Do you know that it is estimated by the World Health Organization that a person dies every 10 seconds from alcohol consumption globally? And that alcohol consumption is a causal factor in more than 200 diseases, injuries and other health conditions?
Shocking right! So if you’re a chronic binge drinker, I’ve got good and bad news for you.
Bad news - Is that your health is in serious danger.
Good news - You might die and go to heaven.
Okay, let me not sound too dramatic. But, I just want you to know that this is a serious issue and luckily, that’s what this article is going to dwell on. So in this article we’ll be looking at;
- What is an alcoholic beverage?
- Reasons why people take alcohol.
- Short and long term effects of alcohol.
- Effects of alcohol on your body.
- How alcohol affects your mental health
- What is AUD?
- Causes of AUD and lastly
- Treatment for AUD
So without further ado, let’s get into it.
What is an alcoholic beverage?
According to Britannica, alcoholic beverage is any fermented liquor, such as wine, beer, or distilled spirits, that contains ethyl alcohol, or ethanol as an intoxicating agent (See definition: https://www.britannica.com/topic/alcoholic-beverage).
Reasons why people take alcohol
source
I have seen people get drunk with beer, liquor, wine and all kinds of alcoholic beverages but never have I seen anyone drink because of any good reason. For me, my favorite alcoholic beverage is Heineken and I drink heineken for two reasons:
- I love the taste and
- because it’s associated with football and I love football.
For others it might be for a different reason. So if you’re looking to quit drinking, it’s important for you to know the reason why you drink.
Let’s take a look at some reasons why people drink…
i. Stress - Alcohol use as a coping mechanism for stress and anxiety is undeniably a common practice. This is due to the depressant effects of alcohol, which slow down processes in your brain and central nervous system and may at first make you feel less inhibited.
ii. For fun and enjoyment - Well I fall into this category. I drink for the fun of it. Like I said earlier, I love the taste and I can tell you that the majority of people drink because they enjoy it.
iii. Peer pressure - The fear of missing out (fomo) is one of the major reasons why people drink, most especially teenagers. They want to belong and because of that, they are pressured to drink more than necessary which can make them addicted to it.
iv. Easy access - Alcohol is so easily available and accessible that even household pets drink alcohol. Almost every store or supermarket sells alcohol. It’s just everywhere.
v. Social norm - When something becomes a norm in the society then, it is very likely that people will indulge in it. This is exactly the same for drinking alcohol.
Short and Long Term Effects of Alcohol
Among the short and long term effects you might experience while drinking alcohol (or right after) are:
- Dizziness or drowsiness.
- Blackout
- Uncontrolled actions
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- Headache
- Changes in mood
- Difficulty in speaking which often leads to erratic speech
- Sleep irregularity a.k.a insomnia
- Nausea and vomiting
- a compromised immune system, which could lead to more frequent illness and lots more.
Effects of Alcohol on Your Body
Since alcohol permeates into every part of your body, there are adverse effects it has on different organs of the body. Let’s take a look at what alcohol does to your body organs.
- Excessive drinking of alcohol can damage your heart and can lead to several heart related diseases like cardiomyopathy. And for the record, cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body.
- Heavy alcohol consumption harms the liver and leads to liver cancer.
- Bone density can be impacted by prolonged alcohol use.
- Heavy drinking can affect sex drive by lowering your libido.
It can lead to ulcer as a result of constant dehydration - Reports have shown that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to diabetes due to the high concentration of sugar present in alcoholic beverages.
- It can lead to stroke. Research has shown that the intake of high amounts of alcohol can trigger what we call atrial fibrillation which is a type of irregular heartbeat. Atrial fibrillation can result in blood clots forming in the heart, which increases your risk of stroke by five times. These clots may advance into the brain and cause a stroke.
- Chronic heavy drinking can harm the brain permanently, thereby leading to brain damage.
How alcohol affects your mental health
As stated earlier, alcohol permeates into every part of your body and that includes your brain. In your brain we have the gray and white matter respectively. The gray matter is where the cells of the brain called neurons are communicating with each other and they communicate through the use of something called neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters can be referred to as your body’s chemical messengers. In a nutshell, they carry messages from one nerve cell to another and these messages are responsible for every voluntary and involuntary movement your body engages in.
That is, from the movement of your hands, feeling of sensations, beating of your heart and lots more, these messages help you respond to the signals which trigger these actions.
Now that we know about neurotransmitters and the role they play, the question now is;
How does alcohol affect your mental health?
Okay, let’s look at it this way. We have said from our definition of alcohol that alcohol contains ethanol. When ethanol comes in contact with the different neurotransmitters, it’s going to affect them. So, ethanol would affect the secretion of endorphins, serotonin, dopamine and likes and this is what it will cause;
- It’s going to increase your heart rate and put you in a tense situation (that is your adrenaline).
- It will affect your concentration levels and inhibit your decision making(that is your noradrenaline).
- You’ll feel a false sense of pleasure for a while.(that is your dopamine)
- You’ll feel euphoric (that is endorphin).
So imagine having all these feelings at the same time, one after the other. In a state of euphoria, you can just say to yourself “Wouldn't it be nice if I take my pants off?” and that’s exactly what you’ll do. If you continue with this habit of excessive drinking, then it destroys your mental health. At this point, you have already developed AUD.
What is AUD?
AUD stands for Alcohol Use Disorder and it is a medical condition marked by a diminished capacity to cut down or control alcohol consumption despite negative social, professional, or health effects. You can’t do without alcohol. As a matter of fact you abuse it.
Causes of AUD
- Family history of alcoholism and genetic predisposition.
- Drinking at an early age.
- When you drink frequently and heavily.
Treatment for AUD
American actress, singer and author Claudia Christian, shared her experience with alcohol addiction during her Tedx talk. She also shared how ‘TSM’ changed her life and helped her overcome her alcohol use disorder.
TSM stands for “The Sinclair Method” and this method involves taking of a drug called naltrexone, an hour before your first drink of the day. What the drug does is that it disrupts your body’s behavior/reward cycle which makes you desire to drink way less rather than more.
This method is probably the best as will power and instant withdrawal from alcohol can pose serious problems.
So there you have it. This article is meant to sensitize you on the effects of alcohol on your body. I’m not here to judge you as I'm also guilty of taking a bottle of heineken probably once in three months. But the truth remains that, alcohol poisons your system.
Please, I would love to know your thoughts about alcohol. Leave your comments below.
Thanks a million guys. Love ya.
REFERENCES
https://www.alcoholandyouni.com/9-reasons-people-drink/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alcohol-use-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20369243
https://www.healthline.com/health/alcohol/effects-on-body#physical
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-body
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/body-effects
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/mental-effects
here's my post #edtopic and #ecencydiscord.. Thanks for your support.