The harm of alcohol on the human body can reach impressive proportions. The drinker puts physical and mental health at risk - the internal organs suffer, the work of the most important systems that control the human body is disorganized (the impact of alcohol on the immune system is particularly dangerous), there is a degradation of personality due to the effect onthe human nervous system.
The effects of alcohol on the body affect:
- Liver;
- Brain;
- Nervous system and psyche;
- Cardiovascular system;
- Kidneys;
- Digestive system;
- Immune system;
- Muscles and joints;
- Endocrine system;
- Dalak;
- The respiratory system;
- Visual organs;
- Appearance.
To avoid negative consequences, you must first know how alcohol affects the human body.
The harmful effects of alcohol on the liver
To understand how alcohol affects the liver, it is worthwhile to understand its purpose. The liver is the organ responsible for eliminating toxic substances from the body; various metabolic processes require its participation. For people who drink alcohol often, it is important to know why alcohol is dangerous for the liver and how it works. Speaking of the dangers of alcohol, it can be said that it gradually destroys the liver. The ethyl alcohol that penetrates it is oxidized, forming a very strong toxin - acetaldehyde. Accumulating in the liver, it modifies the organ and disrupts its work.
The effects of alcohol on the liver are truly devastating. Liver cells die from alcohol, they are replaced by scar or adipose tissue, so the body can not perform its function properly (toxins accumulate in the body and eventually poison it).
The most serious consequence of how alcohol is harmful to the human body with immeasurable consumption is cirrhosis of the liver. With this disease the structure of the organ begins to change, the size decreases, the vessels suffer from it: they shrink, the pressure in them increases, the blood stagnates. The natural result in this situation is rupture of the vessel walls and bleeding, which is the cause of many deaths.
The effects of alcohol on the brain
The effect of alcohol on the body primarily affects the brain. In a state of intoxication, a person's cerebral cortex is destroyed, while gradually some of its parts become numb and die.
Those who like to drink alcohol, the brain changes - it is pierced with ulcers, scars and swelling, blood vessels dilate, tears appear in some places, cysts appear in dead areas. These effects once again prove the negative effects of alcohol in each dose on the human body.
The effect of alcohol on the nervous system and psyche
People who are addicted to alcohol need to know how alcohol affects the psyche. Regular drinking of alcoholic beverages, especially in excessive doses, leads to the destruction of the psyche. A person's personality and behavior change completely, mental and moral degradation begins. Alcohol and the nervous system interact to destroy the personality. The effects of alcohol on sleep can lead to insomnia. There are other significant consequences - mental disorders and disorders of adequate perception of reality. Alcohol is harmful to memory, concentration and motor coordination. It follows that the influence of alcohol on the human psyche causes great harm to the whole body.
We need to understand in more detail why alcohol is harmful to a person's mental health. The harmful effect of alcohol on the human body and in particular the nervous system is that the nerve fibers are damaged and their conductivity deteriorates, in medicine such a disorder is called polyneuritis. One loses sensitivity to pain and temperature changes, there is tingling in the legs and arms, weakness and "cottoniness". Other signs: swelling, increased sweating, "goosebumps" on the skin, itching and burning, sharp severe pain, muscles as if tight, as if pricked with needles.
The most common effects on the central nervous system from alcohol consumption are:
- Delirium tremens. It is worth knowing why such a condition is dangerous. Occurs after cessation of prolonged alcohol consumption, accompanied by hallucinations, delirium, fever and fever, suicidal tendencies;
- Encephalopathy. Caused by acute deficiency of B vitamins in people who drink chronically. Its symptoms are problems with vision and vestibular apparatus, confusion;
- Alcoholic dementia syndrome. Loss of basic mental abilities, problems with counting, speech, perception, concentration, memory;
- Alcoholic epilepsy. Manifested in convulsions and seizures in a state of hangover;
- Korsakov's psychosis. Loss of sensation in the limbs is combined with significant memory impairment.
Undoubtedly, the psychological consequences of alcoholism lead to the degradation of the personality, the psychology of its behavior is disturbed.
Cardiovascular problems
Alcohol is harmful to the health and normal functioning of the heart muscle. Heart disease is one of the most common causes of numerous deaths among drinkers.
This muscle organ can expand in volume with regular exposure to alcohol. In addition, the consequences of high doses of alcohol are arrhythmia, increased risk of developing hypertension, myocardial infarction, stroke, ischemic heart muscle damage and atherosclerosis.
Kidneys and alcohol
The kidneys are a very important organ. It works as follows: it removes fluid from the body, cleanses the blood of toxic substances and participates in metabolic processes. Regular consumption of alcoholic beverages forces the kidneys to work at their maximum intensity.
This threatens a whole range of pathological conditions - dehydration, metabolic disorders, intoxication, the appearance of stones, pyelonephritis, the development of renal failure, inflammation of the urinary tract, cancer.
How alcohol affects the digestive tract
Alcohol is a poison to the digestive system. The walls of the esophagus are affected, heartburn occurs, the throat reflex increases, the vessels in the esophagus become thinner and dilated, and during vomiting, the venous walls may rupture, which will provoke bleeding.
In addition, alcohol causes irreparable damage to the protective membrane of the stomach. The result is premature aging of the body, disruption of its functions. Typical diseases of people who drink are gastritis, ulcers and even stomach cancer.
The effect of alcohol on immunity
Information on how alcohol affects immunity is twofold. Drinking in moderation can help you cope better with colds. However, with more frequent consumption of alcohol, a person's immunity is hindered.
Decreased immunity is manifested in a decrease in the amount of a special protein - lysozyme, which is part of saliva, tears and other secretory secretions. This protein neutralizes harmful microbes entering the body and prevents the development of various infectious diseases. Thus, we can confidently say that alcohol reduces immunity.
Effects of alcohol on joints and muscles
Muscle tissue suffers from every dose of alcohol, which is very harmful to muscle health. It slows down or completely stops the growth of muscles, they atrophy, become relaxed, alcohol can even completely destroy them. This can increase body fat stores. Alcohol and joints are not compatible concepts. The effect of alcohol on the health of the skeletal system is very significant, as it destroys bone tissue, removes calcium from the body, bones age quickly, become brittle and often cause fractures. After drinking alcohol, the joints often hurt.
Joint problems are common in the lives of alcoholics. People who drink often develop arthritis, inflammation of the joints. Signs of arthritis: joints begin to hurt, especially the knees. After another overeating, the pain intensifies.
Alcohol retains fluid in the body, edema occurs, uric acid ceases to be excreted normally and accumulates in the form of salts, which settle in the joints, which provokes the appearance of gout. Excess fluid enters the joint, compresses the walls of the joint cavity, touches the nerve fibers, there is pain in various joints after alcohol. Over time, due to the action of alcoholic beverages, deformation and complete destruction of joint formations occurs.
How alcohol affects your appearance
A person who is addicted to alcohol is easily recognizable in the crowd. Typical appearance:
- bluish nose color;
- red and swollen face;
- bags under the eyes;
- bruising from bruising or falling;
- casual clothes;
- messy hair.
The effects of alcohol on the skin are also negative. A red tinge appears, which is explained by the increased blood flow under the influence of alcohol. Heavy loading of the vessels causes their damage, small capillaries burst, this causes bruising in the form of blue and red spots on the face. Bluish tint is the result of severe damage to blood vessels, the blood does not supply these areas well with oxygen.
In order to remove alcohol from the body, a large amount of fluid is involved, dehydration occurs, a person who has consumed a lot of alcohol, feels strong thirst, tries to quench it. Fluid builds up and is slowly removed as the body seeks to protect itself from repeated dehydration and makes reserves of water from which the face and other parts of the body swell.
The effect of alcohol on the endocrine system
Alcohol and its effect on human health are also linked to the functioning of the hormonal system. Its main organs:
- Thyroid gland (regulates metabolism);
- Pituitary gland and hypothalamus (controls the work of the whole system);
- The pancreas (responsible for producing insulin);
- The pineal gland (produces hormones that affect sleep, blood circulation and the nervous system);
- Adrenal glands (produce adrenaline);
- Thymus (regulates the growth and development of immune cells);
- Gonads (produces male and female hormones).
The effect of alcohol on the thyroid gland and other organs of the endocrine system is such that it reduces the production of some hormones and increases the production of others. For example, in men, female hormones predominate and the level of male hormones decreases. For women who drink, the opposite is true. Hormonal disorders adversely affect the condition of the whole organism. Some endocrine pathologies are associated with congenital gene mutations, and these mutations often result from drinking too much alcohol. Normal interaction of alcohol and the thyroid gland, as well as other endocrine organs, is impossible.
How alcohol can affect the spleen
Often the spleen hurts from frequent alcohol consumption. This organ plays the role of utilizing old and damaged blood cells in the body. This is a reserve "store" of blood, which, if necessary, feeds the vessels of the circulatory system. In addition, this organ cleanses the blood of pathogenic microorganisms.
Pain in the left hypochondrium may signal spleen problems caused by excessive drinking. It is easy to explain why alcohol consumption is dangerous and why the spleen hurts. Most often this organ is enlarged, it is also possible infarction of the spleen, abscess, in severe cases requiring removal of this organ. The consequences of excessive consumption of any type of alcohol can seriously impair the functioning of the spleen and lead to death.
Effects on the respiratory system
Drinkers need to know how alcohol affects lung health. Alcohol vapors affect the respiratory mucosa, which contributes to the development of pneumonia, bronchitis, chronic pharyngitis and laryngitis (hence the hoarseness of drunks). In addition, these diseases are difficult and long-term. Pneumonia can turn into pneumosclerosis (lung tissue hardens). Alcohol in the blood causes destruction of lung tissue and their pathological expansion (emphysema).
The example of the lungs shows what irreparable damage alcohol causes to the human body. Large doses of alcohol disrupt the respiratory activity of the lungs, in some cases breathing may stop completely. Delirium tremens is often accompanied by inflammation and pulmonary edema. There is also a link between alcohol and the occurrence of lung cancer.
The effect of alcohol on human vision
Not everyone knows for sure if alcohol is harmful to eyesight and why alcoholics have eye pain. Under the influence of alcohol, the intracranial pressure increases. This causes damage to the vessels of the eyes and many small hemorrhages, the supply of oxygen to the muscles is disrupted, they are in a state of constant tension. The consequence of this condition can be atrophy of the muscles of the eyeball and deterioration of vision.
In addition, alcohol can affect the nerve fibers of the fundus, disrupting the function of the optic nerve. The most serious effect of alcohol on the visual system is blindness.
Alcoholism and its effects have a devastating effect on the body and the psyche can also change significantly. Only by stopping drinking can you stop the process of destroying your body.