The Effects Of Alcohol On The Human Body

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has published a fact sheet of statistics on suicide in the United States. In 2007, it is reported that suicide was the tenth leading cause of death. Furthermore, for every suicide committed, eleven were attempted. A total of 34,598 deaths occurred from suicide with an overall rate of 11.3 suicide deaths per 100,000 people. (NIMH, 2010). Risk factors were also noted on this report and listed “depression and other mental disorders, or a substance abuse disorder (often in combination with other mental disorders). More than ninety percent of people who die by suicide have these risk factors (NIMH, 2010).”

Thirdly another serious effect alcohol has is suicide. More than "150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem (Hingson et al., 2002[->0]), and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use (Presley et al., 1998[->1]). People who have any sort of mental condition such as depression, manic depressive and anxiety should not be drinking alcohol at all. It's simply not good for a mentally ill person. "Alcohol has been found to lower serotonin and norepinephrine levels" Meaning that by having the serotonin levels lowered it will actually make the person even more depressed and higher risk for sucide.

With the high risk factor for alcohol abuse you can correlate that it is related to suicide through a study that involved approximately 300 veterans who were being seen for depression and who eventually completed suicide. These cases all involved alcohol dependencies as a severe risk factor (Subhajit Chakravorty et al. 2014).

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,

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States (US) as of the 2015 Suicide Facts at a Glance Report. In 2013 there were 41,149 suicides in the US which calculates to a rate of 12.6 per 100,000 or 113 suicides each day or one every 13 minutes (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). Emergency departments are often a resource for those seeking assistance for suicidal ideations. This paper will discuss many aspect of suicide including; contributing factors, scope of the problem, populations affected, significance, and approaches used to address the issue.

Binge drinking may seem like fun and games until one’s blood alcohol content rises. Blood alcohol content (BAC) is the measure of one’s intoxication. When his or hers BAC rises to 0.03% it causes relaxation and a mood change which can cause them to want to drink even more. When one’s BAC rises to 0.09% things get difficult like: delayed reaction time, decreased muscle control, and slurred speech. 0.09% is past the legal driving limit in multiple states, but yet people continue to drive and put themselves and others in danger. At 0.15% blurred vision occurs, unsteadiness, and impaired coordination make for someone who cannot take care of themselves. When the BAC rises to .50% it can cause coma and risk of death. Most people do not realize what

Alcohol abuse can also cause short-term effects to the body. Although there are many different short-term effects, the most common happens to be a hangover which is a “group of symptoms experienced by a person after a heavy consumption of alcohol” (Alcoholic 1). Symptoms of a hangover often consist of nausea, fatigue, thirst, headache, diarrhea, and sensitivity to light and noise. The severity of a hangover depends on several factors; these factors include the amount of alcohol consumed, the level of hydration in the body at the time of alcohol consumption, and disease. Although hangovers are the most common short-term effect, blackouts are also a short-term result of alcohol abuse. Consuming large amounts of alcohol can lead to temporary amnesia where the person is unable to recall events that occurred after he or she began drinking. Unfortunately, blackouts can lead to serious repercussions, especially if the person is engaged in sexual activity during that time. Blackouts are much more common among social drinkers than previously assumed and should be viewed as a potential consequence of acute intoxication regardless of age (National 1). Drinkers who experience blackouts typically drink too much and too quickly, which causes their blood alcohol levels to rise very rapidly. Typically, college students are at risk for experiencing a blackout, as an alarming number of college students engage in binge drinking. Even though these short-term effects do not seem as bad as the

Alcohol is a chemical resulting from fermentation or distillation of various kinds of vegetable matter (AP Psych). Alcohol has many effects on the body including your brain, the digestive system, sexual and reproductive health, the heart, the liver, the pancreas, and the immune system. Alcohol can cause a shrinking brain, behavior changes, hallucinations, blackouts, dependence, slurred speech, cancer, fatigue, lung infections, heart damage, liver damage, stomach distress, pancreatitis, birth defects, frequent diarrhea, infertility, thinning bones, sexual dysfunction, changes in coordination, malnutrition, muscle cramps, diabetes complications, and numbness in extremities (The Effects of Alcohol on Your Body). For heavy drinkers, ulcers and hemorrhoids can occur. If a woman is pregnant and drinks alcohol, this can harm the unborn child. “Women who drink alcohol while pregnant put their unborn child at risk. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders (FASD) is a serious concern. Other conditions include: learning disabilities, long-term health issues, increased emotional problems and physical developmental abnormalities” (The effects of alcohol on your body).

Clinicians should be aware of risk factors of suicidal behavior, however, warning signs of suicide tend to provide clinicians with more information when faced with the task of making a quick decision regarding the safety of a client. For example, depression is a risk factor for suicidal behavior, however, less than 15 percent of individuals with depression attempt suicide (Goldsmith et al. 2002). Therefore, focusing on a risk factor such as depression alone will not be as effective as also assessing

Few people, if any, simply sit down and make a cool, rational decision to commit suicide. In fact, studies have indicated that 93-94% of those committing suicide suffer from some identifiable mental disorder(Barraclough). In one such study, conducted by Dr. Eli Robbins of suicides occurring in St. Louis, Missouri, 47% of those committing suicide were diagnosed as suffering from either schizophrenic panic disorders or from affective disorders such as depressive disorders, dysthymic disorders, or bipolar disorder. An additional 25% suffered from alcoholism while another 15% had some recognizable but undiagnosed psychiatric disorder. 4% were found to have organic brain syndrome, 2% were schizophrenic, and 1% were drug addicts (Robins). The total of those with diagnosable mental disorders was 94%. An independent British study came up with a remarkably similar total figure, finding that 93% of those who commit suicide suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder(Barraclough).

Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) attributable to alcohol use is relatively much higher than for many other conditions (1). In the Global Burden of Disease study from 2010 alcohol is estimated to account for 3.9% of life years lost globally, up from 3.0% in 1990. This makes alcohol the fifth leading risk factor globally for ill health and premature deaths (1). Impact of tobacco use and suicide is equally significant. Across the world five million people die every year due to tobacco smoking and 600,000 die due to second-hand smoke (2). One million die due to suicide every year (3).

in large quantities and/or over a long period of time can in effect ‘poison’ the person.

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 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

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.