of blood in the body, because the amount of blood is directly proportional to it. The older a person is, the more the blood is diluted by the alcohol consumed, and the more alcohol is needed to achieve the same effect.The speed and manner in which you drink alcohol also matter. The slower a person drinks a given amount of alcohol, the less effective it is.Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach has stronger and faster effects than drinking alcohol with or after a meal. Food acts as a buffer during the absorption process.

The process of poisoning.

When you drink alcohol, the transmission of impulses in your nervous system slows down. The highest levels of the brain are affected first - inhibitions, excitement and anxiety disappear, replaced by feelings of contentment and euphoria. Because the lower layers of the brain are affected, coordination, vision, and speech abilities all deteriorate. The small blood vessels in the skin dilate. The heat is emitted and the person becomes hotter. This means that blood has been diverted away from the body's internal organs and the blood vessels have become narrowed due to alcohol's effects on the nervous system. Therefore, the temperature of the internal organs also decreases at the same time. A possible increase in sexual desire is associated with the suppression of ordinary prohibitions. As blood alcohol levels rise, the body's sexual performance becomes increasingly impaired. Eventually, the toxic effects of alcohol can lead to nausea and possibly vomiting.

the Hangover

Hangovers suck. . . now in more detail:the HangoverIt is the physical discomfort caused by excessive drinking. Symptoms may include headache, upset stomach, thirst, dizziness and irritability. A hangover is the result of three processes. First of all, excessive alcohol will irritate the gastric mucosa and impair gastric function. Secondly, if you drink more than your liver can handle, cell dehydration can occur, causing alcohol to remain in the blood for a long time. Third, alcohol concentration has a "shock" effect on the nervous system, which requires time to recover.The best way to avoid a hangover is not to drink too much (or better yet, not drink at all). But if you mix alcohol with snacks (Havka), the possibility of a hangover is reduced: the intake and absorption of alcohol are prolonged, while food acts as a barrier. Drinking non-alcoholic beverages at the same time or afterward will dilute the alcohol. Adverse effects are also usually reduced if you drink alcohol in a relaxed environment and minimize smoking.

Effects of alcohol on the body

Blood.Alcohol inhibits the production of platelets as well as white and red blood cells. Results: anemia, infection, bleedingbrain. Alcohol slows blood circulation in the blood vessels of the brain, causing cells to be continuously starved of oxygen, which can lead to memory loss and mental deterioration (or just sluggishness). Early sclerotic changes occur in blood vessels, increasing the risk of cerebral hemorrhage. Alcohol damages the connections between nerve cells in the brain, causing them to develop a need for alcohol and alcohol dependence. The destruction of brain cells and degeneration of the nervous system sometimes leads to pneumonia, heart and kidney failure, or organic psychosis. Delirium tremens is a condition associated with extreme restlessness, confusion, restlessness, fever, tremors, rapid and irregular pulse, and hallucinations that usually occurs when heavy drinking occurs after a few days of abstinence.Heart.Alcohol abuse can lead to elevated blood cholesterol levels, persistent hypertension, and cardiac dystrophy. Cardiovascular failure places patients on the verge of the grave. Alcoholic myopathy: Muscle degeneration caused by alcohol intoxication. The causes are damage to the nervous system from lack of use of muscles, poor diet and alcohol. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy affects the heart muscle.intestines.The continued effects of alcohol on the walls of the small intestine cause changes in the structure of the cells, which lose their ability to fully absorb nutrients and mineral components, ultimately leading to the body's breakdown in the alcoholic.Diseases related to malnutrition and vitamin deficienciesDiseases such as scurvy, pellagra, and beriberi are all caused by gluttony in drinking and neglect of diet. Persistent inflammation of the stomach and intestines increases the risk of ulcers.liver.Considering that 95% of all alcohol that enters the body is neutralized in the liver, it is obvious that this organ is most affected by alcohol: an inflammatory process occurs (hepatitis), and then scarring (cirrhosis) occurs. The liver stops performing its functions of disinfecting toxic metabolites, producing blood proteins, and other vital functions, leading to the patient's inevitable death. Cirrhosis is an insidious disease: It creeps up on a person slowly, then strikes, causing immediate death. Ten percent of chronic alcoholics have cirrhosis, and 75% of people with cirrhosis are or have been alcoholics. There are few symptoms until cirrhosis is fully developed, and then the alcoholic begins to complain of a general deterioration in health, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and digestive problems. The cause of this disease is the toxic effects of alcohol. pancreas.Alcoholics are 10 times more likely to develop diabetes than non-drinkers: Alcohol damages the pancreas (the organ that produces insulin) and severely disrupts metabolism.leather.An alcoholic almost always looks older than his actual age: his skin quickly loses elasticity and ages prematurely.Stomach. Alcohol inhibits the production of mucin, which has a protective effect on the gastric mucosa, leading to the development of peptic ulcers.A classic sign of alcoholism is repeated vomiting. Adolescents can experience significant symptoms of intoxication, especially in the nervous system, after consuming even a single small dose of an alcoholic beverage. The most severe poisonings occur in people with complex medical histories, organic cerebral insufficiency, or concomitant somatic pathology.Describing the nature of alcohol's psychological effects on adolescents is less clear. Generally speaking, the clinical manifestations of severe intoxication in adolescents are as follows in most cases: a brief excitement is later replaced by general depression, stupor, lethargy, lethargy, slow speech, incoherence, and loss of direction.53% of teens felt disgusted the first time they drank alcohol. However, as time goes by and the "experience" of drinking increases, the objective situation changes dramatically. More than 90% of the teenagers surveyed have two or more years of drinking "experience". They believe that being drunk will be accompanied by a surge of energy, a sense of satisfaction, a sense of comfort, and a heightened mood, which are these attributes. One mental state that ordinary consciousness often attributes to behavior begins to appear in their accounts: alcohol.

disease or simple mental illness

Delirium tremens usually occurs during a hangover, sudden cessation of drinking or abstinence, as well as in the context of physical illness, injury (especially fractures). The first symptoms of psychosis are worsening of nighttime sleep, the appearance of vegetative symptoms and tremors, as well as the patient's general vitality, which is evident in his movements, speech, facial expressions and especially mood. In a short period of time, one can notice various shades of emotions, whereas during a hangover, the mood is monotonous, characterized by depression and anxiety. Abnormal changes in mood and general vitality intensify in the evening and night, while during the day these disturbances decrease dramatically and may even disappear completely, allowing the patient to perform his professional duties. As the psychotic symptoms worsen, complete insomnia occurs, first visual illusions, and then various hallucinations and delusions.Delirium tremens is characterized by a predominance of real visual hallucinations. They are characterized by the diversity and fluidity of images. The most common are insects (bed bugs, cockroaches, beetles, flies) and small animals (cats, mice). Patients rarely see large animals and people, and in some cases their appearance is very strange. Snakes, devils, and visions of deceased relatives, so-called walking corpses, are typical. In some cases, visual illusions and hallucinations are single, while in other cases they are multiple, scene-like, in which the patient sees complex pictures. There are often auditory hallucinations, tactile hallucinations, olfactory hallucinations, and the feeling of disordered body position in space. The patient's mood changes greatly. In it, in a very short time, one can notice fear, complacency, confusion, surprise and despair. Patients often move constantly and have expressive facial expressions. Motor reactions correspond to the hallucinations and emotions prevalent at the time - with fear and frightening visions, the patient hides, protects himself, is excited; periods of complacency - passivity. Sufferers are characterized by extreme distraction from external events; everything around them grabs their attention. The delirium in alcoholic delirium is fragmented and reflects a hallucinatory disorder. Judging from the content, this is usually delirium of persecution. Patients often erroneously orient themselves in a certain place (when in the hospital, they say they are at home, in a restaurant, at work) but are oriented by their own personality. Alcoholic delirium is characterized by periodic temporary disappearance of important parts of the psychotic disorder (the so-called wake-light-intervals), as well as a natural and marked increase in psychotic symptoms in the evening and at night.Delirium tremens is often accompanied by a variety of physical ailments—tremors, sudden sweating, and congestion of the skin, especially of the face. Temperatures are usually lower. Pulse increases. Protein is often present in urine; bilirubin content in blood increases, white blood cell formula shifts to the left, and ROE accelerates. The course of the disease is usually short-lived. Even without treatment, psychotic symptoms resolve within 3-5 days. Less commonly, the disease lasts 1-1. 5 weeks. Recovery often comes in the form of a crisis—after deep sleep. Sometimes recovery is gradual, worsening at night and at night and improving during the day. Signs of poor prognosis in delirium tremens are the presence of occupational delirium and delirium, high fever, and a state of collapse.Alcohol hallucinations occur during a hangover or while drinking heavily. The main obstacles are numerous auditory hallucinations and persecutory delusions. Verbal auditory hallucinations predominate, and patients often hear words "spoken" by many people—a "chorus of voices, " as patients often define it. Most often, the "voices" talk about the patient to each other and rarely to the patient himself. The content of verbal hallucinations is threats, accusations, discussions of the patient's past behavior, cynical invective, and insults. Often, hallucinations are mocking and teasing in nature. The sound either intensifies to a scream or weakens to a whisper. Delusional thoughts in content are closely related to so-called auditory hallucinations. Hallucinations and delusions. They are piecemeal and unsystematic. The main effects are intense anxiety and fear. At the beginning of the psychosis, the patient is motor-excited, but soon develops some sluggishness or observes very orderly behavior, thus masking the psychosis. The latter creates a false and dangerous idea of improvement. Typically, psychotic symptoms are worse in the evening and at night. Physical ailments common to hangover syndrome are persistent. The duration of alcoholic hallucinations ranges from 2-3 days to several weeks; in rare cases, the disorder can last for several months. Alcoholic depression always appears in the context of hangover syndrome. It is characterized by depressed and anxious moods, self-deprecation, tearful thoughts, and personal thoughts about relationships and persecution. Duration – varies from a few days to 1-2 weeks. Alcoholics most often commit suicide while in a state of alcoholic depression.Alcoholic epilepsy is symptomatic and is associated with intoxication. Seizures most commonly occur during the peak of intoxication during a hangover or alcoholic delirium. Often, epileptiform seizures are observed. Alcoholic epilepsy does not cause mild seizures, coma, and aura symptoms. As the drinking stops, the seizures disappear.Alcoholic paranoia is an alcoholic psychosis whose main symptom is delusions. Occurs in a state of hangover syndrome and at the peak of alcoholism. The content of the delusions is limited to persecution or jealousy (thoughts of adultery). In the first case, the patient believes that a group of people wants to rob or kill them. They see confirmation of their thoughts in the gestures, actions, and words of others. It is characterized by confusion and intense anxiety, often replaced by fear. Patients behave impulsively—they jump out of cars, run away suddenly, seek help from government authorities, and sometimes even attack imaginary enemies. In some cases, delirium is accompanied by mild verbal delusions and hallucinations, and individual delirium symptoms occur in the evening and night. The course of this paranoia is usually short-term - from a few days to a few weeks. Sometimes psychosis lasts for several months.alcoholic encephalopathy– Alcoholic psychosis, associated with metabolic disorders, first of all vitamin B and PP. Alcoholic encephalopathy results from years of alcohol abuse, accompanied by chronic gastritis or enteritis, the latter resulting in impaired intestinal absorption. Alcoholic encephalopathy occurs primarily in people who drink a lot but eat little. Most commonly, alcoholic encephalopathy occurs in the spring and early summer. Autonomic symptoms often include cardiac arrhythmias, central fever, respiratory problems, and sphincter weakness. You can constantly observe an increase in muscle tone. The patient's general medical condition is characterized by progressive weight loss up to severe cachexia. Skin color is pale or dark brown.Chronic forms of alcoholic encephalopathy include Korsakoff's psychosis and alcoholic pseudoparalysis. In some cases, they develop gradually over several months, and then the nature of the onset corresponds to Gaye-Vorik encephalopathy, while in other cases, acute onset follows alcoholic psychosis, often after delirium tremens.Treatment of alcoholic psychosis. Alcoholic psychosis patients must be admitted to specialized hospitals urgently. Some people with hangover syndrome also require hospitalization due to mental disorders, especially severe mood changes. Treatment of alcoholic psychosis in the hospital should be comprehensive - with multivitamins (B1, C, PP), cardiotonic and hypnotic drugs, as well as hypoglycemic and comatose doses of insulin or psychoelectronic drugs. For alcoholic encephalitis, especially acute encephalitis, the only effective treatment is treatment with high-dose vitamins: B1 - up to 600 mg, C - up to 1000 mg, PP - up to 300-400 mg per day for 2-4 weeks.

Alcoholism.

People who drink alcohol sometimes fall into a coma, which can lead to coma. In extremely severe cases, breathing may stop.However, don't assume that someone who looks drunk must have been drinking. Similar symptoms have been observed in other conditions (head injury, stroke and diabetes, as well as certain drug overdoses).

first aid.

If the victim is unconscious but breathing, use your fingers to remove any objects (snacks, breakfast items) from the mouth and pharynx that are obstructing breathing, and do not attempt to induce vomiting. Place the victim in the resuscitation position, remove tight clothing from the neck and waist, and ensure the airway remains open.If the victim does not regain consciousness, call an ambulance.

in conclusion

Alcoholism is a serious disease that can last for years in some cases. So it’s best not to drink a lot! If you drink, drink beer! : )