Physical Health and Alcoholism

physical impact of alcoholismAlcoholism is a devastating condition for the body. No one wants to be an alcoholic, yet many people are drawn into the siren’s call to drink excessively and their physical health pays the price. Drinking seems fun and harmless to everyone while they are drinking, but everyone should be aware of what alcohol is capable of doing to the human body before they decide to consume it.

In the early stages of alcoholism, the body’s physical health will not be devastated yet, but it will be retreating. When a person begins to drink too much, a number of negative health consequences begin to set in. Alcohol is dehydrating and leaves all the body’s systems depleted of water. This can be seen in the blotchy skin and bloodshot eyes of a person who is abusing alcohol. Blood pressure, heart rate and glucose levels are thrown out of whack by heavy alcohol consumption as well, throwing the body’s levels off.

When a person has been an alcoholic for an extended period of time, they are likely to develop other health complications. Extended periods of drinking are very hard on the body and toxicity rises with prolonged drinking. Conditions such as gastritis, the irritation of the stomach lining, and anemia, the excessive thinning of the blood, are common in alcoholics. These conditions and others like them result in discomfort and pain as the body struggles to regulate its temperature, becomes lethargic and can be overcome by nausea or headaches.

When alcoholism is long lived and becomes severe, health problems can become far more serious. Permanent life altering conditions can result, the most well known of which is cirrhosis of the liver. The liver is responsible for filtering toxins out of the things a person ingests, and when a person has been drinking for an extended period of time, the liver becomes overworked and begins to shut down. This allows toxins to spread throughout the body, throwing the person’s levels into chaos. Fluid build up can occur within the body, causing swelling and discomfort. The blood vessels in the esophagus may swell and can even rupture. Needless to say, alcoholism is a killer and it has no regard for status or demographic.


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