Alcoholic beverages are the most common product on the shelves of most grocery stores. Certain doses of alcohol lead to serious changes and disturbances in the human body. Being aware of the harmful effects of alcohol can help to completely refuse or limit drinking to an tolerable level.
What effects does alcohol have on humans?
Abusers don't think about the consequences of being drunk, and that is:
- mental deterioration;
- decline in physical and mental health;
- problems in society;
- bad genetics;
- financial problem;
- unethical behavior.
Statistically, men are more likely to drink alcohol. This happens for a variety of reasons, such as bad company or an illusion that alcohol can relieve stress. But it also extends to women and, worst of all, teenagers.
Toxic substances in alcohol
Knowing what harmful substances are contained in the most common types of alcohol, you can understand how it affects our quality of life.
Common drunken liquids contain substances that are dangerous to health and life:
- Ethanol. With frequent and excessive use leads to addiction. In small amounts, it is not harmful to the body, but an overdose can lead to sudden unconsciousness or even death.
- Phytoestrogens. Female hormones (found in beer) lead to disruption of male and female reproductive systems.
- Types of grease. In large quantities they are very toxic. When ingested continuously, they will increase the risk of stomach ulcers, blindness, impotence and liver disease.
- Cobalt. In small amounts, it is a useful trace element, but if accumulated in the body, it becomes dangerous for the normal functioning of the heart and digestive tract.
- N-nitrosodimethylamine. Highly toxic, especially damaging to the liver.
- Organic amines. Toxic chemical compounds. In small amounts it can be helpful, but overuse can lead to convulsions, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- Sodium Benzoate (E-211). Upon entering the stomach, it causes strong oxidation of epithelial cells. That leads to gastritis, stomach ulcers, pancreatitis. Contributing to the exacerbation of chronic allergic diseases: asthma, urticaria, psoriasis.
- Phosphoric Acid (E-338). Destroys bone tissue and tooth enamel. It causes digestive upset, which leads to weight loss. High concentrations of this substance will cause respiratory burns.
Harmful effects on the body of adolescents
Alcohol has an adverse effect on a teenager's growth and development:
- Intellectual and emotional decline.
- Useful vitamins and trace elements that enter the body are poorly absorbed, and this negatively affects the condition of teeth, nails, hair and skin.
- The risk of problems with the heart, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, the occurrence of diseases that, as a rule, are in more mature age (for example, pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus) increases.
- The growth of bone and muscle tissue stops.
- Liver, kidney, reproductive system affected.
Female alcohol addiction
Differences between the development of addiction in men and women:
- In women, the addiction develops more quickly, and the treatment for the disease is not effective. This is due to the characteristics of the female body: it has fewer enzymes that help break down alcohol-containing products. Therefore, toxins that are not eliminated from the body for a long time will quickly lead to bad effects on internal organs.
- Women prefer drinks with a low alcohol content (wine, champagne, cocktails). As a result, it becomes more difficult to control the degree of intoxication, and the switch to strong drinks occurs, as a rule, already at the end of the process of alcoholism.
- Embarrassed by their addiction, women often drink alone and seek help when it is difficult to hide changes. The rehabilitation process is harder and longer in men.
Because of alcohol's effect on eggs, conceiving, becoming pregnant, and giving birth can be a difficult, even impossible, task.
Intoxicated conception affects the genetic information from the egg. After such a pregnancy, there is a fundamental threat of giving birth to an heir with cerebral palsy syndrome (infant cerebral palsy) or with other disorders of the external and internal organs. And there is also the possibility that during pregnancy the placenta detaches, stillbirth.
Social harm
Spouses, children, relatives, friends, co-workers, neighbors and those around them can become victims of a drunk's inappropriate behavior:
- Work. Employers do not want to immediately hire or fire a drinker because he quit shifts without good reason or performed poorly on duties.
- control. Half of all accidents are caused by drunk drivers.
- Breaking the law. Almost every crime is committed by people who are drunk or quite drunk, as they are prone to aggression and even murder.
- unethical behavior. First sexual experiences, unwanted pregnancies, and cases of rape often occur when one or both partners are intoxicated.
- Unhealthy indoor air. Children grow up in an unfavorable environment and may inherit the negative example of their parents.
- Divorce. All innocent family members suffer. A single parent or parent who is affected by raising children in an incomplete family.
How does alcohol affect health?
The table shows the common types of alcoholic beverages, their composition, and which organs they affect.
| To drink | Ingredient | Damaged organs and possible consequences |
|---|---|---|
| Beer | Carbohydrates, ethyl alcohol, nitrogenous substances |
|
| vodka | Purified water, ethyl alcohol. Ingredients may include chemical additives and seasoning |
|
| Cognac | Alcohols, organic acids, ethyl esters, tannins and tannins |
|
| Low alcohol cocktails | Ethanol, synthetic additives and chemical additives |
|
Liver and digestive system
Liver damage is associated with a violation of protein metabolism and in the early stages is usually not accompanied by subjective sensations and changes in laboratory parameters.
There are five stages of liver destruction:
- adaptive hepatomegaly (hepatomegaly);
- alcoholic fatty liver;
- alcoholic hepatitis;
- alcoholic liver fibrosis;
- Cirrhosis.
Common signs of these diseases:
- persistent weakness;
- yellowish skin and eyeballs;
- above-normal temperature;
- right lower quadrant pain.
In fact, alcohol entering the intestines leaves a chemical burn in its mucous membranes. Toxicosis frequently leads to bowel problems (loose stools or constipation, stones in the stool), which are often resolved with surgery.
More is possible:
- angioedema;
- diarrhea;
- hives;
- gastritis;
- ulcerative dyspepsia;
- pancreatitis;
- necrosis of pancreatic tissues;
- bowel cancer.
Heart and blood vessels
After drinking alcohol, ethyl alcohol will enter the bloodstream and stay in the vessels for about 7 hours, causing them to expand, disrupting the normal rhythm of the heart. Drinking alcohol regularly, even in moderate amounts, inevitably leads to blockage of blood vessels in the brain, increases blood pressure, and ruptures. At best, a person survives, but remains disabled, and at worst a fatal outcome.
Minimal but continuous amounts of alcohol are dangerous and cause the following painful conditions:
- oxygen starvation;
- vessels thicken, contract, burst;
- atrial flutter;
- Foreign systolic;
- cardiomyopathy;
- arterial hypertension;
- hypertension;
- heart attack;
- atherosclerosis.
Pulse increases from 95 to 100 beats per minute. Fat accumulates in the myocardium, respectively, it increases and becomes mushy.
Brain and nervous system
The entry of ethyl alcohol into the bloodstream causes a devastating effect on the red blood cells responsible for transporting air to the brain. Oxygen no longer enters the brain cells, and as a result, they die one by one.
This leads to poor performance:
- vestibular apparatus;
- "moral" center (shame disappears, swagger appears);
- memory;
- attention.
The excitatory and inhibitory processes in the nervous system are disturbed, leading to the following antisocial and painful behavioral signs:
- belligerent expression;
- inability to control oneself;
- illogicality in the presentation of ideas;
- suicidal tendencies;
- violation of the dynamism of movements;
- the occurrence of seizures;
- the appearance of hallucinations.
Respiratory system
A rough, husky voice with a distinctive timbre aptly dubbed the "drunk" bass. Abusers are most likely to contract tuberculosis.
Addiction damages the following areas of the respiratory system:
- pharynx;
- the entire nasopharynx;
- larynx.
People who drink alcohol regularly suffer from chronic upper respiratory diseases such as:
- laryngitis;
- tracheitis;
- atrophic pharyngitis.
Dyspnea occurs both with moderate exertion and at rest. There is also an unpleasant smoke smell characteristic of the drinker, which is the cause of the breakdown of ethanol, which is excreted through the lungs.
sexual dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction and even impotence are consequences of alcoholism. Frequent drinking of strong drinks adversely affects fertility. Erection problems can lead to lasting depression.
The myth asserts that small doses of alcohol have a positive effect on male potency. The accumulation of ethanol disrupts the normal functioning of nerve endings, so intimacy does not bring the desired pleasure.
Alcoholism has an adverse effect on the quality of a woman's sex life. It is this disease that is one of the main causes of frigidity and in its most severe manifestations. This leads to emotional problems for both partners and often leads to the breakdown of families.
Immunity
The benefits of high-quality wine (preferably red wine) from natural juices, in limited quantities, are really effective: it removes toxins, strengthens the immune system. But a large amount, even the most expensive alcoholic beverage, will adversely affect health.
The problem is that at this point, the following defenders of the immune system are suppressed:
- white blood cells;
- macrophages;
- White blood cells.
Consequences of immunodeficiency:
- non-healing wounds for a long time;
- bones are not formed correctly;
- higher likelihood of HIV transmission;
- Poor skin recovery from burns and trauma.
Change your look
The reason the skin is purple is ethyl alcohol, which has the effect of making the pulse faster and blood pressure increased. Over time, the vessels succumb to constant stress and blue and red bruises form.
Puffy eyes are explained by the body trying its best to restore the water balance after the toxins found in vodka, beer and other intoxicating drinks enter the body. And the female body does it more actively. An alcoholic is tormented by constant thirst, however, water is absorbed very slowly. He drank alcohol, and fluid built up, resulting in swelling of his hands, feet, and face.
In addition to being unattractive, there can be "obvious" post-fight complications (scratches, bruises, skin abrasions, broken bones) that chronic drinkers often experience.
During the development of chronic alcoholism, narcissists observe external symptoms in patients, such as:
- physical exhaustion;
- puffy face;
- crimson tongue;
- rising temperatures;
- dry, flaky, or oily skin;
- sweating profusely;
- tachycardia, arrhythmia.
Photo gallery
The effects of alcohol on various organs can be seen in the following photos.
,%20manifested%20by%20alcohol.png)
%20is%20a%20fatal%20liver%20disease%20caused%20by%20alcohol%20abuse.%20.jpg)
%20and%20the%20brain%20of%20an%20alcoholic%20with%20irreversible%20consequences%20(below).jpg)
.jpg)
Usage norms
It is best to categorically refuse the regular use of alcohol-containing products. However, if a person just decides to reduce its quantity, it will be interesting to him to know that there are acceptable levels of consumption.
The weekly norm (with two days of total rejection) of low-risk alcohol for men is less than 5 liters of beer of 4. 5 strength or 50 grams of vodka or cognac at lunch and dinner (everyday). day), or three glasses of dry wine. For women, this is 3 liters of beer per week, or 80 grams of vodka at dinner, or two glasses of wine.
It is worth considering that if you abstain from strong drinks on certain days, this does not mean that on other days you can drink more without adverse consequences.
However, calculations for consumers must be made individually, taking into account:
- weight;
- evolution;
- age;
- metabolism;
- heredity;
- First drinking experience.
Attention!The information is presented for informational purposes only and is not a guide to action. Do not self-medicate, consult your doctor first.