10 Major Dangers Of Being Addicted To Alcohol Consumption

The problem of alcohol consumption has increased quite massively since the last decade. Unfortunately, it has increased the rate of death due to the same as well.

According to WHO, almost three million people lose their lives every year due to alcohol consumption. The report also suggests that almost 5.1% of ailments in the world occurs due to the same problem as well.

But, why do people consume alcohol?

How does it affect your health?

Let’s keep reading to find out more in this context.

Why Is The Rate Of Alcohol Consumption Increasing?

Honestly, the reasons behind the rise of alcohol consumption are quite alarming yet viable. Here’s what you need to know about them.

• People struggling with stress tend to opt for psychoactive drugs and products, such as alcohol, to reduce their anxiety. Also, veterans suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) also try to self-medicate through alcohol consumption.
• The consumption of alcohol has been normalized quite a lot in the USA. You can find the same in music videos and movies quite frequently these days. It, in turn, might also prompt people to consume alcohol to “fit in” with the society.
• Sometimes, peer pressure, or getting suggested by friends, can also lead many people to start drinking alcohol. This is considered to be the most common reason in the USA behind the titular concern.

In most cases, the person, who’s been addicted to alcohol, didn’t start the habit through their own opinion. It was probably due to the circumstances they were in at that time.

Hence, like many others, if you, too, are struggling with alcohol addiction, try not to blame yourself. It’s not your fault. If you feel alone, we’ll ask you to try talking to someone.

However, if you think you need professional help, joining the inpatient alcohol detoxification programs can be quite beneficial for you.

How Does Alcohol Affect Our Health?

If you’re drinking at a moderate pace (once or twice in a week), the risk of addiction will be quite low for you. However, if you begin drinking more than five times a week, it may affect your health massively. Keep reading to know more about it.

Problem – 1: Mood Swings

Although it may not seem so, alcohol can mess with the neurochemical part of  your brain. It, in turn, can prompt you to experience mood swings, feel depressed for no reason, and suffer from acute anxiety. This issue becomes even more prominent if you don’t drink for a while.

Problem – 2: Hypertension

Incessant alcohol consumption can also cause damage to your blood vessels, mainly the ones residing in your heart. It, sequentially, can improve the risk of hypertension or high blood pressure. If you don’t take care of this problem soon enough, it may also lead to heart attack.

Problem – 3: Liver Disease

Regular alcohol usage can escalate the amount of toxic elements in your body. It may disrupt the natural workflow of your liver and lead to the accumulation of fat in the organ. In some cases, this problem can lead to liver cirrhosis, or at worst, liver cancer.

Problem – 4: Weakened Immune System

As mentioned, continuous alcohol consumption can increase the amount of free radicals in your body. This, in turn, can affect the efficacy of your immune system and make it difficult for the same to avert even common ailments.

Problem – 5: Alcohol Dependencia 

Due to addiction, you’ll feel the constant need to drink alcohol, even when you’re alone or with your friends. It’s known as alcohol dependencia, a “sickened” state of mind or disorder. It can lead to depression, loss of money, anxiety, and various other psychological issues.

Problem – 6: Memory Problems

Drinking alcohol regularly can lead to the death of your brain cells. It, in turn, can affect your sense of balance and prompt you to forget almost everything. People who’re struggling with alcohol addiction can get diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in the latter part of their life.

Problem – 7: Anemia

Drinking too much alcohol can also affect your blood’s efficiency to carry oxygen properly. Now, if such an incident happens, it might lead to the death of your red blood cells. Drinking can also make you skip meals, which can reduce iron in your body and cause anemia.

Problem – 8: Seizures

If you’re already suffering from epilepsy, intaking too much alcohol can lead to seizures. It may happen anywhere, although it might be more common when you’re traveling under the sun. Also, alcohol withdrawal may also cause seizures in some people.

Problem – 9: Digestive Issues

Alcohol, in essence, is caustic in nature. Therefore, it can inflame the linings of your stomach and cause nausea or heartburn. Over time, if you don’t stop drinking, it can also lead to ulcer or chronic inflammation (also known as gastritis).

Besides, alcohol can also make it impossible for your intestine to digest crucial nutrients, like thiamine and B12. In addition, booze can also cause a pile-up of digestive enzymes in your pancreas, which can cause pancreatitis. It can affect your insulin production too.

Problem – 10: Insomnia

Drinking a lot of alcohol at once can make you fall asleep almost instantly, especially during the nighttime. However, once the effect of the sedative wears off, it can lower or entirely disrupt the overall quality of your sleeping cycle.

If you’ve become alcohol-dependent, it’ll be almost impossible to get to sleep at night without drinking at least once. It may also increase the risk of snoring and sleep apnea!

The Bottom Line

If you think you’ve become dependent on alcohol, make sure to get help today. Talk to your general physician or addiction specialist today and try to solve this problem quickly.

Sometimes, doing so can help you get rid of your addiction and stress as a whole.

However, if you think you’ll need some extra help, be sure to join a detoxification program as soon as possible. It’ll help you understand the severity of your problem, curate a structure in your lifestyle, and make you a better person.

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