The health effects of alcohol are multifaceted, ranging from short-term symptoms that occur after drinking, such as changes in mood, behavior, and perception , to long-term health effects of regular alcohol consumption, such as problems with the digestive system, liver, pancreas, heart, brain, reproductive system, mental state, and overall quality of life.
Many people believe that drinking small amounts of alcohol or not exceeding the recommended standard drink per day will not have any negative effects on health. But in fact, drinking small amounts can be harmful to health. In addition, the more you drink and the more regularly you drink, the faster and more severe the effects on your health will be, which may increase the risk of chronic diseases and death.
Know the dangers of alcohol
The harm of alcohol to the body has many aspects as follows:
1. Emotional and behavioral changes
The effects of this type of alcohol will occur shortly after drinking. In the early stages of drinking, it usually makes you feel relaxed and happy. Some people may have mood swings such as sadness, irritability, making decisions without thinking, or having behavioral changes such as:
- Speak with a slurred voice, talk more than usual, speak unclearly, speak incoherently, or make loud noises.
- Decreased perception, blurred vision , unclear hearing of surrounding sounds
- Unable to maintain balance , walk unsteadily , tend to fall if not supported.
- Drowsiness, falling asleep without realizing it, often not remembering things after waking up at all or not remembering them clearly
These emotional and behavioral changes can lead to self-harm, fights with people around you, and traffic accidents , which can injure yourself and others or even cause death.
Some people may experience a hangover , which often occurs the morning after drinking a large amount of alcohol the night before, such as headache, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting. These symptoms usually come on quickly and get better on their own with time.
2. Liver disease
The initial effect of alcohol on the liver is that it causes the liver to break down less fat, so fat accumulates in the liver, leading to fatty liver disease. In the early stages, there may be no symptoms, but if you drink a lot of alcohol regularly, it will cause the liver to enlarge and become inflamed.
If you continue to drink alcohol and don’t get treatment, it will cause the accumulation of scar tissue in the liver, leading to cirrhosis , which causes permanent liver damage, which can lead to liver failure and lead to liver cancer.
3. Central obesity
Weight gain is another harmful effect of alcohol that is due to many factors. Drinking large amounts of alcohol can increase the body’s levels of the hormone cortisol , which affects your metabolism and makes you feel hungrier and more likely to crave high-calorie foods.
Drinking alcohol also causes the liver to reduce its ability to burn fat, in order to eliminate the amount of alcohol in the body instead. This can lead to increased fat accumulation in the abdomen, leading to pot-bellied obesity. In addition, 1 gram of alcohol provides 7 calories of energy. Drinking alcohol mixed with syrup or fruit juice will further increase the risk of obesity .
4. Pancreatic diseases
The harm of alcohol has a direct effect on the pancreas. The substances produced during the alcohol breakdown process are toxic to the pancreas, causing the pancreatic cells to be destroyed, resulting in pancreatitis . If alcohol is consumed continuously, it can cause chronic pancreatitis and may lead to pancreatic cancer .
5. Digestive system problems
Drinking a lot of alcohol can cause digestive problems such as bloating, stomach tightness, excessive gas, diarrhea, constipation, which can lead to hemorrhoids and peptic ulcers.
In addition, drinking alcohol interferes with digestion and absorption of nutrients in the intestines, which can lead to malnutrition if heavy drinking occurs over a long period of time and is not treated.
6. Diabetes
The pancreas produces the hormone insulin , which helps control the body’s sugar processes. Alcohol can cause chronic inflammation of the pancreas and damage it to the point where it cannot produce insulin. This will cause high blood sugar levels and increase the risk of diabetes .
7. Cardiovascular disease
Regular drinking increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, making it harder to pump blood to different parts of the body, leading to stroke, heart disease ยูฟ่าเบท http://ufabet999.app such as arrhythmia, heart attack, abnormal heart muscle.
In addition, the harm of alcohol can cause fatigue and anemia because drinking alcohol reduces the absorption of vitamins and minerals from the food we eat.
8. Sleep, brain and mental health problems
Alcohol consumption has long-term negative effects on sleep quality and impairs thinking, decision-making, and memory skills , and may increase the risk of developing brain diseases such as dementia.
In addition, people with mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and sleep disorders who regularly drink alcohol may have their symptoms worsened.
9. Reproductive system problems and dangers to the fetus
Alcohol has many negative effects on the reproductive system, such as abnormal sex hormone production, irregular menstrual cycles, reduced sexual desire, and erectile dysfunction , which can lead to infertility .
Drinking alcohol while pregnant or breastfeeding not only has negative effects on the drinker, but may also increase the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth, and intellectual, developmental, and learning disorders in the infant after birth .
10. Weakened immune system
Alcohol affects the immune system. People who drink heavily on a regular basis have weaker immune systems, making them more susceptible to infections and illnesses such as pneumonia and tuberculosis than people who do not drink.
In addition, the harmful effects of alcohol can also cause other types of cancer, such as breast cancer, oral cancer, throat and esophageal cancer, and colon cancer.
11. Chronic alcoholism and alcohol withdrawal
This side effect of alcohol can occur in people who drink a lot of alcohol regularly until their body gets used to the amount of alcohol, which may cause them to want to drink more and more, leading to alcohol addiction .
If you continue to drink a large amount of alcohol and cannot quit, it may lead to chronic alcoholism. If you stop drinking suddenly, you may experience alcohol withdrawal , which can be life-threatening.
In this regard, the method to reduce the risk of harmful effects of alcohol is to avoid drinking alcohol on an empty stomach, drink it slowly, without drinking it with drinks containing caffeine or medicine , and drink plenty of water afterwards, including not driving a vehicle after drinking alcohol to reduce the risk of adverse health effects and accidents after drinking alcohol.
If you want to quit drinking or have symptoms of alcohol addiction, you should consult a doctor at a hospital near your home or contact an agency that can provide advice on how to quit drinking properly, such as the hotline 1413, the Alcohol and Addiction Cou