It is a common knowledge today that alcohol abuse is injurious to health and not just the physical health but the mental health of the person as well. But in this article, the focus is on understanding just how much damage is caused by alcohol addiction to the physical health of the person. To have a broad view of the subject, the effects of alcohol use can be divided into two types, as per Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre in Mumbai.
- The short-term effects of alcohol use: This type of effects occurs shortly after consumption and it can last for many hours. They will be in the form of an alcohol intoxication, hangover and in extreme and rare case, alcohol poisoning leading to possible death. The intensity of this effect will depend on how quickly one drinks, whether it was consumed on empty stomach and also the weight and sex of the drinker. After drinking the first sip, certain amount of alcohol gets absorbed under the tongue and the mucosal lining of the person’s mouth while the rest directly get into the bloodstream via stomach and the intestine. Since the process of absorption is a quick process, the effects are immediate on the body. It can take place within minutes after consumption and last for several hours.
- The long-term effects of alcohol use: This type of effects is prominent on people who has persistent unhealthy drinking pattern. Excessive drinking on a daily basis surely leads to alcohol use disorders, which is also known as alcohol abuse or addiction. These habits are marked with patterns such as drinking alcohol more than 5 drinks in a single day, that results in 18 drinks in a week and it can be termed as binge drinking.
Physical Health Risks.
The long-term health risks associated with alcohol use disorder are as follows:
Liver Disease: Prolonged and excessive alcohol use effects the liver organ in the body immensely, causing three types of liver diseases. Steatosis (fatty liver), cirrhosis, and alcohol-related hepatitis. These conditions disrupt liver function, resulting in serious damage to the body over time.
Cardiovascular Problems: The heart rate and blood pressure rise immediately after drinking alcohol. If the substance is out of the system, the vital signs return to normal. Some of the cardiovascular problems caused by excessing and prolonged alcohol use are; a Heart attack, an enlarged heart and heart failure or death.
Gastrointestinal Infections: Alcohol irritates the gastrointestinal tract by causing the stomach to produce extra acid that leads to inflammation of the stomach lining. In addition, the person can also experience health problems such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, constipation, heartburn, stomatitis and peptic ulcers.
Alcohol-Related Cancers: Excessive alcohol use is also known to increase the risk of developing certain type of cancers. The cancer types are oral cancer, laryngeal cancer, esophageal, liver and colon cancer.
How does Alcohol Abuse become an Entry Gateway for Physical Health Issues?
The immune system is an internal mechanism in the human’s body that acts as a defender from any hostile and foreign viruses or bacteria that threatens the normal functioning of the body. It helps in preventing or limiting any type of infections. The immune system consists of complex cells, proteins, tissues and organs. A strong and functional immune system is able to distinguish healthy tissue from unwanted substances and on detecting an unwanted substance, it mounts an immune response in the form of a complex attack to protect the body from the invaders. One of the most lethal effects of prolonged alcohol use is weakening or damaging of the human immune system, which end up in the heavy drinkers being at risk of getting sick and perhaps staying sick for a long period. Alcohol makes it hard for the immune system to gear up and defend the body against harmful germs. For example, in the lungs, it damages the immune cells and fine hairs, disabling it from performing its main function which is to clear pathogens out of the airway. When the body is unable to clear a pathogen, an infection can get worst, giving way to more severe health complications. Similarly, alcohol can trigger inflammation in the stomach and damage the microorganisms that reside in the intestine and helps in maintaining the immune system.
Factors That impact the Alcohol Affects on the Immune System:
The effects that alcohol has on the body is due to the way the body processes alcohol. However, some factors can affect the intensity of the damage that alcohol causes.
Amount of alcohol consumed: Excessive drinking habits is more likely to affect a person’s immune system than moderate drinkers. For Women, drinking less than two drinks at a time is moderate drinking and more than that can be considered as excessive. For men, moderate drinking is less than three drinks at a time is considered moderate and if more than that, it is considered as excessive.
Frequency: The frequency at which a person drinks also impacts how much it damages the immune system. A person who drinks on a regular basis is more likely to have a weaker immune system and experience health issues as compared to a person who only drinks on rare occasions.
Type of Alcohol: Certain alcoholic beverages have components that combat ethanol’s damaging effects. The ethanol present in alcohol damages immune cells by creating free radicals. Alcoholic drinks that contain antioxidants may cause less damage as compared to other drinks. Alcoholic drinks such as beer and wine may not bear a significant effect on the immune system like the stronger alcoholic beverages, but it can cause adverse health effects and suppress the body’s immune responses.
Gender: Women with excessive alcohol use habits are at higher risk for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases while men with excessive drinking habits are more prone to higher risk of infections.
Conclusion:
Alcohol affects the entire body in an adverse manner, and to keep its functions at optimal health, it must be able to fight off diseases and illnesses of all type. Therefore, it is important to understand the impact of alcohol on the body’s immune system and start to take measures to prevent that. Treating the alcohol dependency or addiction should be the first step for people with this condition so that they are able to live a healthier life. An Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre in Pune states that a treatment program that entails psychotherapy, counselling, and other medical approaches can help a person heal from addiction in all the ways that they can. Abstaining from alcohol use can significantly improve the physical health. Not only does it take away the existing symptoms caused by alcohol but it can also boost the immune system, which will protect the body from serious infections and viruses that the person could be exposed to in the future
