The Effects Of Alcohol On The Body

Many people, including alcoholics, are not fully aware of the devastation caused by alcohol abuse. Not only does alcohol have an impact on physical health, it causes a host of problems from a mental and emotional standpoint. This addiction is not only harmful to the body, it tears families apart, leads to job loss, and often causes isolation for the person who drinks.

Alcohol has long been a subject of controversy. Long before man understood the indications and contraindications of alcohol there has been laws against this drug. Classifying alcohol as a drug may not be suited for a majority of the population because people like to partake in drinking. Imbibing in alcohol is a tradition in many parts of the country. We use alcohol for celebrations, traditions, socialization and combining food flavors with specific alcohols. Forgetting that too much can lead to many issues and problems like alcoholism, liver disease and contraindications with other medications. Alcohol was extremely detrimental to the native Americans of this land.

In Whiting S. Albert’s article “Alcohol Use Is Harmful” he stated that alcohol is a chemical that contains hydrogen and carbon. Whiting stated further that the active ingredient of alcohol is ethyl alcohol, which is also known as ethanol. Alcohol is one of the few things that human being consume that do not need digestion. Alcohol appears the bloodstream immediately, thus, its intoxicating effects are felt instantly (1). “High levels of mortality, morbidity, and social malaise are associated with abuse of alcohol, and increasing numbers of women and youth are abusing alcohol” (Ferreira and Darryn 1). “Alcohol slows down the function of all living cells, especially those in the brain” (Whiting 1), which causes thinking to be impaired. Alcohol is probably the most used drug worldwide. “Three in ten adults 18 years of age and over have had alcoholism and/or engaged in alcohol abuse at some point in their lives …” (“Impact of Alcoholism” 1). According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

Ethanol’s primary effect on the central nervous system is as a depressant. Chronic alcohol consumption, the CNS remains chronically depressed. This in turn causes down regulation of inhibitory systems, and up regulation of excitatory systems within the body. If chronic alcohol consumption is abruptly stopped the long term depression of these systems is as well. However, now there is a relative excess in excitatory influences such as norepinephrine, cAMP, glutamate receptors, neuronal calcium channels and NMDA channels and a relative deficiency in inhibitory deficiencies such as GABA. While benzodiazepines are the mainstay of alcohol withdrawal treatment, they act only GABA channels to enhance the inhibitory effects of GABA. Dysfunction

Alcohol affects the brain, the heart, the liver, the pancreas, the immune system and can cause cancer in the mouth, esophagus, throat, liver, and the breasts. “Chronic and

Someone is sitting at a restaurant bar. A waitress walks over handing out free shots, so he takes one. One leads to two, two leads to three, and so on. Before he realizes it, he is talking louder than ever, tripping over his own feet, and causing a scene. Toward the end of the night, he walks into someone’s table, as he is heading out of the restaurant, knocking over their meals. He tries to say something, but all that comes out is mumbling. The next morning, he is feeling dizzy, has a pounding headache, and does not remember anything from the night before.

Cardiovascular system consists of Heart and blood vessels. Blood vessels carrying nutrients and other material and delivers them to organs in the body. Alcohol could be one of the material which is absorbed from digestive system in body and carry into the blood stream. Alcohol can affect the cardio vascular system by many ways. Since we drink the alcohol, it can cause the short-term Hypertension (which is high blood pressure), and Tachycardia (which is high heart rate). On the other hand, drinking lot of alcohol in long term may cause sever cardiovascular disease and in some cases, it may even be causing death. Some of the diseases are: Heart attack, Stroke. Heart is pumping oxygenated blood to the whole body, but the heart muscle itself needs

For motor skills part, there are two factors to analysis, which include muscle control: leg muscles and heart muscles; eyesight effect by the alcohol consumption. An organization which is named Narconon Reviews (2013) claimed that motor-skills are those functions that muscles, hand, feet, etc work together. They are always executing specific actions, such as walking/running, driving a car, picking up an object/moving it. Motor skills also connect with sensory channels. These channels include sight, sound, touch, smell and even tastes. If an independent drinks alcohol, one of the channels will be limited.

Alcohol is a substance that has numerous diverse affects on the body-both positive and negative. Alcohol not only kills brain cells, but when taken in profusion it has almost no constructive affects. Sure it can make one overlook his/her problems, but the consequences of drinking in excess far outweigh the benefits. It is not a crime to get drunk, however alcohol will almost always cause one to conduct them self in a way he or she would not normally behave. For instance, a sober man will not usually drive ninety-five mph down I-95, however, after consuming a good amount of alcohol, his eyesight, judgement, reflexes and abilities are hindered to the point that he feels

Crist, M., McVay, D., & Marocco, S. (2013). PHT 712, Module 3 tutorial. Utica College.

When I step into a college party, the first thing I see around me is alcohol. I often notice underage adolescents drinking and I also distinguish how they become different people when intoxicated by alcohol. They begin to walk funny and they tend to slur their words, making it hard to comprehend anything they are saying. I have watched family members who were so inebriated that they could not even spell their own name or even pinpoint who they were. The questions I always ask myself when I see these drunk college kids is “Do these kids know the effects of alcoholism?”

Alcohol is one of many dangerous substances that effects our bodies. The effects of this drug can be very harmful. Alcohol is a potent non-prescription drug sold to anyone over the national legal drinking age, 21. Unlike other deadly drugs it is easy to access. This makes it easy to over-consume and create a tragic accident, even death. It can damage a person not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. Many people each year become more and more addicted to alcohol and soon experience all of it?s dangerous effects. Even if alcohol use is discontinued, some of these damages can not be cured, because the scars have been left on those that drink and those that surround them. The only hope

In the last three decades HIV/ AIDS has become the one of the most notorious and widely spread diseases in the modern world. Its discovery in the late seventies prompted worldwide concern. The one thing that has become the most bothersome thing about the HIV/ AIDS epidemic is prevention. Prevention or stopping the transmission of the diseases is hindered by factors such as: denial or non-acceptance by infected persons, unsafe sex, and non-disclosure by infected persons to their at risk sexual partner(s). According to Alghazo, Upton, and Cioe (2011):

Alcohol and Its Effects on the Body As tempting as it might be to consume alcohol in college, I have found through recent experiences that the idea might not be as glamorous and fun as it seems. I have experienced the trouble that drinking can cause and the negative impacts that alcohol does to your body. Unfortunately, I have experienced many of the troubles that alcohol can acquire for someone.

Alcohol is a very serious and dangerous drug, although it is not treated this way anymore. College students have taken drinking to a new level in which, for many, is very scary. Alcohol is much more dangerous than many would think. Kids see a night of drinking as a great way to have fun and party but do not see the consequences. Getting drunk and even blacking out can lead to many problems. When alcohol is consumed in unhealthy amounts, it can lead to not only short-term effects, but long-term ones as well.