TO
UNDERSTAND how alcohol affects your body, you need to know something
about the cells and organic systems of the human body. These cells and
organs do not regularly work at full capacity. They have what some term
a "functional reserve," available for use when your body is put under
extra stress. Thus, one of your kidneys can be completely removed
without its interfering with a normal life. Even with about 90 percent
of a normal liver removed, or a considerable portion of the brain taken
out, a person can continue to perform the normal activities of life.
Because of this "functional reserve" you can put your
body under considerable stress by drinking an excess of alcohol without
your even being aware of what is going on inside. But you ought to know.
For many somewhat heavy drinkers, there is no major
health collapse. But there may be a number of alcohol-related sicknesses
that the person does not realize result from his drinking habits. His
death may appear to be due to some common sickness. Yet, death may come
perhaps 10 years before that of others his own age in the community.
Do you use alcoholic drinks? If so, how much do you
drink? How much can a person drink without its doing harm to him?
Safe Level of Drinking
The question as to how much alcohol the human body
can cope with is very complex. Each person's capacity is different. What
causes no problem for one person may be too much for another. Some
persons experience adverse effects when they consume any alcohol at all.
Authorities differ as to what they classify as a
"risk level" in regard to daily consumption. However, many of them agree
that the body of a normal healthy adult can absorb and break down only
one ounce (one shot) of spirits or two ounces of fortified wine or four
ounces of table wine or eight to ten ounces of beer in one hour. Other
authorities say that two hours must be allowed. Of course, not everyone
is healthy, and that can change the picture considerably.
Most teen-agers would be affected adversely if they
tried to imitate the drinking done by average adults. Because their body
build is not that of an adult, they usually experience the sedative
effects of alcohol more rapidly and to a greater extent. Likewise,
because of the state of development of a young person's emotions, these
quickly give evidence of intoxication and he may very easily give in to
sexual urges.
Can it be assumed, though, that no harm will result
to an adult so long as he spreads his drinks out over a period of time,
consuming no more per hour than his body can handle? That does not
necessarily hold true. There is a limit to what a person's body can
safely handle in a day. What is that limit?
A report from the WHO labeled 120 grams of alcohol
(12 average-sized drinks) as "excessive consumption." another report
said that the danger level might be at less than half that figure. And a
study in Europe has indicated that women who take even one normal-sized
alcoholic drink (of 10 grams of alcohol) on a daily basis are more
likely to suffer from cirrhosis of the liver than are nondrinkers, and
that two drinks daily can have damaging effects on men.
Why the difference in figures? For one thing, the
tests were run with different groups of people. Individuals differ. Not
everyone can tolerate the same amount of alcohol. It would be foolish to
drink a certain amount each day just because that is what people "are
supposed to be able to drink."
Remember, it is your health that is at stake. If your
drinking subjects your body to excessive stress on a regular basis, you
are destroying your "functional reserve." That means that you are headed
for trouble.
A drunkard damage his own health and endanger his
life; he also puts the lives of others in jeopardy. The Bible warn: "Do
not come to be among heavy drinkers of wine." (Prov. 23:20) The wisdom
of that counsel is highlighted by what has been learned about how
alcohol abuse affects the various body organs.
Effects You Ought to Know About
If the body is frequently subjected to an overload of
alcohol, many parts are affected, and the poisonous effects are
cumulative.
LIVER: This organ is one of the body's principal
detoxifiers, neutralizing fumes that we breathe, chemicals from our food
and water and from medicine. Drinking too much alcohol not only
interferes with that vital work; it adds to the load of chemicals in the
body. Furthermore, it reduces the liver's ability to contribute to the
formation of red blood cells, coagulating factors and defense mechanisms
against bacteria. Liver damage may result in loss of energy, varicose
veins, swelling of the ankles, hormone imbalance, sexual impotence and
jaundice, to mention a few.
Normally soft, the liver becomes enlarged and hardens
when abused. If drinking stops soon enough, it can return to its normal
size. But if heavy drinking has already destroyed a good portion of its
cells, it may have shrunk and permanently hardened.
STOMACH: While small quantities of alcohol stimulate
the secretion of gastric juices, large quantities and strong
concentrations of it inhibit their secretion. The stomach becomes
inflamed. The surface of the stomach that secretes digestive juices
deteriorates and stomach muscles break down. As a result, food does not
get sufficiently mixed or chemically broken down. Malnutrition develops,
often because the body is not receiving the full benefit from what is
eaten, and also because one who drinks excessively satisfies his
appetite with alcohol but deprives it of the more necessary food
elements.
PANCREAS: The pancreas supplies enzymes to break down
food material, as well as insulin to regulate the blood-sugar level. But
alcohol excess causes enzymes to attack and kill large portions of the
pancreas. As a result, insulin production is reduced, causing mild
diabetes, and because of lack of digestive enzymes food is not absorbed
properly. An associated danger is that one becomes dependent on drugs
(analgesics) because of the pain caused.
HEART AND BLOOD CIRCULATION: Hypertension (high blood
pressure) and abnormalities of heart rhythm also develop with excessive
drinking. As the heart cells enlarge, the whole heart becomes bigger.
The heart valves then fail to function properly, its muscle action
weakens and blood circulation is impaired. The entire body is deprived
of proper nourishment, and toxins accumulate. The individual so
afflicted becomes disposed to heart attacks and strokes.
LUNGS: Chronic bronchitis and pneumonia are common
among alcohol abusers. Tuberculosis is a common complication, thought to
be due to poor nutrition and a greater susceptibility to lung
infections. One study showed that at least 50 percent of those with
tuberculosis were alcoholics.
KIDNEYS: The overconsumption of alcohol causes the
blood vessels in the kidneys to dilate. The amount of urine discharged
becomes excessive, depriving the body of needed fluids.
BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM: Excesses of alcohol are
particularly damaging to the nervous system. The brain, like other
organs, has a large "functional reserve," so many cells may be destroyed
without the appearance of disturbing symptoms. But, unlike what happens
to other organs, the damage here may be permanent. Brain scanners have
shown that, not only alcoholics, but social drinkers who have more than
they ought to, experience an actual shrinkage of the brain.
Alcohol's effect on the nervous system may become
manifest in loss of memory. A person may remember drinking, but the next
morning he cannot recall how he got home or where he parked his car.
Shakiness and lack of muscle coordination, not merely for a few hours,
but on a prolonged basis give further evidence that the nervous system
is being impaired.
Some people boast about their ability to "hold their
liquor." They may drink heavily but appear to be sober. What has really
happened? It is not necessarily that the drinker can consume more with
less damage. Rather, he has developed only a seeming tolerance for the
alcohol and as a result is consuming more before his brain and the
nervous system sound a warning. At the same time, if the liver has been
damaged due to excessive drinking, the body's ability to handle the
alcohol has actually diminished. Continued drinking under these
circumstances results in increased damage to his entire system. It is
nothing to brag about.
The brain and the nervous system also control
breathing. So there is severe danger in drinking bouts. When the
blood-alcohol level goes too high, vital functions of the body may
cease.
Because of the effect of excess alcohol on the brain,
the personality of the one who drinks too heavily is adversely affected.
This does not await the time when his health has deteriorated to the
extent that he seeks medical help. Long before that a man may mistreat
his wife physically and he may lose several jobs because of unreliable
or irrational behavior.
Knowing what happens inside a person's body when he
drinks too much, and what others see happening to his personality, ought
to make any sensible person stop and take a serious look at his own
drinking habits. Why wait until your "functional reserve" is all gone
before you try to turn back?
Mixing Alcohol with Drugs
The risk of serious organ damage is greatly increased
when alcohol is taken with drugs, even such common household drugs as
aspirin and antihistamines. One medical study showed that more than 50
of the 100 most often prescribed drugs contain at least one ingredient
known to react unfavorably with alcohol. At least one girl, Karen
Quinlan in the United States, has been in a coma for a number of years
because of having mixed alcohol with tranquilizers.
It is not that a new toxic element develops when two
toxic ingredients are mixed, but in many cases one ingredient or the
other increases in strength many times when the wrong combination is
used. The already weakened liver is faced with a potency far beyond what
it can safely handle without further damage to itself.
How to Cope with Alcohol Abuse
The way to cope with alcohol abuse is not by
resorting to such things as eating potato chips or eggs to slow down the
absorption rate. Drinking cream before an alcoholic binge is not the
solution. It is true that slowing down the absorption rate may keep you
from becoming tipsy, but you may still be drinking too much.
The answer does not lie in taking a cold shower,
drinking black coffee, going out into the cool air, exercising or going
for a swim to "liven oneself up." Such activities may change the way one
feels, but they do not change the blood-alcohol level of the body or
slow down the cell damage.
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