Long-term and short-term effects of alcohol use
The short-term effects of alcohol can be beneficial and not always negative. Most adults will not experience the side effects of one or two drinks, even if they drink daily and still drink lightly. Alcohol abuse can lead to addiction, diagnosed as alcoholism.
Long-term consequences of alcohol abuse include domestic violence, drunk driving and other destructive behaviors.
Effects of short-term alcohol
A beverage fits a glass of wine, liquor, or a can of beer. This level of use is completely safe and can even reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and alcohol dementia. The short-term effects of higher doses vary with drinker weight, gender, and other factors, including alcohol allergies. The positive effects of alcohol are undeniable. These include a sense of calm and relaxation that neurotic people are passionate about. Tension usually decreases, people become less sensitive, reflexes slow down, reaction time increases, and coordination declines. All of these effects are due to slow brain activity and begin to appear after drinking more than three or four drinks. In rare cases, people may be injured after drinking an alcoholic beverage, especially if it is their first alcoholic beverage or if they have some underlying medical condition.
The short-term effects of alcohol include:
- Stomach ache, nausea, or diarrhea: <strong Alcohol irritates the lining of the stomach, causing this effect. Note that these symptoms may indicate the development of alcoholic gastritis.
- Relaxation:Most people feel calmer and happier when they drink, so many people turn to alcohol when they are stressed or sad. They become more lively and talk a lot.
- Vision and Hearing Disorders: <strong Alcohol is depression and slows down the nervous system itself. Because the central nervous system controls motor and cognitive function, people will show longer reaction times. More noticeable effects include blurred speech, blurred vision, and poor hearing. Sometimes the effects of this alcohol can appear even after one drink, so combine alcohol and drive.
- Fatigue, drowsiness:is part of the calming effect of alcohol. Drowsiness after the initial euphoria has passed. However, the opposite effect may also occur, which is called alcoholic insomnia
- Poor self-control, blurred thinking:By impairing the function of the central nervous system, alcohol makes a person less in control and more prone to behaviors that may seem unhealthy. People are more likely to break the law or engage in risky sexual activity, such as unprotected sex while under the influence of alcohol. Negative consequences of alcohol consumption include "people who wake up early" when people are denied service at a restaurant, if they are drunk, and they quarrel.
- Memory Deterioration:The effects of alcohol consumption on memory are well known and also due to decreased nervous system activity. Violations can result in alcohol outage, when a person does not remember the events that took place after drinking. Another horrible side effect is delirium tremens.
- Mood changes: <strong initial "cheerfulness" gradually fades, giving way to depression. This sometimes causes people to continue drinking and mood swings can occur. They are sometimes very severe - depression in people who depend on alcohol can eventually lead to suicide attempts with varying outcomes. Well-known chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain, who has fought alcohol and drug addiction, is a tragic example.
Consequences of alcohol: risks and dangers
Some short-term effects of alcohol can be fatal, and alcohol is very risky. Party drinking is defined as excessive drinking for a short period of time - 4 or more drinks in one session. Alcohol poisoning occurs when the level of alcohol in the blood reaches toxic levels, resulting in symptoms of intoxication that are more likely to occur when drinking low-quality beverages. Alcohol poisoning is a medical emergency and is fatal if left untreated. The following symptoms may appear:
- Mental confusion or stuttering, the person does not hold his head, feels depressed;
- Unconscious;
- Seizures;
- Low body temperature or vice versa;
- Vibration or vibration;
- Skin pale, cold, bluish;
- Irregular or slow breathing;
- Development of chronic diseases such as gout;
- Loss of bladder and intestinal control;
- Koma.
Long-term effects of alcohol
The long-term effects of alcohol can include liver damage, depression, cancer, immune system disorders, hypertension, decreased sexual performance in men and loss of sexual drive in women, or pancreatitis. Over time, people who drink alcohol may experience cognitive impairment. Side effects from this habit include irritability and poor work performance due to alcohol. Alcohol abuse has a negative effect on the kidneys, causing serious damage. Long-term abuse can lead to liver cirrhosis, a severe liver disease that requires liver transplantation in many cases. Many people in this country die from cirrhosis.
The risk of underage drinking is much higher.
Other long-term effects also include the so-called dry intoxication syndrome, in which a person experiences the effects of alcohol poisoning without consuming alcohol at all. With long-term alcohol use, people develop tolerance as the body becomes more accustomed to alcohol. This forces them to drink large amounts of alcohol without experiencing short-term effects that would otherwise result in cessation.
Effects of alcohol on women
Alcohol affects women differently than men. Gone are the days when it was believed that only men had alcohol problems. Nowadays, more and more women are abusing alcohol - statistics show that millions of women in the country drink in ways that are considered dangerous to their safety, health and well-being. According to traffic authorities, a woman's blood alcohol level is high enough to increase the risk of a car accident 100% after drinking one drink on an empty stomach.
Drunk driving seems to be a male-only problem, and certainly not.
The side effects of alcohol on the bodies of men and women are very different. According to experts, alcohol and chronic alcohol make women have a much higher health and safety risk than men. Drunk women more than double their chances of being sexually or physically abused. Data show that more than 50% of sexual assaults recorded in the country involve a woman, a man, or both members of a drunken family. A study in Norway found that couples who drank alcohol in different amounts were more likely to divorce than those who drank in comparable amounts. This is especially true in relationships where the wife is an alcoholic. The effects of alcoholism on women are more pronounced. Long-term alcohol consumption is far more dangerous for women's health - women are more likely to die from liver cirrhosis or suffer from brain, heart or breast cancer. Girls who drink during pregnancy are at risk of developing fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), a developmental disorder that appears as abnormal facial features, stunted growth, alcohol-induced brain damage, and emotional disorders.
Side effects of alcohol abuse
- Neurological disorders;
- Diabetes and strong cognitive disorders <are two possible long-term effects of alcohol. Chronic alcohol intake leads to a higher risk of diabetes. This leads to obesity, as alcohol is high in calories and damages the pancreas, which secretes insulin;
Long-term alcohol abuse can also cause learning difficulties and memory problems. This increases the risk of developing mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. - Another major problem associated with persistent alcohol abuse is the so-calledwithdrawal syndrome: <strong. Symptoms get worse every time a person uses ethanol. Alcohol also damages nerve cells, causing irreversible polyneuropathy.
A large number of long-term negative effects of alcohol are related to health, but there are exceptions. Sexual assault, rape that occurs after severe alcohol intoxication, severe assault, reckless driving, and drunken robbery or theft affect loved ones, friends, and even strangers with whom they come in contact. Physical and cognitive impairment due to alcohol abuse is enormous every year.
Harmful effects of alcohol
Addiction occurs when the body is unable to function optimally without alcohol. The brain is unable to send the correct signals to the body when accustomed to the effects of long-term alcohol. When a person becomes addicted, he or she continues to drink, regardless of the physical or psychological symptoms caused by alcohol consumption. Moreover, a person who becomes addicted will continue to drink even if they experience job loss, panic attacks, break up with their family, or are arrested for alcohol-related behavior. He also faces an increased risk of becoming addicted to other drugs because they crave it more than the alcohol they carry. Failure to rationalize and lose inhibition also makes people more likely to experiment with illicit drugs and leads to many social consequences of alcohol dependence.
Addiction is a physical disorder that requires treatment. The consequences of alcohol consumption are dangerous and potentially life-threatening. Treatment begins with detoxification. Ideally, this is followed by treatment at the inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation facility, where the patient is assisted to achieve long-term peace of mind. If so, experts believe that the short-term and long-term effects of alcohol are the most dangerous of all other types of drugs.