While alcohol can temporarily make a person feel good, pleasant, and sociable, continued use can result in alcohol dependency or addiction. Alcohol has physical effects as well as mental ones. Research suggests that even drinking within advised limits may raise a person’s overall chance of passing away from a variety of diseases, including several types of cancer and specific types of cardiovascular disease.
This article will clarify many often-asked issues about alcohol and assist you in understanding how it impacts your physical health.
It may result in pancreatitis
Overindulging in alcohol may eventually cause pancreas infection and pancreatitis. Pancreatitis can cause both the secretion of digestive enzymes and abdominal pain. Hence, pancreatitis has the potential to worsen over time and result in catastrophic consequences that leave lifelong scarring and damage.
Affects the central nervous system
Alcohol impairs brain-body communication, which results in slurred speech, a crucial indicator of intoxication. That is a crucial aspect of the recommendation to not to drive after drinking. Over time, alcohol might damage your central nervous system. It might start to feel fuzzy and numbness in your hands and feet.
Damages the digestive system
Alcohol consumption and digestive health may not initially seem to be related. Frequently, negative consequences don’t surface until after the harm has already been done. Further drinking may worsen these effects.
Drinking can irritate the digestive tract’s tissues, making it challenging for your intestines to effectively break down food and internalize vitamins and nutrients. Over time, this injury could lead to malnutrition.
Effects on the immune system
Your body’s natural immune system is compromised when you drink a lot. You are less likely to be protected against viruses and bacteria if your immune system is compromised.
Also, compared to the general population, heavy drinkers are more prone to get tuberculosis or pneumonia. Around 8.1. percent of Trusted Source of all TB cases globally are associated with alcohol use, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Affects pregnancy and causes miscarriages
When you consume alcohol, it travels from your blood to your unborn child through the placenta. The liver is one of the last organs to develop in a fetus and does not reach maturity until later in pregnancy. Your baby’s growth could be harmed by alcohol because it is tough for them to process.
Pregnancy-related alcohol use increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight in the fetus. Your baby’s birth may still have an effect on it.
It might result in severe dependency
You might experience a variety of physical, emotional, or mental health problems when you stop drinking, which go away as soon as you start drinking again and again. When your body becomes dependent on alcohol, you may experience tolerance and dependence as signs of an alcohol use disorder, a condition that was formerly known as alcoholism. Depending on how many symptoms you experience, this illness can range from mild to severe.
Some safety tips to follow
If you become as knowledgeable about how alcohol affects the body as you can, drinking can be a part of a healthy lifestyle. You should adhere to The Australian Guidelines to lower your lifetime risk of suffering an alcohol-related illness or injury.
According to the Australian Guidelines, healthy adults should limit their alcohol consumption to no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 standard drinks per day. The amount of ethanol (alcohol) in a typical drink is roughly 10 grams, which is the maximum amount your body can metabolize in an hour. The amount of alcohol you can consume depends on your age, weight, sex, and current mood.