The Effects of Alcohol on the Human Body

Alcohol consumption affects every aspect of the human body, specifically the brain, liver, central nervous system, pancreas, stomach, and increased cancer risks.

Alcohol is a depressant that affects every part of your body because once it’s consumed, twenty percent is absorbed in the stomach and eighty percent is absorbed in the small intestine. Excessive use of alcohol could cause other health problems such as, arthritis, cancer, heart disease, hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, kidney disease, liver disease, nervous disorders, obesity and psychological disturbances. Alcohol related liver disease is a major cause of death in the United States.

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 psychoactive drug that fits in the depressant classification. Depressants slow down brain and body functions. The consumption of alcohol has various effects on the body like altering mood and behavior, making it harder to think clearly and make coordinated body movements. Alcohol usage also increases high blood pressure and long time effects of consuming alcohol can increases the risk of having a heart attack or stroke and can cause inflammation of the liver, and pancreas. Long-term usage of alcohol abuse can lead to alcoholism, which can cause harm to health, interpersonal relationships and work.

Alcohol causes many psychological and physiological problems in heavy drinkers and light drinkers alike. A few well-known consequences of alcohol on the brain and body have been proven. This includes: cognitive mood and memory disturbances, injury to the gastrointestinal and intestinal tracts, and injury to cardiovascular, all of the body’s normal functions. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a growing problem. Fetal alcohol syndrome occurs when expectant mothers drink during pregnancy. This condition afflicts over 5,000 infants a year causing mental retardation, constant confusion, withdrawal after delivery, and many visible physical defects. Cirrhosis of the liver is the most common alcohol related health problem. Approximately 10,000 to 24,000

Binge drinking act as a poison deteriorating your liver. In a recent study, researchers found that about 18,146 people died for liver disease that resulted from binge drinking. (“Alcohol”) So imagine if you drink more than one alcoholic drink. Things will escalate from a good time to a life or death situation. But of course you don't think of the danger. How could you be afraid if you don't even understand the danger? Does you even care about the danger? According to an article, “Drinking too much alcohol initially causes fat deposits to develop in the liver. With continued excessive drinking, the liver may become inflamed, causing alcoholic hepatitis, which can result in liver failure and death.” (“Know”). Binge drinking is an attacker, deceiving you until the best opportunity presents itself to eliminate

We hear many different things about how alcohol affects the brain and body, most notably that it is a depressant. That’s only part of the story. Alcohol is a depressant, but it’s also an indirect stimulant, and plays a few other roles that might surprise you.

One of the alcohol’s effect on the major organ systems in the body is that alcohol affects the gastrointestinal system in a variety of ways. This system is the route by which alcohol enters the body and is absorbed. It is where the first steps of metabolism take place. Moderate amounts of alcohol can disturb the normal functioning of this system. Chronic heavy use of alcohol often raises havoc. Alcohol can have both direct and indirect effects. Direct effects occur as a consequence of the initial, direct effects. In addition, both acute and chronic use of alcohol stimulates the stomach lining’s secretion of hydrochloric acid and irritates the lining of the gut in general. It also inhibits the muscular contractions, called peristalsis, that

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 classified as a depressant in which slows down vital functions such as the Central Nervous System, despite it being classified as a depressant the amount of alcohol consumed determines the type of impact on the consumer. Most people drink for the stimulant effect such as a glass of wine to ‘relax & loosen up a bit.’ However, when large amounts of alcohol are consumed within a short period of time, alcohol poisoning may occur. Effects of alcohol poisoning are; difficulty breathing, low blood

Alcohol is essentially a colourless volatile flammable liquid, used in beverages such as wine, beer and spirits, alongside as an industrial solvent and as fuel. The substance itself is a depressant, meaning that it slows down an individual’s brain and other bodily functions, and therefore affects the way they will behave, think and feel. Alcohol is classified as a drug, and depending on the amount consumed, can be toxic. Overall, it has largely negative effects on the human body, and these effects are magnified in teenagers.

The abuse of alcohol over long periods of time may also cause diseases such as cirrhosis, acute alcohol hepatitis, and the most severe liver disease. Cirrhosis is a disease in which the liver becomes so scarred that the patient lacks sufficient healthy tissue to perform the organ?s functions. Once you?ve got it, you are stuck with it. (Gross, 6) The worst thing about these diseases is that you will not know you have them unless you are medically examined on a regular basis. Alcohol consumption is a large contributor to the development of several types of cancer- mostly dealing with the neck and brain. We know that cancer kills and therefore it is safe to say that in some cases, alcohol can be deadly. It is important to realize that alcoholism is a disease. A heavy drinker will experience the effects of withdrawal syndrome (which include hypertension, anxiety, disorientation, hallucinations, and seizures) if he decides to stop drinking. Being addicted to alcohol is similar to being addicted to any other drug in that once one starts using, it is tough to live without. It is also a ?gateway drug? just as marijuana and other sedatives. (Bennett, Woolf, 13-23)

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

Many alcohol consumers only think about the positive effects of consuming alcohol, the pleasurable time they will have with their friends. Little do they know, about the negative effects alcohol carries with it. This research will discus the negative effects alcohol has regarding: addiction, genetics, health, family, and advertisement.

Avoiding alcohol is a good lifestyle choice to make for those suffering from HIV/AIDS, Alcohol can have negative effects on people living with HIV, both on their bodies and how they behave. On the body, alcohol can weaken the immune system and lower CD4 counts. The effects of alcohol on HIV infection depend on how much a person drinks. A number of studies have found that heavy drinkers and those with alcohol problems have lower CD4 counts than moderate drinkers and are likely to have more copies of the HIV in their body. Regardless of how much you drink, it is still very important to take anti-HIV medications to help control the effects of the virus on the body.