You must have heard about the detrimental health effects of alcohol addiction by now. But are you aware of the specific damage that drinking can inflict on your vital bodily organs?? If you are among those who have fallen prey to this deadly habit, then it is very important for you to be aware of these health hazards so that you can strive harder to quit this habit.
Let me cite a personal example here. One of my relatives who was a heavy drinker was diagnosed with cirrhosis of liver in his mid 40's at a very late stage when jaundice, accumulation of fluid in his abdomen and profuse gastrointestinal bleeding had already occurred. Eventually he developed liver cancer and met with a tragic and untimely demise.
Did you know?? India is the third largest market for alcoholic beverages in the world and harmful use of alcohol was the cause of 5.9% of all deaths and 5.1 % of the global burden of disease and injury. If you happen to be an active drinker and want to know more about how alcohol affects your internal organs, then read on:
- When alcohol enters your system, it is absorbed by your bloodstream and as a result your entire body is affected. While you may not notice any negative effects at first, in the long run it can even lead to death from major illnesses.
- Excessive drinking greatly increases the rate of blood circulation to the blood vessels of your heart. Since these supply your heart with blood, your cardiac muscle is severely damaged.
- These damaged heart muscles often cause serious cardiovascular diseases like cardiomegaly which can trigger death due to heart failure.
- It also causes respiratory problems and serious heart conditions like arrhythmia, hepatomegaly etc. which inevitably lead you to suffer from fatal heart attacks.
- Excessive drinking severely damages the neurotransmitters of your brain and hinders it's proper functioning. It often leads to permanent brain damage.
- Binge drinking can trigger mental disorders like depression, memory loss, frequent mood swings and fatal strokes etc.
- Alcohol mostly damages your liver in the shortest possible time. Every drop of alcohol that enters your body has to pass through your liver for it to be eliminated from therein. So maximum damage is caused to your liver.
- If you are an alcohol addict you are bound to suffer from cirrhosis of the liver at some point in your life. The chances of survival are extremely slim here. It can even lead to more serious and fatal liver ailments like liver cancer.
- The presence of alcohol in your body causes a severe imbalance in water and electrolytes which are present therein. This leads to high blood pressure and ultimately kidney failure. Various studies have revealed that drinking alcohol is the leading cause of kidney failure globally.
- No proper treatment except the alternatives of dialysis and kidney transplantation are available to you if you suffer from kidney failure.
- The presence of large amounts of alcohol in your body system hinders the proper functioning of your pancreas. It is unable to provide your small intestines with the proper enzymes which it secretes internally.
- As a result, these enzymes accumulate which causes swelling or pancreatitis. This can cause stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, higher than normal heart rates and digestive disorders for you.
- In more serious and acute cases, you can develop high fever and diabetes and your chances of dying from this condition then becomes very high.
Thus, the best advice is certainly to avoid alcoholic beverages altogether. Spread awareness especially among alcoholics for the need of proper rehabilitation therapies, counseling and access to expert physicians and medical treatment as well as detoxification procedures for successfully quitting this dangerous vice. Never let alcohol addiction put your entire life on a downward spiral that you just cannot reverse!! Kick out the bottle and say a resolute "NO" to booze now!!
