When Hazardous and Excessive Drinking Leads to Serious Health Problems
For a number of years alcoholism research has revealed the fact that there is strong linkage between alcohol addiction and critical health conditions.
For instance, in 2005, scientific exploration revealed that alcohol abuse and alcoholism cost the United States an estimated $220 billion on an annual basis. It may be noted that this enormous alcohol-related expenditure was significantly more than the cost associated with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is pertinent to stress these facts, it is also noteworthy to point out that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health issues.
More explicitly, chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism are also highly interrelated with obesity and with cancer.
Definitely, substance abuse exploration has demonstrated the fact that alcohol addiction can boost the risk for different forms of cancer, especially cancer of the esophagus, kidneys, throat, rectum, liver, voice box (larynx), and the colon. Excessive and repetitive drinking can also result in immune system problems and damage to the fetus during pregnancy.
Irresponsible Drinking Enfeebles the Drinker’s Organs and Systems
Furthermore, if alcoholism continues over a period of years, the person’s body organs will more likely than not be affected in a harmful manner. As an illustration, long-term, hazardous drinking is especially hurtful to the liver since the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been consumed. Excessive amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and destroys the ability of liver cells to regenerate. This condition results in a progressive inflammatory injury to the liver that can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver, a precarious and potentially fatal medical problem.
Excessive, long-term drinking not only can result in critical liver damage, but it can also lead to damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this severe may be irrepairable and may, in turn, lead to severe ill health or an untimely death.
The Critical Nature of Alcohol Treatment
It is critical, consequently, to know how to identify the various alcohol addiction signs and symptoms so that the alcohol addicted person can be given the opportunity to seek the quality alcohol counseling he or she needs.
Alcohol Dependency and Technologically Advanced Brain Exploration
Fortunately, scientific examination is constantly unearthing unique and important information. Recent alcoholism research offers a good example. Stated differently, for approximately the past ten years, complex brain-imaging scanning devices have demonstrated that continuous and chronic irresponsible drinking alters the makeup of the brain to a substantial extent, consequently resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or conceivably as long as the person exists.
Stated another way, medical research has revealed that individuals who have been drinking in an irresponsible manner for a sizeable length of time increase their risk for developing lasting and severe transformations in the brain.
This type of damage may be directly related to the alcohol’s effects on the brain, to severe liver disease, or might be indirectly associated with the drinker’s poor overall health.
Malnutrition, Abusive Drinking, and Mental Disorders
As a final illustration of diverse medical conditions that are largely related to alcoholism, take into account the fact that in accordance with scientific research, the hazardous and repeated abuse of alcohol can result in erosive gastritis, a condition that limits the absorption of minerals, nutrients, and vitamins.
This type of organ malfunctioning is associated with malnutrition and to a number of serious neurological and mental maladies including memory loss, sleep disturbances, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter health problem is a long lasting incapacitating medical condition that is exemplified by recurring learning and memory complications.
Conclusion
It is plain to see that continued, excessive drinking is directly or indirectly linked to many severe medical conditions that can and do result in dangerous illness and premature death. Such information needs to be emphasized and presented to everyone in our society so that a multitude of people will be able to abstain from hazardous drinking while other individuals who have a drinking problem will get the quality rehab they require.
