Consequences Of Too Much Alcohol In The Body System

Alcohol is produced commercially through the fermentation of ethanol (yeast breaks down sugar into alcohol); it has colourless, volatile and flammable physical properties.

In as much as alcohol is produced commercially for consumption, our body also produces its own alcohol through the breakdown of small amounts of carbohydrates by some microbes in the body.

The alcohol in the body is turned into some useful energy through metabolic processes and eliminates it so it doesn't accumulate to toxins in our bloodstreams.

Alcohol works in two different ways in the body system. The way it works for one who takes it in moderate quantity is not the way it will work for one who takes it in large quantity.

Research has shown that alcohol, when taken in moderate quantity, helps in constipation. However, much consumption of alcohol affects every part of the body and endangers human health in some mentioned in this article.

 

Some of the consequences can be seen below:

1.     Liver Cirrhosis

Too much alcohol has great negative effects on the liver which can subdue its proper functioning.  Most times when been taken excessively, causes alcoholic hepatitis, which can result in liver failure and death in many cases.

When the accumulation of alcohol in the body system becomes much, the body begins to store liver health tissue with scar tissue. This abnormality is medically referred to as alcoholic liver cirrhosis.     

Cirrhosis which implies chronic inflammation of the liver leading to damaged tissue, chronic viral hepatitis and fatty liver disease is caused by unsafe consumption of alcohol.

Excessive intake of alcohol (alcohol abuse) maintained for a prolonged period causes liver cirrhosis which symptoms develop between the ages of 30 to 40 years.

 

2.     Prostate Cancer

Alcohol can also cause prostate cancer as habitual drinkers stand the risk of experiencing pain in the pancreas.

When the pancreas is functioning abnormally, it can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and which put diabetic patients in danger.

According to scientific researches, men who are addicted to heavy intake of alcohol are said to be as twice more likely to be diagnosed with high-grade prostate cancer than those who drink less.

Further researches show that men who drink more of beer heavily especially those with a history of consuming seven or bottles in a week are prone to the three-fold increased risk of a high-grade tumour within the scrotal sac region (aggressive prostate cancer).

The result of the above research was later published by Cancer Prevention Research which shows that whether the heavy consumption of alcohol in during youthful or in old age that the chances of getting prostate cancer are still there

 

3.     Nervous System Effect

Too much alcohol affects the central nervous system, contracts the brain tissues and destroys brain cells thus making an addict behave senselessly most times.

Nervous system connects most parts of the body including the brain. It is this system that conducts stimuli from the sensory receptors to the spinal cord and brain, also coordinates impulses back to other parts of the systems.

For this reason, one should avoid too much drinking of alcohol as it leads to memory loss. Also in a long-term habit of such intake can cause permanent memory impairment.

Such a person can develop problems with cognition and memory, loses coordination and can hardly think comprehensively or perform any task effectively. The ethanol contained in alcohol damages the neurotransmitter in the brain.

 

4.     Peripheral Neuropathy

Too much alcoholic content in the body system most times leads to Alcoholic polyneuropathy; a tingling or abnormal sensation of the hands and feet due to the presence of a toxic element which affects the nerve tissues.

Alcoholic Neuropathy; is another severe neurological disorder caused by too much alcohol to the body peripheral nerves especially when the person is ageing.

Peripheral neuropathy is the pains, weakness and numbness that normally occur in the hands and feet as a result of nerve damage and can spread towards the centre of the human body that provides support for certain functions.

People who drink a lot of alcohol are prone to suffer peripheral neuropathy and alcoholic polyneuropathy.

 

5.     Ulcer

Alcohol, when consumed excessively, irritates the lining of the stomach and can lead to inflammation and increase the risk of an ulcer developing and also worsening the ulcer in cases of those that already have it.

There is no doubt that chronic and heavy intake of alcohol can cause ulcer which has been backed up medical proofs.

According to the medical reviews, drinking too much quantity of alcohol causes irritation to the stomach lining making it be inflamed and red, that is gastritis. 

This habit also inhibits healing of already existing ulcer in the stomach just as it can stomach inflammation which leads to the development of fresh stomach ulcer.

For this, it was recommended that adults who take alcohol should drink it in moderated quantity. In which case, women who drink shouldn't take more than one per day while men are advised not to take more than two per day.

 

6.     Obesity Risk

The journal published by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), shows that large intake of alcoholic drinks can go extra miles in contributing to excess energy intake which is linked to weight gain.

It was further backed up with pieces of evidence that chronic alcoholic intake has a great effect on the risk of obesity.

Another point of view proves that over-drinking of alcohol increases craving for food and appetite which can lead to overeating and then to weight gain. And when this habit becomes prolonged, causes obesity

 

7.     Weakens Erection

Excessive drinking of alcohol causes weak erection in men which leads to infertility in some cases. Among women, it causes miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery and infertility in women.

Erectile dysfunction is one of the major family problems caused by abnormal consumption of alcohol which has torn marriages apart.

Professional urologists have proven that too much drinking of alcohol prevents body system from stopping the blood vessel from opening up in order to circulate blood to the penis and maintain an erection.

 

8.     Heart Damage

Heavy drinking of alcohol is one of the major causes of cardiovascular problems. Blood is been pumped into the body system by the heart which implies that the heart and blood vessel make up the cardiovascular system.

Nutrients from consumed foods and drinks are passed directly into the bloodstream through the small intestines.

Medical scientists have researched and found out that chronic drinking of alcohol on regular basis increases heart rate which can lead to blood clotting.

In addition to the ones mentioned above, it also weakens the heart muscles, increases blood pressure and causes irregular heartbeat, in other words, atrial fibrillation.

 

9.     Lung Infection

What you consider as enjoyment can cause damage to the overall body system. Lungs and the entire respiratory system can easily be damaged by the heavy intake of alcohol because of the toxic substances contained in it.

The result of an overwhelming amount of alcohol consumed on daily basis is a high risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

On the other hand, heavy alcohol intake can break down the immune system in the lung thereby exposing the lungs to the possibilities of being attacked by certain infections.

When the act is been prolonged, it can cause regular dehydration which the results become formulation of mucus in the lung

 

10.     Birth Defect

Excessive intake of alcoholic drinks such as hard liquor, wine and beer during pregnancy causes developmental disabilities to the fetus and birth defects.

When the unborn babies in the womb are exposed to chronic alcohol, it causes mental and physical damage known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

 

11.     Muscle Cramps

People who drink most often experience strong painful contraction and tightening of the muscles called muscle cramping.

Researches show that heavy binge drinking affects the muscle fibres and is accompanied by nutritional deficiency which causes muscle cramping and weaknesses.

 

12.    Slurred Speech

The major culprit of excessive drinking is slurred speech which is the common thing that is used to detect that someone is drunk.

Once a person is drunk to stupor, he/she begins to experience a poor limb coordination which affects the speech there and then.

Alcohol is considered one of the major depressants of the central nervous system which also causes a change in speech production due to alcoholic intoxication.

The effects of chronic intake of alcohol to the body may be prolonged while others can be short-termed depending on the physical conditions of the individual.

 

Some of the long-term effects of excessive drinking of alcohol!

Long-term drinking of alcohol damages the liver, lungs, nervous systems and other parts of the body.

It causes cancer of the mouth and throat, alcoholic poison, ulcer, gastritis, brain damage, sexual disorders, heart problems, nerve issues, liver problems, vitamin B1 deficiency and malnutrition among others.

On the other hand, short-term effects include, but not limited to:

Drowsiness, slurred speech, headache, stomach upset, impaired judgment, unconsciousness, memory lapses, reduced coordination & perception, anaemia etc.

 

Conclusion

Abuse of alcohol has so many health implications, apart from the fact that it can lead to body sensation, it can also send one to his or her early grave.

It affects eventually all the vital organs of the body like the kidney, liver, pancreas and many other internal organs of the body; that is why it is necessary for you to know the implications of too much alcohol consumption in the body before taking the next bottle or glass of beer (alcohol).