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PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF DRINKING |
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To give an in-depth account of the physical and psychological effects of alcohol use and abuse would take a lot more space than we have here. Indeed there are whole books devoted to the subject and the author is neither a qualified General Practitioner or Psychiatrist.
The object of this page is to highlight in simple terms the effects of alcohol on the body and mind and hopefully give a basic understanding of the more common problems drinking can cause.
There are also some positive aspects to alcohol use and these are discussed here as well as the negative ones.
Generally speaking it takes some time for the effects of long term and problem drinking to become noticeable and a drinker will have been drinking for a quite some time before the symptoms start to become enough of a concern to warrant a trip to their doctor.
The following information is not intended to be a scare tactic but is factual information placed here to give food for thought. |
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POSITIVE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL |
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With moderate and sensible usage alcohol provides what we can call positive physical and mental effects, the following are some of the more immediate. |
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Increased 'liveliness', increased sociability, relaxation, increased energy. |
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Some research indicates that moderate use can have benefits for the cardiovascular system. |
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Creation of employment in related industries such as pubs/bars, catering, retail |
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A lowering of inhibitions (particularly beneficial to single young men...) |
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NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL |
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Predictably, there are many more negative effects to alcohol usage than there are positive. The truth is that alcohol is a poison and the body treats it as such, filtering it through the liver. Prolonged usage will result in liver damage, cirrhosis and utimately death, whilst a huge intake of alcohol in one 'sitting', the risk the 'binge-drinker' takes, will result in overdose and death. Either way the result is the same.
Because of the various negative effects of alcohol abuse it is easier to categorise them in the ways that it affects different aspects of the human body and mind as follows. |
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PHYSICAL |
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LONG TERM |
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Liver damage, heart enlargement, brain damage, bowel and bladder disfunction, impotence, inflammation of the pancreas, high blood pressure, increased risk of strokes, tremors, gastritis, internal bleeding, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (damage to the unborn foetus), sleep disruption, death. |
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SHORT TERM |
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Tremors, sweating, nausea, chest pains, dehydration, loss or dulling of senses (taste, touch, smell, sight), suppressed appetite, sleep disruption, vomiting, harm from falling or bumping into things. |
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MENTAL |
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Addiction, obssessive behaviour, short-term memory loss, psychosis (Korsakov's syndrome), loss of concentration, inability to perform simple tasks, apathy, depression, anxiety, heightened emotions and emotional instability, irritability, mood swings, aggression, slurred speech, incoordination, confusion. |
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SOCIAL |
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Embarrassing behaviour, violence, incoherence, inability to socialise and/or follow conversation, drink-driving, inability to work effectively, divorce, homelessness, poverty, arrest. |
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Everybody reacts differently to the consumption of alcohol depending on their physical and emotional make-up. Not all of the symptoms described above will apply to all problem drinkers, but there are constants and the drinker can be sure that a large amount of these symptoms will apply and begin to become more obvious depending how far down the road they are.
The problem with alcohol as a drug is that the body becomes tolerant to it and requires larger quantities to satisfy the urge for the 'buzz'. Soon the requirement becomes an addiction and then the addiction becomes an obssession to the point that daily life becomes a constant hunt for the next drink.
Not only does this require a huge financial commitment but it takes a toll on the people around us. The problem drinker is usually oblivious to the damage they are causing the people around them and often feels incredibly guilty during a short period of sobriety. Often the only way to combat the guilt is to forget it and the only way the drinker can acheive that it is to get high again.
Whether the drinker is violent or not (and that applies to both sexes) the other partner often suffers verbal abuse when the drinker is inebriated. It is also terribly upsetting for the other partner to watch the drinker destroy themselves. Have you ever heard the phrase "He/she is a wonderful person when they are sober..." ?
It affects our relationships with our partners, our children and our friends. And at the end of the day nobody wants to bury their loved one for something that can be stopped...AND IT CAN BE STOPPED. |
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Click the glass to go to Homepage |
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