Stop Drinking Tips - The Slow Poison
With today's competitive world and the endless pressures that come along with the breakneck pace at which we live, resorting to a soothing drink to tide you through the tough times isn't an uncommon phenomenon. In fact, with every day that passes, larger numbers of people are falling prey to the devastating disease called alcoholism. The problem lies not only in the fact that they are trying to drink their worries away, but also that they are in the dark about the fact that alcohol is in itself a depressant. And hence, they continue to drink, in order to relieve the depression which they have brought on to themselves by consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. And while they delve deeper into the recesses alcohol plunges them into, their bodies also suffer severe and often irrevocable damage, which if not treated in time, can also result in death.
Alcohol travels down your esophagus, into your stomach from where it spreads into your bloodstream. This blood then flows to your liver which metabolizes the alcohol by first breaking it down into simpler chemicals and finally into carbon dioxide and water for your system to excrete. Your liver is capable of converting only a certain amount of alcohol at a given point of time and if you inundate your system with larger amounts of alcohol than your liver can process, the alcohol stays back in the bloodstream, increasing the toxic levels of your blood tremendously.
Alcohol directly attacks your liver by causing large amounts of fat to be deposited in it. Although this condition is not very severe and can be reversed if you stop drinking heavily, it can also lead to alcohol hepatitis where your liver is inflamed. In its mild stages, hepatitis is usually not noticed as it does not have any distinct symptoms of its own. However, when this inflammation becomes chronic, it leads to over production of bilirubin in the liver, which causes jaundice and finally liver failure. Further, alcohol also leads to the production of scar tissue in the liver or fibrosis. This scar tissue damages the cells in your liver and prevents new ones from growing, which can also result in liver failure. Liver Cirrhosis is even more difficult to detect as the symptoms manifest themselves very gradually and often when the condition is at its most severe.
Alcohol is also a primary villain in the development of heart disease. Heavy drinking, over a period of time, damages the heart and leads to high blood pressure and even stroke. Further, alcoholism is also known to cause Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy, where your heart becomes weakened and enlarged on account of your prolonged alcohol abuse. Excessive intake of alcohol also increases the triglyceride levels, making you more vulnerable to heart disease.
Alcohol also assaults the nervous system, which includes the brain, the spinal chord and the peripheral nervous system, resulting in impaired cognitive abilities, a condition referred to as 'Alcohol Dementia'. The victim also suffers from frequent memory lapses, which he tries to cover up by concocting lucid stories, finds basic problem solving and activities which involve learning, extremely challenging and can even succumb to paranoia. This complication, known as Korsakoff Psychosis is very difficult to treat as the victim is actually dwelling in a delusional world.
Alcohol Abuse is also responsible for severe inflammation of the pancreas or Pancreatitis, a condition that often develops into Diabetes. Alcoholic drinks are also very high in calories, leading to the individual growing obese and suffering from high blood pressure. Alcohol also depletes the inner stomach lining, thus depriving the body of many vital nutrients. The loss of appetite, which most alcoholics suffer from, also makes them malnourished and impairs their immunity to a host of diseases. Alcohol also induces cancerous growth in the victim's mouth, liver, colon and gullet. Males are susceptible to erectile dysfunction while women may face several complications in their pregnancy and also an irregular menstrual cycle.
Many casual and social drinkers often find solace in the fact that their body is capable of absorbing moderate amounts of alcohol and even benefiting from the heart-disease thwarting characteristics that have been accorded to alcohol. But they risk walking on a very fine line here, as increasing your consumption to just one extra drink above the recommended average of three times a day, makes you vulnerable to a host of diseases -which far outweigh the benefits of alcohol. There are several other, more time tested methods that can be used to curb heart disease like a controlled diet and regular routine of exercise. The most dangerous of all the characteristics which are typical to alcoholism is that the victim is unable to discern his own addiction. Which is why, unless the more drastic complications come to the fore, the victim may be in the stage of denial unless only desperate measures can have to be implemented to rid the body of the innumerable afflictions that alcohol imposes. So, the next time you are tempted to reach for that bottle for one night of excess, think about how much damage this seemingly innocuous drink can cause your body and if that tempting drink is indeed worth risking your health and happiness for
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Discover how to Stop Drinking Alcohol Written by Ed Philips and Quit Alcohol Today.
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