Long-term and short-term effects of alcohol use
The short-term effects of alcohol can be beneficial and not always negative. Most adults will not feel the ill effects of one or two drinks, even if they drink every day and stay light.
Problems begin when the amount of meals consumed increases and alcohol tolerance develops. Alcohol abuse can lead to addiction, diagnosed as alcoholism.
The long-term consequences of alcohol abuse include domestic violence, drunk driving and other destructive behaviors.
Short-term effects of alcohol
One drink is accompanied by a glass of wine, alcoholic beverages or a can of beer. This level of consumption is completely safe and can even reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and alcoholic dementia. The short-term effects of higher doses vary in relation to the weight of the drink, gender and other factors, including alcohol allergy. The positive effects of alcohol are undeniable. These include the feeling of deep calm and relaxation that neurotic people crave. Tension usually decreases, the person becomes less concentrated, reflexes slow down, reaction times increase, and coordination deteriorates. All these effects are caused by a slowdown in brain activity and begin to appear after drinking more than three or four drinks. In rare cases, people can be injured after consuming one alcoholic beverage, especially if it is their first alcoholic beverage or if they have some basic health condition.
Short-term effects of alcohol include:
- Abdominal pain, nausea or diarrhea: <alcohol irritates the gastric mucosa, causing these effects. Note that these symptoms may indicate the development of alcoholic gastritis.
- Relaxation:Most people feel calmer and happier when they drink, so many turn to alcohol when they are stressed or sad. They become more lively and talkative.
- Impairment of sight and hearing: <Alcohol is a depressant and slows down the nervous system itself. Because the central nervous system controls motor and cognitive functions, people will show a longer reaction time. More pronounced effects include blurred speech, blurred vision and muffled hearing. Sometimes these effects of alcohol can occur after just one drink, so combine alcohol and driving.
- Fatigue, drowsiness: xxis part of the calming effect of alcohol. Drowsiness occurs after the initial euphoria has passed. However, the opposite effect is also possible, called alcoholic insomnia.
- Poor self-control, blurred thinking:By disrupting the functionality of the central nervous system, alcohol makes a person less restrained and more prone to behavior that may seem uncharacteristic. He is more likely to break the law or engage in risky sexual activities, such as unprotected sex, while under the influence of alcohol. Negative consequences of alcohol consumption include “getting up early” when people are denied service in restaurants, if they are drunk, and lead to quarrels.
- Memory impairment: The effects of alcohol consumption on memory are well known and are also caused by decreased activity of the nervous system. Violations can result in the disappearance of alcohol, when a person does not remember the events that occurred after drinking. Another terrible side effect is delirium tremens.
- Mood Rises: <
Consequences of alcohol: risks and dangers
Some of the short-term effects of alcohol can be fatal, and alcoholics are especially at risk. Drink excessively in a short period of time - 4 or more drinks in one sitting. Alcohol poisoning occurs when blood alcohol levels reach toxic levels, resulting in hangover symptoms that occur more often when consuming a substandard beverage. Alcohol poisoning is an urgent medical condition and is fatal if left untreated. The following symptoms may occur:
- Mental confusion or stupor, the person does not hold his head, feels depressed;
- Unconscious;
- Convulsions;
- Low body temperature or vice versa;
- Shiver or shiver;
- Pale, cold, bluish skin;
- Irregular or slow breathing;
- Development of chronic diseases such as gout;
- Loss of bladder and bowel control;
- Coma.
Long-term effects of alcohol
The long-term effects of alcohol may include liver damage, depression, cancer, immune system disorders, hypertension, decreased sexual performance in men, and loss of sex drive in women, or pancreatitis. Over time, people who drink alcohol can develop cognitive disorders. Side effects of this habit include irritability and worsening performance at work due to alcohol. Alcohol abuse negatively affects the kidneys, causing serious damage. Prolonged abuse can cause cirrhosis of the liver, a severe liver disease that requires a liver transplant in many cases. Many people in the country die from cirrhosis.
The risk of underage drinking is much higher.
Other long-term effects include the so-called dry drunkenness syndrome, where a person experiences the consequences of alcohol poisoning without consuming alcohol at all. With long-term use of alcohol, people develop tolerance because the body gets used to more and more alcohol. This forces them to consume dangerously large amounts of alcohol without experiencing short-term consequences that would otherwise lead to discontinuation.
Effects of alcohol on women
Alcohol affects women differently than men. Gone are the days when it was believed that only men had problems with alcohol. Today, more and more women are abusing alcohol - statistics show that millions of women in the country drink in a way that is considered dangerous to their safety, health and well-being. According to traffic authorities, a woman's blood alcohol level is high enough to increase the risk of a fatal car accident by 100% after drinking one drink on an empty stomach.
Driving while intoxicated seems to be an exclusively male problem, and of course it is not.
The side effects of alcohol on the male and female body are significantly different. According to experts, alcohol consumption and chronic drinking put women at much higher health and safety risks than men. Women who get drunk more than double their chances of being sexually or physically abused. The data show that over 50% of sexual assaults recorded in the country involve women, men or both family members of alcoholics. A study in Norway found that spouses who consume different amounts of alcohol are more likely to be divorced than those who drink in comparable amounts. This was especially true in relationships in which the wife was a diligent alcoholic. The impact of alcoholism on women is more pronounced. Long-term alcohol consumption is much more dangerous for women's health - women are more likely to die from cirrhosis of the liver or suffer from brain, heart or breast cancer. Children of women who drink during pregnancy are at risk of giving birth with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), a lifelong developmental disorder that manifests as abnormal facial features, stunted growth, alcohol-induced brain damage, and emotional disorders.
Side effects of alcohol abuse
- Neurological Disorders
- Diabetes and cognitive impairment are two possible long-term effects of alcohol. Chronic alcohol consumption leads to a higher risk of developing diabetes. This leads to obesity because alcohol is high in calories and damages the pancreas, which secretes insulin; long-term alcohol abuse can cause learning difficulties and memory problems. This increases the risk of developing mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.
- Another major problem associated with persistent alcohol abuse is the so-calledwithdrawal syndrome: <strong symptoms become more severe each time a person consumes ethanol. Alcohol also damages nerve cells, causing irreversible polyneuropathy.
Most of the negative long-term effects of alcohol are related to health, but there are exceptions. Sexual assault, rape that occurs after severe alcoholism, aggravated assault, reckless driving, and robberies or thefts committed while intoxicated affect loved ones, friends, and even complete strangers they come in contact with. Physical and cognitive impairment due to alcohol abuse is huge every year.
Adverse effects of alcohol
Addiction occurs when the body cannot function optimally without alcohol. The brain cannot send the right signals to the body when it gets used to the long-term effects of alcohol. When a person becomes addicted, he continues to drink, regardless of any physical or psychological symptoms caused by drinking. Furthermore, a person who becomes addicted will continue to drink even if he suffers from job loss, panic attacks, family breakups, or is arrested for alcohol-related behavior. He also faces an increased risk of becoming addicted to other drugs because they crave more than alcohol brings. Failure to rationalize and loss of inhibition also make people more prone to experimenting with illegal drugs and lead to many social consequences of alcohol dependence.
Addiction is a physical disorder that requires treatment. The consequences of alcohol withdrawal are dangerous and potentially life-threatening. Treatment begins with detoxification. Ideally, this is followed by treatment in a hospital or outpatient rehabilitation facility, where patients are helped to achieve long-term sobriety. If nothing else, experts believe that the short-term and long-term effects of alcohol are the most harmful of all other drugs.
Alcohol exposure: treatments
At the hospital rehabilitation center, patients receive therapy and intensive counseling to find positive ways to deal with the stress that has led them to alcohol abuse. Treatment begins immediately after detoxification is complete. These treatment programs last for at least 30 days. They can last up to a year. The best rehabilitation centers are located in quiet, peaceful areas where patients can focus on their recovery. Therapists at these alcohol rehabilitation centers recommend that patients continue outpatient treatment after their stay. It is also suggested that you join support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, e. g.