Drunkenness alcoholism causes and consequences. Consequences of alcohol abuse on the human body. on the human cardiovascular system

Alcohol is made up of incredibly simple molecules: two carbon atoms, some hydrogen atoms, and a hydroxyl. It is hardly possible to find a simpler molecule.

Nevertheless, alcohol affects the brain quite strongly. For example, it finds its way into little pockets in some signaling molecules in the brain, such as chemical transmission receptors called neurotransmitters. Alcohol changes the chemical bonds in the brain.

The structure of ethanol (ethyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol or alcohol) / Wikimedia Commins

One of the most powerful effects of alcohol is to reduce the ability of glutamate (the main neurotransmitter in the cerebral cortex) to signal through NMDA receptors. Remarkably, this is the same receptor that pain medications such as ketamine or phencyclidine (PCP) bind to.

Alcohol does not block NMDA receptors very effectively, but when consumed in large amounts over a long period of time, the number of these receptors increases. When this happens, the brain becomes less receptive to alcohol and more sensitive to glutamate.

When an alcoholic abruptly stops drinking, he releases more glutamate than usual, and at the same time becomes more susceptible to its effects. As a result, the brain becomes more excitable, and this causes serious and life-threatening complications of withdrawal symptoms, including convulsions, delirium tremens, and various psychoses.

Other systems in the brain also adjust to alcohol. One such system is gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). It is the most important inhibitory mediator of the cortex and limbic system of the brain. Alcohol generally inhibits neuronal activity and also enters GABA membranes. Thus, it stimulates receptors and mimics the action of neurosteroid hormones.

The brain also adapts to the overexcitation of GABA receptors by alcohol, making these receptors less sensitive. GABA adapts in a rather complex way. One of the important steps in which the brain becomes immune and dependent on alcohol is the brain's switch from an active functioning of GABA receptors to a less active one.

Reduced activity of GABA receptors contributes to a decrease in susceptibility (in other words, the ability to drink more alcohol without feeling intoxicated). However, when a person stops drinking, the reduced activity of GABA receptors cannot compensate for the loss of neural inhibition, the brain becomes more excitable, and withdrawal symptoms appear. After a week of sobriety, high-functioning GABA receptors appear and withdrawal symptoms disappear.

Therefore, if you drink a lot and systematically, many changes can occur in your brain.

The most important of these are as follows: the excitatory glutamate system becomes more receptive, and the inhibitory GABA system becomes less sensitive. This makes the brain more excitable, and this imbalance between excitation and inhibition leads to many of the symptoms we associate with alcohol withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, hyperexcitability, fearfulness, and seizures.

Similarly, drugs that reduce glutamate signals or increase GABA signals, such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and anticonvulsants, reduce brain hyperexcitability and relieve withdrawal symptoms.

Do people at risk of alcoholism only have an altered sensitivity to alcohol, or are there other things that are inherited? Scientists have found that people with a similar family history of alcoholism who have altered ketamine sensitivity also have a distorted perception of the world.

How people balance between long-term and short-term rewards and punishments is an important factor in how they choose how much to drink. It turns out that people who have a family history of alcohol are not only prone to alcohol consumption, but also opt for short-term gain and are oblivious to the threat of future consequences.

Therefore, they choose pleasure, despite the fact that they can get problems from it. Their body perceives alcohol as something attractive, and their motivational system leads them to desire short-term benefits like the pleasure of drinking. So it's interesting how you can teach people to focus on long-term rewards.

In the people, this condition is also called delirium tremens. It is one of the consequences of the chronic course of the disease and occurs only in the state of withdrawal syndrome. How does delirium tremens manifest itself? Often, before the onset of alcoholic delirium, the patient has an acute aversion to strong drinks, up to vomiting.

The addict is in a state of arousal, accompanied by tactile and visual hallucinations, tremors, mood swings and delirium. With an attack of delirium tremens, body temperature and blood pressure rise. The whites of the eyes turn yellow and the skin turns pale. The danger of this condition lies in the fact that the patient is not aware of the very fact of deviant behavior and can harm both himself and others.

Try to remove piercing and cutting objects from the addict's field of vision, because often in a fit of delirium tremens, due to hallucinations, the patient begins to hear and see snakes, mice, cockroaches and various fantastic creatures. Usually in visions there are characters who have caused disgust or fear in the past, as well as people who are capable of causing moral harm or harm to health in the present.

Because of hallucinations in alcoholism, the addict has bouts of uncontrolled aggression. If possible, put the patient to bed, call an ambulance and do not leave the room until she arrives. In no case do not try to self-medicate, as the consequences of alcoholism in this state can be unpredictable. In this case, the addict needs urgent hospitalization in a drug treatment clinic.

If we consider alcoholism and its consequences from this point of view, then for a person leading a similar alcoholic lifestyle, everything is much more complicated. In particular, the patient faces a number of social problems.

The destruction of the family

Relationships built over the years collapse almost overnight if a person prefers alcohol. Once loved ones become enemies. Fear, tension, resentment, bitterness and aggression are constantly present in the home of an alcoholic. Scandals and fights are not excluded, which will lead to psychological trauma in children (if there are any in the family of a drunkard).

People who drink against the background of their own addiction lose not only relatives, but also friends/colleagues. And if at first the environment of an addicted person tries to save him (to solve problems, relieve pain or help to cope with a difficult situation that provoked alcoholism), then over time, if drinking people have no motivation to stop drinking, the whole environment simply turns away from the alcoholic and his illness.

The destruction of the family

As you know, an addicted person changes not only his life for the worse, but also the lives of his loved ones. So what are the social consequences of alcoholism? Children of people with alcohol addiction often suffer from behavioral and mental disorders. In addition, in families in which one of the members suffers from such a kind of deviant behavior as addiction, other relatives often become co-dependent.

A codependent person is not free in his thoughts, feelings and behavior, because now his only problems are “when he gets home - he doesn’t get there”, “he came - he didn’t come”, “sold - he didn’t sell”, “stole - he didn’t steal”, “burned - didn’t burn,” etc. Among other social consequences of alcoholism is alcohol mortality, which in Russia is 600-700 people a year. Driving under the influence of alcohol also causes serious harm.

Alcoholism as a habit

In alcohol research, we use the term "habit", by which we mean the situation in which very often people drink automatically when they are placed in a certain set of situations. They do this not because they feel good about drinking, not because they consciously make such a choice, but simply because such behavior has become a routine, the context of certain situations arouses the desire to drink.

Often people say that they drank in a situation where they did not intend to drink at all. For example, they drove home, stopped at their favorite bar without hesitation and had already drunk a glass before they realized what was happening. It's hard to explain because people don't understand their own behavior. In other words, they don't understand why they take alcohol when it doesn't make them feel good.

Cognitive and behavioral treatment for alcoholism is designed to teach people to avoid doing things automatically. We tell people to avoid people, places, and situations that trigger alcohol cravings. It could be stress, bars or parties. If people around drink, we teach them to recognize the risks and evaluate the chances when drinking alcohol.

Now we understand that alcoholism develops under the influence of society, and then becomes a habit as a result of a biological process in the brain. These types of alcoholism work through neighboring but different circuits in the brain.

You can think along these lines: the things we choose to do are naturally under our control and we can repress them, but the behavior that emerges from the primitive parts of the brain is difficult to control. It's like trying to eat just one potato wedge when we have a whole bag of chips.

Future Research Directions

It is important to note the risk mechanisms of alcoholism because they can generate new ideas about how to treat alcoholism. For example, scientists started a 5-year project in which we are testing a drug that can change the body's sensitivity to alcohol by restarting NMDA receptors - not by blocking receptors, but by changing the balance of receptors on the neuron membrane. This is just one example of new approaches scientists are trying to develop.

Medications can be developed that target habitual or purposeful alcohol consumption. For example, memantine, an NMDA receptor that blocks glutamate, works in many cases in the same way that a good drug for alcoholism would work. If given to a person in a lab, memantine blocks some of the effects of alcohol and reduces cravings. However, if you give it to people who drink out of habit, it will not work.

In other words, habitual alcohol consumption is not controlled by this drug, although it works with purposeful consumption. This is opposite to the effect of naltrexone. It does not reduce the stimulant effects of alcohol, nor does it reduce alcohol cravings, but in habitual drinkers, it does reduce intake.

Understanding the different reasons people consume alcohol can help us develop new ways to treat alcoholism. This could help build existing drugs into more sophisticated therapies that would treat both the behavioral and physical aspects and help people cope with stress, as well as give them chemical protection against alcoholism.

- a disease in which there is a physical and mental dependence on alcohol. It is accompanied by increased craving for alcohol, inability to regulate the amount of alcohol consumed, a tendency to binge drinking, the occurrence of a pronounced withdrawal syndrome, a decrease in control over one's own behavior and motivations, progressive mental degradation and toxic damage to internal organs. Alcoholism is an irreversible condition, the patient can only completely stop drinking alcohol. The use of the smallest doses of alcohol, even after a long period of abstinence, causes a breakdown and further progression of the disease.

General information

Alcoholism is the most common type of substance abuse, mental and physical dependence on the intake of ethanol-containing drinks, accompanied by progressive degradation of the personality and a characteristic lesion of internal organs. Experts believe that the prevalence of alcoholism is directly related to an increase in the standard of living of the population. In recent decades, the number of patients with alcoholism has been growing, according to WHO, there are currently about 140 million alcoholics in the world.

The disease develops gradually. The likelihood of alcoholism depends on many factors, including the characteristics of the psyche, social environment, national and family traditions, as well as genetic predisposition. Children of people suffering from alcoholism become alcoholics more often than children of non-drinking parents, which may be due to certain character traits, genetically determined metabolic characteristics and the formation of a negative life scenario. Non-drinking children of alcoholics often show a tendency to co-dependent behavior and form families with alcoholics. Treatment of alcoholism is carried out by specialists in the field of narcology.

Ethanol metabolism and dependence development

The main component of alcoholic beverages is ethanol. Small amounts of this chemical compound are part of the natural metabolic processes in the human body. Normally, the ethanol content is not more than 0.18 ppm. Exogenous (external) ethanol is rapidly absorbed in the digestive tract, enters the bloodstream and affects nerve cells. The maximum intoxication occurs 1.5-3 hours after drinking alcohol. When taking too much alcohol, a gag reflex occurs. As alcoholism develops, this reflex weakens.

About 90% of the alcohol taken is oxidized in the cells, broken down in the liver and excreted from the body as end products of metabolism. The remaining 10% is excreted unprocessed through the kidneys and lungs. Ethanol is excreted from the body within about a day. In chronic alcoholism, the intermediate products of ethanol breakdown remain in the body and have a negative effect on the activity of all organs.

The development of mental dependence in alcoholism is due to the effect of ethanol on the nervous system. After taking alcohol, a person feels euphoria. Anxiety is reduced, the level of self-confidence increases, it becomes easier to communicate. Basically, people are trying to use alcohol as a simple, affordable, fast-acting antidepressant and stress reliever. As a “one-time help”, this method sometimes really works - a person temporarily relieves tension, feels satisfied and relaxed.

However, the intake of alcohol is not natural and physiological. Over time, the need for alcohol increases. A person, who is not yet an alcoholic, begins to drink alcohol regularly, not noticing gradual changes: an increase in the required dose, the appearance of memory lapses, etc. When these changes become significant, it turns out that psychological dependence is already combined with physical dependence, and independently refuse drinking alcohol is very difficult or almost impossible.

Alcoholism is a disease closely related to social interactions. At the initial stage, people often drink alcohol due to family, national or corporate traditions. In a drinking environment, it is more difficult for a person to remain a teetotaler, since the concept of “normal behavior” is shifting. In socially prosperous patients, alcoholism may be due to a high level of stress at work, the tradition of "washing" successful transactions, etc. However, regardless of the root cause, the consequences of regular alcohol intake will be the same - alcoholism will occur with progressive mental degradation and deterioration in health.

Consequences of drinking alcohol

Alcohol has a depressant effect on the nervous system. At first, euphoria occurs, accompanied by some excitement, a decrease in criticism of one's own behavior and ongoing events, as well as a deterioration in coordination of movements and a slowdown in reaction. Subsequently, excitement is replaced by drowsiness. When taking large doses of alcohol, contact with the outside world is increasingly lost. There is a progressive distraction of attention in combination with a decrease in temperature and pain sensitivity.

The severity of movement disorders depends on the degree of intoxication. In severe intoxication, a gross static and dynamic ataxia is observed - a person cannot maintain a vertical position of the body, his movements are highly uncoordinated. Violated control over the activity of the pelvic organs. When taking excessive doses of alcohol, weakening of breathing, cardiac disturbances, stupor and coma may occur. Possible fatal outcome.

In chronic alcoholism, typical lesions of the nervous system due to prolonged intoxication are noted. During the exit from hard drinking, alcoholic delirium (delirious tremens) may develop. Somewhat less frequently, patients suffering from alcoholism are diagnosed with alcoholic encephalopathy (hallucinosis, delusions), depression and alcoholic epilepsy. Unlike delirium tremens, these conditions are not necessarily associated with an abrupt cessation of drinking. In patients with alcoholism, a gradual mental degradation, a narrowing of the range of interests, cognitive disorders, a decrease in intelligence, etc. are revealed. In the later stages of alcoholism, alcoholic polyneuropathy is often observed.

Typical disorders of the gastrointestinal tract include pain in the stomach, gastritis, erosion of the gastric mucosa, as well as atrophy of the intestinal mucosa. Acute complications are possible in the form of bleeding caused by gastric ulceration or violent vomiting with mucosal tears in the transitional section between the stomach and esophagus. Due to atrophic changes in the intestinal mucosa in patients with alcoholism, the absorption of vitamins and microelements worsens, metabolism is disturbed, and vitamin deficiency occurs.

Liver cells in alcoholism are replaced by connective tissue, liver cirrhosis develops. Acute pancreatitis, which occurred against the background of alcohol intake, is accompanied by severe endogenous intoxication, may be complicated by acute renal failure, cerebral edema and hypovolemic shock. Mortality in acute pancreatitis ranges from 7 to 70%. Characteristic disorders of other organs and systems in alcoholism include cardiomyopathy, alcoholic nephropathy, anemia, and immune disorders. Alcoholics are at increased risk of developing subarachnoid hemorrhages and some forms of cancer.

Symptoms and stages of alcoholism

There are three stages of alcoholism and a prodrome - a condition when the patient is not yet an alcoholic, but regularly consumes alcohol and is at risk of developing this disease. At the prodrome stage, a person willingly takes alcohol in the company and, as a rule, rarely drinks alone. The use of alcohol occurs in accordance with the circumstances (a celebration, a friendly meeting, a rather significant pleasant or unpleasant event, etc.). The patient can stop taking alcohol at any time without suffering any unpleasant consequences. He has no desire to continue drinking after the event is over and easily returns to normal sobriety.

The first stage of alcoholism accompanied by increased craving for alcohol. The need for alcohol resembles hunger or thirst and is exacerbated in adverse circumstances: quarrels with loved ones, problems at work, an increase in the overall level of stress, fatigue, etc. If an alcoholic patient does not manage to drink, he is distracted and cravings for alcohol temporarily decreases until the next adverse situation. If alcohol is available, the alcoholic drinks more than the prodrome. He tries to achieve a state of pronounced intoxication by drinking in company or drinking alcohol alone. It is more difficult for him to stop, he strives to continue the "holiday" and continues to drink even after the end of the event.

Characteristic features of this stage of alcoholism are the extinction of the gag reflex, aggressiveness, irritability and memory lapses. The patient takes alcohol irregularly, periods of absolute sobriety may alternate with isolated cases of alcohol consumption or be replaced by binges lasting several days. Criticism of one's own behavior is reduced even during the period of sobriety, a patient with alcoholism tries in every possible way to justify his need for alcohol, finds all sorts of "worthy reasons", shifts the responsibility for his drinking to others, etc.

The second stage of alcoholism manifested by an increase in the amount of alcohol consumed. A person takes more alcohol than before, while the ability to control the intake of ethanol-containing drinks disappears after the first dose. Against the background of a sharp refusal of alcohol, an abstinence syndrome occurs: tachycardia, increased blood pressure, sleep disturbances, trembling fingers, vomiting when taking liquids and food. Perhaps the development of delirium tremens, accompanied by fever, chills and hallucinations.

The third stage of alcoholism manifested by a decrease in tolerance to alcohol. To achieve intoxication, it is enough for a patient suffering from alcoholism to take a very small dose of alcohol (about one glass). When taking subsequent doses, the state of the patient with alcoholism practically does not change, despite the increase in the concentration of alcohol in the blood. There is an uncontrollable craving for alcohol. Drinking alcohol becomes constant, the duration of binges increases. When you refuse to take ethanol-containing drinks, delirium tremens often develops. Mental degradation is noted in combination with pronounced changes in internal organs.

Treatment and rehabilitation for alcoholism

Prognosis for alcoholism

The prognosis depends on the duration and intensity of alcohol intake. At the first stage of alcoholism, the chances of a cure are quite high, but at this stage, patients often do not consider themselves alcoholics, so they do not seek medical help. In the presence of physical dependence, remission for a year or more is observed in only 50-60% of patients. Narcologists note that the likelihood of long-term remission increases significantly with the active desire of the patient to refuse to take alcohol.

The life expectancy of patients suffering from alcoholism is 15 years less than the average for the population. The cause of death is typical chronic diseases and acute conditions: alcoholic delirium, stroke, cardiovascular insufficiency and cirrhosis of the liver. Alcoholics are more likely to have accidents and are more likely to commit suicide. Among this population group, there is a high level of early disability due to the consequences of injuries, organ pathology and severe metabolic disorders.

Content

For many people, alcoholic beverages are an essential attribute of any holiday or party. Often, drinking another glass of wine or a glass of strong liquor, a person does not think that in addition to pleasant sensations, the heady liquid is harmful. Excessive alcohol consumption leads to irreversible consequences: at certain stages of alcohol dependence, severe pathologies of the nervous and other body systems are detected.

What is alcohol

From a scientific point of view, alcohol is directly ethyl alcohol. Ethanol is a colorless liquid with a specific taste and smell. This type of alcohol is obtained by fermentation or artificially. The substance is used as a disinfectant, fuel, solvent. In everyday life, alcohol is called drinks, which include ethanol in different concentrations.

What harms alcohol

Once in the human body, alcohol acts as a solvent, destroying the fatty membrane of red blood cells. As a result, the blood cells stick together. Such formations can block blood flow in small capillaries. The process leads to the fact that the brain receives insufficient oxygen and nutrients, its cells die. Malfunctions of the central nervous system contribute to the disruption of the functioning of other organs. A large amount of alcohol causes chronic, irreversible pathologies.

What happens if you drink

The consequences of drinking alcohol are associated with the toxic effects of ethyl alcohol on the body of men and women. The severity of the side effects of drinks is related to their strength, quantity and frequency of drinking. Drinking small amounts of alcohol at important events may not be harmful. Excessive consumption threatens the development of alcoholic encephalopathy, the formation of dependence, disruption of the internal organs, social degradation and other negative consequences.

moderate use

According to some experts, moderate drinking in quantities permitted by the WHO does not cause much harm to the body, does not form dependence, and does not lead to a state of intoxication. Alcohol in small doses can be useful for disease prevention, as it makes the defense systems work. It should be remembered that this method of preventing ailments is very dangerous, especially for people who have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism.

Daily use

Representatives of the World Health Organization warn that the use of ethanol on a daily basis is strictly prohibited. Drinking every day, a person runs the risk of gradually becoming addictive. There is a risk of loss of control, the desire to systematically increase the dose - this is a direct path to alcoholism, the acquisition of mental and physical health disorders. It is recommended to take breaks of several days so that toxins are eliminated from the body.

Abuse

The body perceives increased doses of strong alcohol as poison, so you harm yourself, even if you get drunk very rarely. A large amount of alcohol negatively affects the brain, liver, cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract. Constant abuse of alcohol can cause persistent dependence, which leads to irreversible consequences.

alcohol addiction

Once inside the body, elevated concentrations of alcohol can cause persistent dependence. This is explained by the toxic properties of ethanol. Alcoholism is a disease that is characterized by constant, uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, a pathological attraction to the state of intoxication, a change in tolerance to alcohol. Experts distinguish the following signs of the disease:

• The presence of alcohol withdrawal syndrome - when you refuse to drink alcohol, the patient experiences negative physical and psychological changes.
• The desire to drink appears in any situation that has emotional significance.
• Changes in behavior are detected: memory lapses, aggressiveness, lack of desire to communicate with loved ones, etc.
• Lack of a system, alcohol consumption can last more than a day (binge binges).
• Increased tolerance to ethyl alcohol, increased alcohol rejection threshold.
• Constant hangover, desire to drink to remove its symptoms.
• The presence of certain external manifestations (bruising, thickening of the veins, rapid aging of the skin).

When is a person considered an alcoholic?

Experts recommend to distinguish between domestic drunkenness and alcoholism. In the first case, a person can afford to drink systematically, but the cessation of alcohol-containing drinks does not bring serious consequences, aggression, occurs at will. This condition is not classified as a disease. An alcoholic is a person who suffers from alcoholism. He is not able to control his desire to drink, the amount of alcohol consumed, he is prone to binges.

Causes

Every person can get addicted to alcohol if they stop controlling themselves, since some cultural characteristics provoke people to use intoxicating drinks during hours of joy, sadness, and on holidays. There are 2 groups of citizens who are especially prone to addiction to ethanol. Experts identify the following causes of alcoholism:

• hereditary predisposition. People with alcoholic ancestors may receive genetic material that is responsible for a high risk of addiction to alcohol.
• Psychological factors. Emotional experiences (loss of work, unhappy love, death of loved ones) can cause addiction to alcohol. A person tries to drink alcohol to relax, to avoid moral trauma. As a result, he acquires a constant craving for ethanol.

How alcoholism develops

A dangerous factor in the development of alcoholism is that persistent addiction can occur unnoticed by the patient. A person begins to drink alcohol in companies on holidays or periodically drink to calm his nerves. At this stage, ethanol may not cause adverse reactions. The feeling of relaxation and fun leads to the fact that drinking becomes more frequent. As a result, a person becomes addicted, he begins to show symptoms of alcoholism. Gradually, there is a decomposition of the personality, there comes a physical craving for alcohol.

Stages of alcoholism

Experts distinguish 3 degrees of alcoholism. Each stage is characterized by the following factors:

• First degree - at this stage of the development of the disease, the patient often has a desire to drink alcohol. If it is not satisfied, it disappears after a while. When the patient drinks, there is a sharp loss of control over the amount of alcohol consumed. The person becomes aggressive, irritable, there are episodes of memory loss. Every drunkenness has some reason or other that the patient thinks up to justify it. An alcoholic ceases to evaluate it as a negative phenomenon.
• The second stage is characterized by an increase in tolerance to alcoholic beverages. At this stage, physical dependence is formed: withdrawal syndrome, headache, thirst, irritability, hand and body tremor, sleep disturbances. With a sharp interruption of binge, complications may occur.
• The third stage is the craving for alcohol. There are mental disorders leading to amnesia. There is a rapid growth of physical, social and personal degradation. Binge provokes severe depletion of the body, if its interruption occurs without medical intervention, the occurrence of metal-alcohol psychosis is possible.

Life expectancy of an alcoholic

The question of how long alcoholics live cannot be given an unequivocal answer, since the body of each person individually reacts to ethyl alcohol. An important factor is the quality of drinks and the quantity of their use. Drinking a glass of good wine with dinner can lead to a long and happy life. According to many scientists, some people may even benefit from it.

The use of cheap drinks, a surrogate, can cause not only damage to internal organs, but also acute intoxication. According to statistics, the average life expectancy of an alcoholic is 48-55 years. However, the period may be shorter for women, heavy drinkers and people who started drinking alcoholic beverages as teenagers. Patients in the 3rd stage of addiction have the highest risk of mortality. They die from severe organ pathologies, living 6-7 years after such a diagnosis.

Consequences of drinking alcohol

Excessive alcohol consumption at any age causes an increased risk of diseases of the body systems, disrupts the activity of the human brain. The consequences of such processes are irreversible changes in the psyche, a decrease in social activity, and physical harm to the patient. With regular use, a person experiences constant poisoning, which causes deposits of harmful substances inside the body.

Social Consequences

Alcohol addiction directly affects not only the patient himself, but also his family, circle of friends, and career. The patient is faced with economic difficulties, since a lot of money is spent on the purchase of alcohol. In addition, addiction can cause problems at work, as an alcoholic is unable to perform his functions properly, misses work days due to a hangover.

Constant drunkenness also has a devastating effect on the patient's family. This happens because conflicts become more frequent, the patient becomes aggressive. The life of the alcoholic and those around him is threatened by drunk driving. When driving after drinking alcohol, the likelihood of an accident increases significantly. People who are under the influence of alcohol are more at risk of committing a crime.

Health implications

Alcohol dependence has a significant impact on the patient's physical and mental health. Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages can cause the following effects of alcoholism:

• The toxic effect of ethanol on neurons (nerve cells) and brain structures begins even when small doses of the substance enter the body. Experts note a violation of the activity of control centers, failures in the regulatory mechanisms of the cortex. Such processes contribute to a rapid change in mood, partial loss of control over actions, irritability, aggressiveness, and the emergence of mental disorders.
• Pathological processes in neurons adversely affect the functioning of the sense organs, the intellectual abilities of the patient, his memory. With the systematic consumption of alcohol, chronic encephalopathy is observed, a cerebral infarction is possible. Prolonged exposure to alcohol provokes Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's.
• Cerebral vessels become brittle, aneurysms can form with subsequent ruptures. The risk of blood clots, circulatory disorders, atrophic phenomena of the auditory and optic nerves, ischemic strokes of the spinal cord and brain increases. Gradually, chronic alcoholism leads to irreversible mental illness, complete degradation of the individual.
• The consequences of drinking alcohol on the part of the cardiovascular system are: cardiomyopathy with the development of heart failure, hypertension with a tendency to rupture of arteries, veins, aneurysms, ischemia, myocardial infarction, blockade and arrhythmias.
• The negative impact of frequent alcohol consumption on the human reproductive system consists in impaired viability and maturation of germ cells, the formation of infertility, and a high risk of congenital fetal pathologies. For men, the danger is a decrease in erection, leading to the gradual development of impotence. Also, with prolonged use, persistent hormonal disorders occur.
• Frequent consequences of alcoholism are ulcerative-necrotic and inflammatory processes of the stomach (gastritis, peptic ulcer), lesions of the pancreas, accompanied by chronic pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus. Gradually, doctors note the exhaustion of the whole organism, associated with metabolic disorders and a decrease in appetite. Perhaps the appearance of oncological diseases of the stomach and intestines.
• Liver diseases are considered by experts as the most dangerous consequences of systematic drunkenness. Organ cells cannot cope with chronic intoxication, so alcoholics often suffer from fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatitis.

If alcohol is consumed frequently and in excess, it can lead not only to addiction, but can also be the cause of many organic diseases. Ethanol itself, and its components that appear during the production of alcoholic beverages, can adversely affect health.

♦ Alcoholic beverages contribute to the development of various diseases and exacerbate the symptoms of existing ones.

The following organs are most often affected:

• liver (alcoholic steatosis of the liver, hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver);
• stomach (gastric ulcer, dyspepsia, gastroesophageal reflux);
• colon (colon cancer);
• pancreas (pancreatitis).

About the reasons

According to experts, all causes of alcoholism can be divided into three categories.

1. Physiological factors.
2. Psychological factors.
3. social factors.

How do people become alcoholics? There are a lot of diverse and contradictory answers to this question both among the alcohol addicts themselves, and among those who have to deal with them personally, and among those who look at the problem from the outside and from above. Everyone has their own cause of illness.

Often drinking citizens themselves say: "we are not like that, life is like that." Like, life is so hard that otherwise stress can not be removed.

The main causes of alcoholism are psychological. After all, alcohol "solves" all problems: the shy becomes sociable, the weak becomes strong, the cowardly becomes courageous. Drinking cancels some of the inhibition reactions, grabbing at the same time the cells of the brain itself.

Alcoholics become like vulnerable people (those who do not know how to find themselves in life and take a place in it where they feel comfortable; those who are usually not heard are not noticed by others; those who do not know how to express their feelings to others) and strong, successful people.

For example, men who, due to a falsely understood masculine responsibility, role in life, take on too much work, and, having got used to being constantly in tension, they can only relieve this tension with the help of alcohol.

It happens that someone "drinks down" after a specific event, which, as it seems to him, completely broke his life: for example, after being fired from work, divorce, death of someone close.

To solve problems with the help of drinking, as a rule, those who are accustomed from childhood to see that others go into a binge from their troubles begin.

Many physiological and social factors affect whether a person will suffer from alcohol dependence. Even before birth, parents can reward a child with a predisposition to addiction.

Of course, it is not at all necessary for the children of alcoholics to be susceptible to the disease. But the probability of this grows to large percentages. In addition, the example of constantly drinking parents for a growing child does not bode well.

Only as a result of frequent regular libations, drinking with or without reason, does this craving appear. And it is formed far from immediately, but unfortunately it is almost inevitable. Naturally, the main cause of alcoholism is the use of alcohol.

Only, unlike drunkenness, the reason is the deprivation of freedom of choice - “to drink or not to drink”, only a superficial illusion of this freedom remains, nothing more. With alcoholism, the question - to drink or not to drink - is decided unambiguously.

The causes of drunkenness and alcoholism is a question that, for all its obviousness, does not have a definite answer ... But the connection: drunkenness and alcoholism lies on the surface. These negative social phenomena always go side by side.

However, a complete analogy between drunkenness and alcoholism should not be drawn; although they are close concepts, they are not synonyms.

Any alcoholic was once the usual representative of moderate drinkers.

And alcoholism, a serious drug disease, did not form overnight, because a person did not become sick immediately.

Who gets addicted to alcohol?

It is no secret to anyone that it is systematic drunkenness that is the cause of alcohol dependence - alcoholism, like a disease.

Yes, drinking that lasts for many months and even years eventually leads to the development of alcoholism.

In fact, although alcohol abuse is the main cause of the disease, it is by no means the only one.

Most people, the dominant part of the population, drink alcohol from time to time.

Some representatives and representatives of humanity even allow myself to abuse alcohol.

All the causes of the development of this disease can be divided into social, physiological and psychological factors.

stages

Experts identify three main stages in the development of alcoholism.

There are four stages of dependence. The stage preceding the disease, called the prodrome, is characterized by situational drunkenness. A person can drink alcohol in the company, but not get drunk to certain consequences and memory loss.

After that, he is not interested in morbid liquor and is not worried about their absence. There are no signs of dependence, but with such daily use in the company, alcoholism enters the initial stage.

For some, the interval between these stages is about a year, and for someone, 6 months is enough.

What are the symptoms of coma as a consequence of alcoholism? Why is the first degree the most dangerous?

The first degree of coma (superficial) is characterized by vomiting, rapid heartbeat, loss of consciousness. Muscles come into hypertonicity, the skin turns blue or becomes crimson, cold sweat appears.

The man's hands are shaking, his legs are failing. There is a violation of speech: the injured person makes slurred sounds.

Such a state of a person can be calmly perceived by others: "he just went over", "he will oversleep and get on his feet." But in fact, if such a person does not receive help on time, then mental disorders and other health problems await him.

Symptoms of the second degree - a sharp decrease in pressure, slow breathing, rapid heartbeat. Legs and arms are no longer shaking - they completely fail.

The pupils do not react to light. Incontinence of urine, feces is characteristic - involuntary defecation and urination occurs.

Urinary and fecal incontinence is a sign that a person has completely lost control of the body, and basic physiological functions are failing.

Deep alcoholic coma. Symptoms: heart rate, body temperature and pressure drop to a critical level, there are no reflexes, there is no reaction to pain and light, convulsions may occur.

The skin takes on a bluish tint. Damage to the brain, heart and other organs is tantamount to a stroke - coma leads to irreversible health consequences.

First stage. The patient quite often feels the desire to drink alcohol.

If the desire could not be satisfied, then for a while it passes. In the case when it is possible to consume alcohol, control of the amount of alcohol consumed is sharply lost.

The state of intoxication is characterized by aggressiveness, irritability, memory loss. The alcoholic loses a negative attitude towards drunkenness, there are constant justifications for each case of alcohol consumption.

The WHO (World Health Organization) classifies the stages of alcohol abuse and harmful effects into three levels:

1. Potential danger. It includes the amount of alcohol taken that carries potential (expected) harm to the social, mental and physical health of a person. This is a dose of alcohol that exceeds, from a medical point of view, acceptable.
2. Harmful use. Regular intake of alcoholic beverages, already a habit. Such doses noticeably cause tangible harm to health, but do not yet cause dependence.
3. chronic abuse. This stage refers to complete alcohol dependence and is a disease. A person can no longer feel normal without a dose of alcohol and drinks constantly.

What is the danger of alcohol

The body is a well-established system with its own level of protection against poisons and toxins. But alcohol is insidious, the organs of the body are able to excrete only 5% of the deadly ethyl alcohol along with urine and sweat.

The remaining 95% freely enter the gastrointestinal tract, circulatory and nervous system, precipitate the liver, brain, kidneys. The destructive effect of alcohol on the human body begins.

Once in the internal organs, ethanol undergoes oxidation processes, and then is processed. Oxidized, ethyl alcohol corrodes the tissues and cells of the body, leading to the formation of scars, ulcers, burns. Damaged tissues die off, and organs gradually cease to function normally.

A lethal dose for a person is the simultaneous intake of alcohol in the amount of 1-1.5 liters.

Alcohol is a ruthless killer. Disappointing statistics give horrific figures: every year more than 500,000 people die from alcohol poisoning, diseases caused by ethanol, and accidents. The effect of alcohol on the human body causes:

• 50-60% accidents;
• 35-40% suicides;
• 30% male and 15% female deaths.

2 Female and teenage alcoholism - the danger of alcohol for mother and child

But the main reason for alcoholism is usually that a person during the period of his formation did not have such basic ideas about his personality and relationships with other people that would help him avoid this disaster.

Also, the reason may be the lack of love and warmth on the part of adults in childhood, or, conversely, excessive guardianship on the part of adults. Or the complete absence of prohibitions when the child is spoiled too much.

The main advice in this situation is for the parents themselves to replace most of the feasts with wine for feasts with tea parties.

Rodion Chepalov (practicing psychologist, coach)

Consequences of female alcoholism

The main patterns of the development of the disease in both the female and male bodies are almost identical. However, experts call a group of characteristic features that allow isolating this problem.

The abuse of alcohol by the fair sex has even more horrific consequences, since all ladies sooner or later become mothers.

If a woman continues to drink alcohol during pregnancy, the likelihood of having a child with the so-called alcohol syndrome increases.

These are gross morphological disorders, characterized by incorrect proportions of the face and body. A newborn may have a wide bridge of the nose, spherical eyes, underdevelopment of the jaw bones, or other pathologies.

In addition, alcoholism and its consequences for the mental development of a child are simply terrible. In such children, as a rule, congenital brain insufficiency and retarded mental development are diagnosed.

Alcoholic parents have children growing up in a very difficult environment, which is reflected in their psyche. That is why they are often diagnosed with enuresis, stuttering, aggressiveness, leaving home are possible.

The emotional state of such children is extremely unstable, in some cases there is a tendency to suicide.

During pregnancy

To date, a proven fact is the negative impact of strong drinks on the state of the reproductive system of women and the health of the fetus when drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

Therefore, frequent consequences of alcohol abuse in childbearing age are infertility, chronic miscarriage or the birth of a child with genetic anomalies (Down syndrome, autism, polydactyly and other complex genetic anomalies).

Conception while intoxicated is considered no less dangerous - this can also lead to the birth of a child with pathologies of the neuropsychic sphere or congenital anomalies (brain atrophy, combined congenital heart defects, eye anomalies).

Alcoholic drinks that a woman consumes during pregnancy cause irreparable harm to the health of the unborn child - it does not matter in which trimester of pregnancy the pregnant woman consumes strong drinks.

This is manifested by persistent toxicosis, threats of abortion, nephropathies and exacerbation of somatic diseases. At the same time, chronic intrauterine fetal hypoxia, the development of intrauterine malnutrition, and significant morphofunctional immaturity of the baby are noted.

It is important to remember that the most dangerous period for the fetus is the first trimester of pregnancy. During this period, all the main organs and systems of the baby are laid and formed, so any dose of alcohol, even the smallest one, can cause various developmental pathologies - congenital anomalies of the neural tube, eyes, cardiovascular system, and digestive tract.

The consequences of frequent and uncontrolled alcohol intake in the third trimester of pregnancy is the likelihood of having a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome.

Symptoms

Since it is difficult to cure alcohol addiction, it is very important for successful rehabilitation to identify this addiction as early as possible. To determine whether a person is susceptible to alcohol, the main signs of the disease will help. Consider the symptoms of alcoholism.

1. Alcoholism begins when a person develops and develops a tolerance for alcohol. Gradually, the main dose increases, and the body begins to demand more.
2. Hangover syndrome and the need to get drunk. The following symptoms can be identified: headache, nausea, dizziness, thirst, physical lethargy and emotional depression.
3. The disease manifests itself in a daily strong desire to drink, as well as loss of control over the amount of alcohol taken.
4. At the moment of intoxication, the addict ceases to control himself and begins to behave inappropriately, making scandals, using profanity and violating the rules of cultural behavior in public places.
5. The next signs of alcoholism are that after drinking alcohol, a person has memory loss: he does not remember what he said and what he did.
6. A drunken state during which the alcoholic cannot stop drinking for a long time.
7. Alcohol dependence is also manifested at the physical level. Alcohol leads to health problems, having a detrimental effect on the entire body. A person sleeps poorly, cannot stand bright light, suffers from headaches and hallucinations.
8. At the final stage, alcoholism leads to complete degradation. An alcoholic completely drops out of society, the only goal for him is a new portion of alcohol. This is manifested in the fact that the personality changes almost beyond recognition.

All of these symptoms will help diagnose alcohol addiction.

A person who is addicted to alcohol is not able to overcome this disease on his own. In this case, you should seek medical help.

The treatment of alcoholism is carried out by a narcologist, in many cases a consultation with a psychotherapist is also required.

Drunkenness and alcoholism are sometimes difficult to distinguish from each other.

The problem is that one of the symptoms of alcoholism, “denial”, does not allow a person to objectively assess his condition and control it.

Therefore, the so-called domestic drunkenness is often already the first or even the second stage of alcoholism.

Is alcoholism different from drunkenness?

If a person asks the question, what is the difference between an alcoholic and a drunkard, it means that he does not distinguish dependence on alcohol (alcoholism) from its social manifestations (drunkenness).

That is, alcoholism and drunkenness are concepts related to various areas of human life: social and medical-psychological.

Practically, a drunkard and an alcoholic are two sides of the same coin. Treatment for drunkenness is a misconception. Alcoholism can be treated.

Russian doctors determine the diagnosis of "alcoholism" by the presence of the following symptoms:

1. when taking a large amount of alcohol, there is no gag reflex;
2. loss of control over the amount of alcohol consumed;
3. retrograde partial amnesia - a person does not remember what is happening during and after drinking alcohol;
4. there is a morning hangover;
5. binges.

Alcoholism treatment

After the diagnosis has been made, the doctor can prescribe various methods of treatment: from outpatient to inpatient. Drug therapy is used, as well as psychotherapeutic methods of working with alcoholics (family, individual, group sessions).

The main point in the treatment of alcoholism is the complete rejection of alcohol for life, since even a single use of alcohol returns the alcoholic to the same path.

At the beginning of treatment, a special role is given to the elimination of the withdrawal syndrome and the mitigation of alcohol dependence. To stop alcohol intoxication, drugs are used that increase metabolism and remove ethanol from the body.

Alcoholism and its consequences lead to the fact that it is extremely difficult to limit oneself to drug treatment. Alcoholics need intensive psychotherapy, since a stable remission is possible only with a full treatment.

In order to appreciate the seriousness of such a problem as chronic alcoholism, it is necessary to realize the social damage. Because of the addiction to alcohol, families break up, sick children are born, who in the future can also become alcoholics.

The number of crimes committed due to intoxication or in order to obtain alcohol is steadily increasing. Due to the prevalence of alcoholism, there is a decrease in the general intellectual level of society, which leads to the degradation and disappearance of cultural values.

Due to health problems, the number of able-bodied population is decreasing. The consequences of alcoholism are terrible not only for the person himself.

They affect society and degrade the genotype of the entire nation. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on the prevention of this terrible disease, and not on its treatment.

Treating an alcoholic is no easy task. For a positive result, a great desire of the patient himself to be cured is necessary. But, as a rule, with the obvious presence of alcoholism, the patient refuses to recognize himself as such.

Treatment methods are applied physical and psychological. A combination of these methods is essential for success. Psychological (hypnosis, coding, prayers) will help strengthen the patient's mood to refuse alcohol, and the use of physical methods will help not to break loose.

We have already briefly described the treatment of alcoholism depending on its stages. In most cases, relapse can occur after treatment.

This is due to the fact that treatment is often aimed only at eliminating the most acute manifestations of alcoholism. Without properly conducted psychotherapy, lack of support from loved ones, alcoholism recurs.

But as practice shows, it is psychotherapy that is an important component of treatment.

Alcohol addiction is well treated in the early stages of the disease, but the second stage is far from a sentence. Treatment of the consequences of alcoholism is a set of measures that restore health and get rid of alcohol addiction.

The patient is prescribed drug treatment, psychotherapy to restore the nervous system and adapt to the outside world. Coding, hypnosis, insertion of special substances to suppress the desire to drink can be used.

Surmach Oleg Alexandrovich, narcologist Constant scandals are a common occurrence when one of the family members suffers from alcoholism. Without drinking, the patient is in a bad mood, can be rude and even assault in some cases.

Even after undergoing a course of treatment, problems at work or some other life situations that have developed can cause a breakdown and cause a binge with all the consequences.

Due to the severe consequences of alcoholism, measures must be taken to prevent it. Alcohol addiction is easier to prevent than to cure.

To date, the treatment of alcoholism is quite effective. According to statistics, with the right approach, out of 100 patients, 85 can stop taking alcohol. Alcoholism treatment includes the following steps:

1. Relief of alcohol intoxication and removal of hangover sensations;
2. Help in the post-withdrawal period, characterized by periodic craving for alcohol, mood swings, neurological and somatic disorders of varying severity;
3. Stabilization of remission, prevention of possible relapses.

The treatment of alcoholism involves not only the use of medications, but also psychotherapy, without which it is almost impossible to cure the disease. The effectiveness of the popular coding of alcoholism is now low (especially repeated), after it only 10-15 percent of patients stop drinking.

Also, the introduction of various means (usually pacifiers) is characterized by low efficiency - 7-12 percent. At the same time, the treatment of alcoholism is possible with the use of drugs that not only suppress cravings for alcohol, but also make it impossible to take it.

It is necessary that the patient learn to control his thinking, mood and behavior.
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Consequences of drunkenness

If the reader is interested in a message on the topic of alcoholism and its consequences, then the information below will be of interest. First of all, we will consider, as a result of which an addicted person (leading an alcoholic lifestyle) becomes disabled over time.

In particular, the following diseases lead to the disability of drinking people:

• Cirrhosis of the liver. It develops against the background of constant poisoning of the body with ethanol. Over time, in drinking people, healthy liver cells are replaced by fibrous tissue, which leads to the death of the organ. As a result, an organism that does not get rid of toxins dies. Death from cirrhosis is very painful. A person dies either from internal bleeding, or from encephalopathy (brain dying and coma), or from a critical drop in all vital signs of the body.
• Heart failure. Pathologies of the heart are in second place among alcoholic. Mortality from a heart attack among people leading an immoral lifestyle in alcohol dependence is 40-60%.
• Alcoholic encephalopathy. That is, the death of brain cells. A person who drinks not only degrades, but becomes a vegetable over time. And if death does not overtake such an alcoholic in painful attacks of a panic attack or delirium tremens, then later the alcoholic can live as an invalid who does not perceive reality and burdens his relatives.
• Diabetes. The development of such a disease also occurs under the influence of constant libations. As a result, it leads to a painful existence with possible amputation of limbs, etc., which sooner or later will lead to death (if the person does not give up the addiction).

Important: in addition to these terrible diseases, at first, an alcoholic’s addiction decreases libido, impotence / frigidity sets in, metabolic processes suffer, etc. Alcohol dependence also leads to the development of degenerative features of the human body.

If we consider alcoholism and its consequences from this point of view, then for a person leading a similar alcoholic lifestyle, everything is much more complicated. In particular, the patient faces a number of social problems.

The destruction of the family

Relationships built over the years collapse almost overnight if a person prefers alcohol. Once loved ones become enemies.

Fear, tension, resentment, bitterness and aggression are constantly present in the home of an alcoholic. Scandals and fights are not excluded, which will lead to psychological trauma in children (if there are any in the family of a drunkard).

In babies, mental illnesses are not excluded later. In addition, against the background of constant drunkenness, the material wealth of the family falls to the point that all members of the family of the drinking person begin to urgently need the bare necessities.

The impact on society as a whole of such a situation is extremely negative.

Disruption of ties with society

1. Pathology of the liver. Fatty acids serve as the main "fuel" for the cells of this organ. However, with regular use of alcoholic beverages, the liver, first of all, is forced to process alcohol. Undecomposed fatty acids consistently accumulate, provoking the appearance of changes in liver tissues. As a result, dystrophy develops, which after a while can develop into fibrosis and even cirrhosis.
2. Exhaustion. Chronic alcoholism contributes to the appearance of a constant feeling of euphoria and simultaneous suppression of appetite. As a result, a person eats less, which leads to a deficiency of certain vitamins and nutrients.
3. Oncology. As a rule, the liver and pancreas are affected. In addition, cancer of the rectum, prostate, larynx, and esophagus is common in alcoholics.
4. Ulcer disease. With excessive consumption of alcohol-containing drinks, the balance of aggressive and protective factors in the stomach is disturbed, resulting in damage to the mucosa of the digestive tract.
5. Pancreatitis. According to experts, up to 80% of cases of this disease are provoked by this particular problem.
6. Diabetes.
7. Bleeding. Against the background of liver diseases, varicose veins often develop directly into the esophagus itself. Their rupture entails massive bleeding, which often ends in the death of a person. In addition, the veins of the esophagus are very easily damaged by vomiting.
8. Depression and psychosis. Against the background of these diseases, the risk of suicide increases several times. That is why qualified psychotherapeutic assistance allows not only to cope with a depressive state, but also to save a person's life.
9. Heart diseases. Chronic use of alcoholic beverages contributes to the rise in blood pressure, an increase in the concentration of cholesterol and its derivatives.

Currently, beer alcoholism has become widespread, which makes society more and more seriously think about the future of the country. Young people mistakenly believe that an intoxicating drink is absolutely harmless to the body, because it contains a small amount of alcohol.

Boys and girls do not care about beer alcoholism and its health consequences. However, this dependence actually causes a lot of harm to a young organism.

The constant use of beer in the first place provokes the development of quite serious pathologies. Young people have disorders at the sexual and mental levels of development. Alcohol toxins affect the cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract.

Beer is absorbed very quickly, which leads to overflow of the bloodstream, increasing the load on the heart. This alcoholic drink contains psychoactive substances. They have a stupefying and intoxicating effect, people become aggressive and cruel.

What else is dangerous beer alcoholism? The consequences for the brain are often irreversible. This intoxicating drink consistently kills his cells.

Subsequently, they are excreted from the body along with urine. Dead cells are not restored, as a result - when drinking beer, a person literally becomes dumb.

In youth, the results of such an addiction are most pronounced, as the ability to learn and the level of intelligence are noticeably reduced.

An intoxicating drink has a detrimental effect on the reproductive function of the body. The alcohol contained in beer entails the degeneration of the seminiferous tubules.

In addition, the production of testosterone is suppressed. As a result, men are becoming more and more like the fair sex.

For example, their pelvis expands, their breasts increase.

The consequences of alcoholism are usually divided into those that relate to health, and those that relate to society.

For social life, the main problems are the loss of work, conflicts in the family, lack of money, and the commission of illegal actions (crimes).

The health implications are enormous. The cardiovascular and digestive systems suffer greatly.

An alcoholic has a risk of stroke, heart attack, cirrhosis of the liver, stomach ulcers, cancer of various organs, pancreatitis, and diabetes. There are problems with the nervous system: depression, impaired memory, attention, gait.

Children of alcoholics are often born with severe developmental disabilities.

We can all see the negative effects of drinking alcohol. Numerous propaganda and medical articles tell what irreversible consequences it leads to.

Conventionally, they can be divided into two groups. The first concern directly suffering from alcoholism, his health and social status. The second relate to others, to society.

So, the consequences for the patient personally include various diseases. In addition to those listed above, these are oncological ones: damage to the liver and pancreas is common, but other organs are also at risk (mammary glands, esophagus, prostate, larynx, etc.).

Alcoholism, which disrupts the functioning of the pancreas, often causes diabetes mellitus against this background. Diseases of the prostate gland and further impotence are characteristic.

Alcoholics suffer from chronic beriberi against the background of a decrease in appetite.

In addition, alcoholism carries the risk of getting fractures, frostbite, burns during intoxication, due to poor coordination and dulling of reflexes.

There are frequent cases of death of patients with alcoholism in car accidents, when falling from a height, drowning. A person who falls asleep in deep intoxication may even choke on his own vomit.

Social problems are added to health problems. Drinking alcohol leads to a change in interests.

The most significant consequences of alcoholism for the body are severe somatic diseases, combined pathologies of various organs and systems, which quite often lead to disability and death. In this case, almost all internal systems and organs of the patient are affected.

Not a single, even the most, at first glance, mild disease passes without a trace for the human body.

Alcoholism, starting from its very initial stage, leaves “black marks” on the body and soul of a person, which are then extremely difficult to get rid of, and often impossible.

All the consequences of alcoholism are usually divided into two large groups: the consequences for the alcoholic and the consequences for society.

The consequences of alcoholism for the drinker

Health implications

Alcohol is a poison, therefore there is no such organ in the human body that would not suffer from its toxic effect.

Due to the fact that alcohol tends to accumulate in the brain tissue, its concentration in it may exceed the concentration in the blood.

With prolonged use of alcohol, organic changes in brain cells are noted, and then their death.

Most people in developed countries do not perceive alcohol as something dangerous, although the consequences of alcoholism can be quite frightening. In Europe, the USA and Russia, about 95% of the population drink alcohol.

According to statistics, the coverage of alcohol addiction in European countries ranges from 5% to 12%. In Asian and Islamic countries, these figures are much lower.

It is worth noting that alcoholics have an average life expectancy of 15-20 years less than people leading a sober lifestyle.

All the consequences of drunkenness can be divided into two large groups: the physiological consequences for the body of the alcoholic, as well as the socio-economic consequences for the whole society and at the state level.

The consequences of alcoholism for a person

Alcohol in any form is a poison, so every organ of the human body suffers from its toxic effects. Since alcohol tends to accumulate in the brain tissue, its concentration in it can exceed the concentration in the blood.

Long-term use of alcoholic beverages leads to a change in the organic cells of the brain, and then to their death. Altered areas of the brain can cause seizures and alcoholic psychosis, delusional and paranoid states.

There are even cases of atrophy of the auditory and optic nerves. In addition, there may be a rupture of cerebral vessels with the formation of hemorrhages and foci of necrosis.

Ι Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a phenomenon of truly frightening proportions. People sometimes do not even suspect how strong the damage from this phenomenon can be. But for this it is enough just to turn to the statistics, which are extremely disappointing.

The fact is that almost every third death in our country, if not directly, then indirectly caused by alcohol.

And this is not counting all those numerous diseases, abnormalities and pathologies that occur in the body of men and women under the influence of alcoholic beverages.

Unfortunately, people either don't know enough about the problem or don't want to admit it. And therefore every year, instead of decreasing, this problem develops and progresses.

And needless to say, how this negatively affects both the health of the entire nation and the processes that occur in individual families.

The latter often collapse because of this, because if someone in the family is an alcoholic (for both men and women), then this is a real problem.

Therefore, we will deal with the main dangers that are fraught with a terrible phenomenon called alcoholism - consider alcoholism and its consequences.

Description of the problem

In its general form, alcoholism is called addiction to drinks containing ethyl alcohol. This addiction includes both physical and psychological dependence.

Over time, a person cannot control the amount of alcohol that he consumes, he begins to drink more and more, his organs are affected, his memory deteriorates - but he continues to drink.

It is believed that there are about 140 million alcoholics in the world (of which there are many women) - a frightening figure, it can be compared with the population of Russia. So the problem is very serious.

• psychological;
• physiological;
• social.

A very important point is the genetic predisposition to alcoholism, such a phenomenon exists.

Psychological aspects are also important, because for many people alcohol intoxication is a very simple and affordable method of escapism, which helps to forget, to get away from the problems of the outside world.

Sometimes it all starts small - a person drinks in small quantities just to relax, for example, after a hard day at work (or, which is especially bad, after taking care of a child, if we talk about women).

As for the social factor, it all depends on the environment that is inherent in this person. If there were alcoholics in the family, then a person may develop a subconscious association that drinking alcohol is the norm.

They say it helped my parents, why wouldn't it help me too? And with such a deliberately false belief, a person gets hooked on destructive alcohol. This usually happens in men, but in women the possibility of this is not excluded.

Of course, these are not all reasons, but the most common.

Alcoholism and its consequences are an increasingly common topic of discussion among doctors and their patients alike. Conventionally, the consequences of alcohol dependence are divided into two categories.

The first includes all the problems that appear with the health of the alcoholic himself. The second includes the social consequences of alcoholism - the negative impact of the drinking person on society.

The personal problems of a drinking person can be listed for a long time.

All of them in one way or another are associated with all sorts of diseases that lead to mental and physical disorders.

Doctors have compiled a list of the main problems that await everyone who embarks on the path of constant binges. This list contains:

• unreasonable aggressiveness of a person in a state of hangover or intoxication;
• frequent accidents;
• severe intoxication and alcohol poisoning;
• increased risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver;
• the risk of developing cancerous tumors;
• destabilization of the cardiovascular system;
• the rapid development of various types of psychosis;
• rapid loss of normal working capacity;
• arrests for being drunk in public places;
• an increase in the number of conflicts in the family and its complete destruction;
• quarrels at work;
• money problems and criminal activities.

What's next for an alcoholic

In addition to the personal problems that an alcoholic experiences sooner or later, he also becomes a danger to society.

The social consequences of alcoholism, although numbering fewer items on the list, are still considered more dangerous, as they affect more people and create many more problems. Social consequences include:

• an increase in the number of road accidents;
• a large number of accidents at work;
• absenteeism and, as a result, layoffs;
• an increase in the state's financial costs associated with the need to pay unemployment and disability benefits.

Both social and personal problems associated with alcoholism are clearly visible to the naked eye. To understand that a person drinks regularly, just look at him.

He looks much older than his age, his hair is dull and unkempt. The drinker's face has an even pink tint, and together with pastiness, this can create the effect of steamed skin.

The more a person drinks, the more the vessels on his face fill with blood. If for some time the alcoholic stops drinking alcohol, then the redness on the face will disappear.

The inability of an alcoholic to do this or that action may attract special attention of a healthy person. However, normal muscle tone returns with alcohol intake.

Very often you can recognize a drinking person by the relaxation of the muscles of his face.

The characteristic image of any alcoholic is complemented by uncleanliness and carelessness in everyday clothes.

The mental state of an alcoholic

In addition to physical changes, alcohol adversely affects the mental state of a person.

The most common diseases of the nervous system of an alcoholic include psychopathization, asthenia, and a sharp decline in most personal qualities.

Do not forget about such problems as sudden and causeless mood swings, dysphoria and depression, aggressiveness and suicidal tendencies.

It is often possible to identify the personal problems of an alcoholic by talking with him. So often a drinking person has "flat" jokes, which are often called "alcoholic". Often the behavior of an alcoholic is due to hallucinations.

Very often you can hear the opinion that drinking small amounts of alcohol every day is good for health.

Every person who drinks alcohol every day inevitably becomes an alcoholic. How quickly he gets drunk depends on many factors: gender, age, weight, health status and the presence of concomitant diseases.

Unfortunately, in almost all chronic alcoholics, the normal functioning of organs and systems is disturbed, which often leads to death.

Alcoholics die either from an overdose of alcohol, or from severe damage to the heart, liver, brain, kidneys and other vital organs. Unfortunately, the cause of death is often suicide committed while intoxicated.

This article will tell not only about the dangers of alcohol, but also about how long alcoholics live, what they usually get sick with and what diseases most often die from.

Fact! According to statistics, the average life expectancy of an alcoholic is 48-55 years. Many drunkards die at a younger age from an overdose of alcohol.

Alcoholism is a huge problem in modern society. Conventionally, the consequences of alcoholism can be divided into two categories.

The first is the consequences for a person who abuses alcohol, related to his health and personality. The second is the consequences for society, the growth of social problems that are directly related to the alcoholism of the population.

· Aggressive behavior and loss of self-control in a state of intoxication or hangover;

· Frequent accidents, overheating or hypothermia due to negligence or severe alcohol intoxication;

Poisoning with low-quality alcohol;

Risks of developing cirrhosis, certain types of cancer, problems with the cardiovascular system;

Loss of human performance;

development of mental illness;

· Problems with the legislation;

· Constant conflicts within the family and its subsequent destruction;

· Difficulties with money and rising crime.

Gastritis and peptic ulcers of the duodenum and stomach (very often during hard drinking, ulcers perforate with further internal bleeding and death);

Liver diseases (hepatosis, dystrophy, cirrhosis, etc.);

Heart failure and ischemia leading to heart attacks and seizures. Also happens during drinking binges;

Hypertension (increase in pressure, including in the vessels of the brain, which leads to a stroke);

Tuberculosis and emphysema, as well as other pathologies of the respiratory system that develop when a person's immunity is weakened;

Infertility in women and impotence in men. In addition, alcoholism causes miscarriages and the formation of congenital pathologies in children (cleft palate, dementia, developmental problems, heart defects).

The consequences of social alcohol dependence can be expressed in the following indicators:

• an increase in crime and homicide;
• an increase in morbidity and disability in children and adults;
• increased mortality;
• declining birth rates and high infant mortality;
• increase in trauma.

This includes the decline in the intellectual, cultural and spiritual development of society, the degradation of the population.

Alcohol addiction can affect human health, and its consequences lead to the economic crisis of the state. The ability to work is reduced due to the influence of alcoholic beverages, a person skips work, reducing the productivity of the company.

A drunken alcoholic kills his liver, heart, nervous system, pancreas, reproductive apparatus. The liver tissue is reborn into adipose and connective tissue. Alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver appear. After all, it is the liver that neutralizes poisons in the body.

The circulation of unpurified blood by the liver leads to intense slagging of blood vessels, the heart, and the vessels of the brain. Cholesterol plaques accumulate in them, gaps narrow.

Intracellular nutrition of all organs and systems of organs, tissues of the body is deteriorating. All this becomes a favorable environment for the formation of various pathologies, the emergence of various diseases, illnesses, disorders and disorders.

Drunken alcoholism gradually leads to failure of the liver due to cirrhosis. Cirrhosis of the liver is incurable, the patient loses his appetite, becomes very thin, he has icteric sclera of the eyes and skin, urine and feces are colorless, and the stomach is enlarged from the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity (the phenomenon of ascites).

Liver failure develops. The patient dies quickly.

Chronic alcoholism leads to damage to the peripheral and central nervous system. The patient suffers from general weakness, impaired coordination, pulling pains in the lower back and limbs. Polyneuritis and paralysis gradually appear, as well as the phenomena of meth-alcohol psychoses.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract always accompany drunken alcoholism. Disorders of the stomach and pancreas lead to the appearance of gastritis, acute and chronic pancreatitis, cholecystitis, diabetes mellitus.

The mental consequences of drunkenness and drunkenness lead to a change in the character of the patient's personality. He becomes pathologically deceitful, aggressive, irritable, absolutely unreliable.

It is the drunken form of alcoholism that is characterized by the appearance of alcoholic psychoses with the development of visual, auditory, tactile illusions and hallucinations with delusional ideas of poisoning, jealousy, and persecution.

Manifestations of psychosis on the basis of alcoholism begin to appear 2-3 days after the complete rejection of alcohol.

In a state of alcoholic intoxication, the patient can harm himself and others.

What determines the harmfulness of alcohol?

digestive tract

Initially, alcohol enters the esophagus and stomach. Ethanol damages and destroys the internal mucous membranes of these organs, causing them to burn and necrosis.

At the same time, the death of the glands that produce digestive enzymes begins: gastric juice, bile, insulin. As a result, the stomach stops working effectively: food stays inside for a long time, nutrients do not stay in the body.

What diseases of the digestive organs are caused by drinking alcohol?

Digestive disorders (pain in the stomach and abdomen)

Pancreatitis Inflammation of the pancreas when it begins to "digest" itself. Toxins secreted by the pancreas enter the circulatory system, brain, liver and kidneys - this causes dangerous intoxication of the body. Treatment of pancreatitis is carried out only permanently.

GastritisInflammatory process and death of the inner lining of the stomach. Gastritis is a precancerous condition and requires annual inpatient treatment.

Ulcer of the stomach and duodenum. The disease in an acute form is treated only in a hospital.

Cancer of the stomach, esophagus, mouth

A malignant tumor of the mucous membranes of the stomach is the most common oncological disease, which annually claims about 800 thousand lives worldwide.

In 80% of fatal cases, cancer of the oral cavity and esophagus is caused by alcohol abuse.

Endocrine glands

A chronic disease in which the level of glucose in the blood is constantly elevated. Diabetes mellitus affects all body systems and can lead to blindness, coma, purulent lesions of the lower extremities, and other complications.

If a teenager has a lot of free time, he tries to spend it for his own benefit. In the absence of a hobby, a child can spend time with friends after school, instead of attending various sections.

This pastime leads children to drink alcohol for fun.

Thanks to the media, children are aware of the harmful effects of alcohol on a growing body, but this does not prevent them from becoming addicted to one or another strong drink.

Unfortunately, alcohol among teenagers appears so quickly that many parents do not have time to catch the moment when their child is addicted to addiction.

It is worse when a teenager is not limited only to beer, but each time he improves his skills in tasting stronger drinks. It is difficult to say that parents or society are to blame for everything, because any factor, including heredity, can cause addiction.

The effect of alcohol on the body depends on various factors. What matters is the type and amount of ethanol consumed, gender, genetic factors, time and method of consumption, type of drugs used, and overall health. Similarly, the effectiveness of the treatment of alcoholism depends.

Narcologists and psychiatrists all over the world are well aware of the consequences of the harm of alcohol for the body. Complications for the female and teenage organism can be especially dangerous, since the problem of alcoholism affects different age groups and gender.

Today it has become customary in companies to appear with a bottle of beer in their hands or a slight smell of fumes. Some people feel its presence after a short time, others can drink alcohol for years, not paying attention to the appearance of the first alarming symptoms. Doctors say that many people would be able to give up alcohol if they had an idea about the dangers of alcohol.

The reaction of the body to ethanol

When alcohol is consumed, all organs and systems of the body suffer. Ethyl alcohol is a good solvent. When it is used, part of the alcohol enters the blood, the other - into the stomach. At the same time, erythrocytes, which supply oxygen to organs and tissues, lose their fatty lubricant, since it dissolves in ethanol. Therefore, blood cells begin to stick together.

When six red blood cells stick together, they resemble a bunch of grapes, which makes it difficult for them to pass through the capillaries to the brain neurons. The capillary begins to clog, as a result of which the neuron cannot receive oxygen and dies. With the death of a huge number of nerve cells, a person begins to experience relaxation, a feeling of pleasure appears. Thus, it becomes clear the main harm of alcohol on the human body.

Also, alcohol negatively affects the rest of the body. As a result of alcohol abuse for a long time, a person often develops cirrhosis of the liver. An estimated 600,000 people die every year from alcohol-related complications. For the rest, the average life expectancy is reduced by ten or even fifteen years.

Why is alcohol dangerous? It provokes the development of the following pathologies:

• mental disorder;
• Disorder of the functionality of vital organs;
• Increased blood pressure;
• Increased risk of stroke or heart attack;
• Alcohol intoxication;
• Development of delirium;
• Fatal outcome.

Briefly about the dangers of alcohol on the human body

Alcoholism is classified as one of the addictions of a person, in some states it is classified with a mental illness. With prolonged alcohol consumption, irreversible changes occur in the body:

1. The brain suffers the most. With alcoholism, the areas of the brain that are responsible for cognitive processes, as well as human behavior, are damaged. Therefore, an alcoholic often changes his mood, memory is lost, thinking is slowed down. Over time, the degradation of personality occurs.
2. The cardiovascular system. Alcohol provokes a violation of the functionality of the heart and blood vessels. A person develops pain in the region of the heart, circulatory disorders, shortness of breath, changes in blood pressure, arrhythmia. All this can lead to acute heart failure and death. Pathologies associated with this organ often develop.
3. Respiratory system. In alcoholics, lung damage often occurs, since in addition to alcohol, many still abuse nicotine. All toxins enter the respiratory tract through the respiratory tract. There is a cough, shortness of breath, the protective functions of the body are reduced, which leads to the frequent defeat of viral and infectious diseases.
4. Digestive system. First of all, the mucous epithelium of the stomach suffers. The severity and depth of the lesion depends on the period of alcohol abuse. In chronic alcoholism, pathologies of all digestive organs develop. In the best case, there is diarrhea or constipation, vomiting, in the worst case, a stomach ulcer.
5. Liver. Many people know about the dangers of alcoholism. All liver functions are disturbed, fatty degeneration of the organ develops, which does not pose a serious danger, or protein degeneration, which provokes cell death. Hepatitis, cirrhosis often develops, which can lead to death.
6. Kidneys. Often there is the development of acute nephropathy, kidney failure, glomerulonephritis.

With timely access to a doctor and undergoing therapy in a hospital, a person has a chance for a full recovery.

Alcohol and teenagers

The harm of alcohol on the body of a teenager is enormous, since at this age the body is still fragile, it is most vulnerable. In adolescence, the liver is characterized by high throughput, weak structure. Therefore, pathologies of this organ can develop even with the use of a small amount of alcoholic beverages.

Ethanol has a detrimental effect on the entire body of the child. In adolescents, addiction develops faster, which is difficult to cure.

Alcohol and the female body

What is harmful alcohol is already known. But how does it affect women? Ethyl alcohol has an even more terrible effect on the female body. Women become addicted to alcohol faster. In addition, it increases the risk of infertility or the birth of children with serious defects that lead to disability.

When it enters the female body, ethanol is distributed to all organs and tissues. It has a detrimental effect on the hormonal system, it contributes to the death of most of the eggs, the other part can be seriously affected, which often leads to mutations.

As a result, the risk of having a sick child increases. Every woman who wants to become a mother in the future should know about the dangers of alcohol.

According to the results of many studies, it has been established that the use of ethanol during pregnancy leads to underdevelopment of the fetus or its organs, which leads to deformity in the future. In some cases, the fetus may die in the womb.

Ethanol, which enters the body of a child with breast milk, provokes a disorder of the nervous system, mental disorders, pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract and the cardiovascular system.

According to the results of a study by the French doctor Demme, it was found that 50% of the children of alcoholics died in early childhood, 10% had epilepsy and dropsy of the head, 12% suffered from idiocy, and the rest were healthy.

The harm of alcoholism on human health. Seven reasons why you should stop drinking

Alcohol is injurious to health. Doctors identify seven main reasons why it is necessary to refuse it:

1. Pathology of the heart. Often, under the influence of ethanol, the heart begins to increase in size, especially when drinking beer. Scars form on its tissue, which provoke the development of a heart attack, often leading to death.
2. Mental disorder. Ethanol causes euphoria for half an hour or one hour. Then comes depression, which may be accompanied by aggression or panic attacks. Thinking is disturbed, the person loses orientation.
3. Death of neurons. Alcohol, even in small quantities, contributes to the death of millions of nerve cells. This process is irreversible. Also, erythrocytes stick together, which clog the capillaries, provoking the development of a stroke.
4. The development of chronic pathologies. Alcohol is a slow poison. Gradually, a person begins to feel weakness, malaise, physical and mental activity decreases, apathy develops. Over time, chronic pathologies of internal organs are formed, for example, pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer.
5. Poor heredity as a result of DNA mutation. In 90% of cases, children with mental retardation or cerebral palsy are born to alcoholics.
6. Indecent behavior due to the effect of ethanol on the centers in the brain that are responsible for morality. A person's behavior becomes unpredictable, he can be aggressive, nervous, angry.
7. Deteriorating financial condition. Drinking alcohol is expensive.

How to prevent the negative effects of alcohol?

Many are wondering how to reduce or even eliminate the harm from alcohol. The answer is tritely simple - you do not need to drink. But some people can't do it, some people can't imagine themselves, for example, without a bottle of beer on a day off. In fact, there are millions of people around the world who lead a healthy lifestyle. At the same time, they live long and quite happily.

For a deep understanding of the problem of alcoholism, doctors suggest that you familiarize yourself with the numbers:

• Thirty milligrams of ethanol a day, which is equivalent to two shots of vodka or a bottle of beer, increases the risk of developing liver cirrhosis many times over. At the same time, for women, one third of this figure will be sufficient for the appearance of pathology;
• The risk of damage to cerebral vessels increases by 48%;
• The probability of death from myocardial infarction increases by 37%;
• 50% increased risk of suicidal behavior;
• The average life expectancy is reduced by 10-15%;
• 30% of women have an inability to breastfeed;
• By the age of thirty, a woman looks much older, by the age of forty she turns into an old woman when she abuses alcohol.

The harm of alcoholism is undeniable. At the same time, beer alcoholism is also dangerous.

This drink contains hops, which contain the female hormone estrogen. This threatens men with the fact that they gradually lose willpower, their stomach grows, potency develops, libido decreases.

Frequent complications

The most common complications of alcoholism include:

• Alcoholic delirium or, as it is popularly called, delirium tremens. This is an acute psychosis, manifested in hallucinations, sleep disturbance, tremor of the limbs. At night, a person develops a panic fear, as he experiences hallucinations of a threatening nature, he begins to fear for his life. In some cases, suicidal attempts are possible.
• Epilepsy. Such a pathology can be provoked by alcohol and is characterized by the occurrence of convulsive seizures. At this time, the skin of a person turns pale, he loses consciousness, falls and convulses. In this case, the danger is the possible receipt of serious injuries, sometimes incompatible with life.