Alcoholism
Alcohol is a strong psychotropic substance that affects the psyche and human behavior. In small doses, alcohol causes excitement, manifested in an increase in mood, a sense of joy, a desire to have fun, but in large doses, it leads to severe brain function suppression.
According to statistics, most people who died from external causes, injuries and poisoning, at the time of death were intoxicated.
How does alcohol affect the human body?
The constant use of alcohol leads to a severe disease – alcoholism or alcohol dependence, which is based on chronic poisoning of the body by alcohol. This chronic poisoning gradually forms a mental and physical dependence on alcohol and causes pathology of the internal organs, metabolic disorders, central and peripheral nervous systems, mental and personality degradation.
How does alcohol affect internal organs?
Alcohol destroys the liver (the main function of the liver is the neutralization of all substances that are absorbed in the stomach and intestines): as a result of the constant toxic effects of alcohol, liver inflammation occurs – alcoholic hepatitis, then a large number of liver cells die and cirrhosis develops. Cirrhosis is one of the common causes of death in patients with alcoholism.
Alcohol damages the pancreas, causing acute as well as chronic pancreatitis. Patients with acute pancreatitis are hospitalized urgently since surgical intervention is often required to save the patient’s life.
Alcohol affects the heart, causes arrhythmias, arterial hypertension, disrupts the metabolism in the cells of the heart muscle, while some of the cells die and myocardial dystrophy develops (decrease in heart weight).
Alcohol reduces immunity (the body’s ability to defend itself against infections), so drinkers often get pneumonia, purulent, infectious diseases.
Alcohol causes changes in the skin. Everyone knows the “red noses of alcoholics.”
Alcohol destroys the peripheral nervous system. This is manifested by the characteristic “gait of alcoholics”, in which there is an uncertain slow tread, staggering, trembling fingers.
Alcohol leads to impotence, damage to germ cells, as a result, children are born with various disorders in physical and mental development, with various internal and external deformities.
What are the first signs of primary alcoholism?
- Often arising desire to drink and get drunk.
- The habit of relieving stress in the event of any problems with alcohol.
- Change in behavior when drinking alcohol: a person becomes aggressive, scandalous, angry.
- The occurrence of problems at work and at home due to alcohol consumption.
- Reception of alcoholic drinks regardless of the day time – in the morning, at work, etc.
How not to become an alcoholic?
- If you do not have signs of alcoholism, but you drink alcohol often and a lot – make a decision to reduce the amount of alcohol and reasons for drinking. Do not let the situation go out of control if you value your family, work, and your health.
- Avoid companies that consume large amounts of alcohol.
- Control the amount of alcohol you drink.
- Feel free to refuse if you are offered a drink.
- Learn to relax in other (non-alcoholic) ways: do sports, creativity, tourism or other pleasant business.
- If you or someone close to you has signs of alcoholism, urgently consult a doctor.
Without the help of a doctor, it is very difficult to cope with the disease. Remember: to cope with this severe disease, modern methods of treatment and the active desire of the patient himself to get rid of the disease are necessary.