Hospitality: Responsible Service of Alcoholic Beverages
The Negative Effects of Alcohol On the Body
Having a glass does not change overall negative effects on health. However, it slows down the cumulative effects which add up.
Digestive and endocrine glands:
Drinking too much alcohol can cause abnormal activation of digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas. A buildup of these enzymes can lead to inflammation known as pancreatitis. Pancreatitis can become a long-term condition and cause serious complications.
Inflammatory damage:
The liver is an organ that helps break down and remove harmful substances from your body, including alcohol. Long-term alcohol use interferes with this process. It also increases your risk for chronic liver inflammation and liver disease. The is known as cirrhosis. The formation of scar tissue destroys the liver functions to remove toxic substances from your body.
Women with alcohol-related liver disease:
Women are at higher risk of developing alcoholic liver disease. Women’s bodies are more likely to absorb more alcohol and need longer periods of time to process causing the liver damage more quickly than men.
Sugar levels:
The pancreas helps regulate your body’s insulin use and response to glucose. When your pancreas and liver aren’t functioning properly, you run the risk of experiencing low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. A damaged pancreas may also prevent the body from producing enough insulin to utilize sugar. This can lead to hyperglycemia, or too much sugar in the blood.If your body can’t manage and balance your blood sugar levels, you may experience greater complications and side effects related to diabetes. Thus avoid excessive amounts of alcohol.
Central nervous system:
The effects of alcohol on your central nervous system. Slurred speech is one of the first signs of intoxication. Alcohol can reduce communication between your brain and your body. This makes coordination more difficult. That way you should never drive after drinking.
Other causes are damages to your central nervous system, you may experience numbness and tingling sensations in your feet and hands.
It’s difficult for your brain to create long-term memories, therefore reduces your ability to think clearly and make rational choices. Damaging the frontal lobe which is responsible for emotional control, short-term memory, and judgment, or other vital roles.
Severe alcohol abuse can also cause permanent brain damage. This can lead to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a brain disorder that affects memory.
Addiction:
Some people who drink heavily may develop a physical and emotional dependency on alcohol, or alcohol withdrawal which can be difficult and life-threatening. Professional help is required to break an alcohol addiction. As a result, medical detoxification is the safest way to ensure you break the physical addiction. Depending on the patent detoxification can be managed with either an outpatient or inpatient basis.
Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:
- anxiety
- nausea
- tremors
- high blood pressure
- irregular heartbeat
- heavy sweating
Seizures, hallucinations, and delirium may occur in severe cases of withdrawal.
The more you drink, the greater the damage will become.
Drinking can damage the tissues in your digestive tract and prevent your intestines from digesting food and absorbing nutrients and vitamins. As a result, malnutrition may occur.
Heavy drinking can also lead to:
Ø gassiness
Ø bloating
Ø feeling of fullness in your abdomen
Ø diarrhea or painful stools
Have ulcers or hemorrhoids (due to dehydration and constipation). They may cause dangerous internal bleeding. Ulcers can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated early.
Consuming too much alcohol may be at risk for cancer. People who drink frequently are more likely to develop cancer in the mouth, throat, esophagus, colon, or liver. People who regularly drink and use tobacco together have an even greater Trusted Source cancer risk.
Circulatory system:
Alcohol can affect your heart and lungs. Chronic drinkers of alcohol have a higher risk of heart-related issues than people who do not drink. Women who drink are more likely to develop heart disease than men who drink.
Circulatory system complications include:
Ø high blood pressure
Ø irregular heartbeat
Ø difficulty pumping blood through the body
Ø stroke
Ø heart attack
Ø heart disease
Ø
Difficulty absorbing vitamins and minerals from food can cause anemia. This is a condition where you have a low red blood cell count.
Sexual and reproductive health:
Men who drink too much are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction. Heavy drinking can also prevent sex hormone production and lower your libido.
Women who drink too much may stop menstruating. That puts them at a greater risk for infertility. Women who drink heavily during pregnancy have a higher risk of premature delivery, miscarriage, or stillbirth. Women who drink alcohol while pregnant put their unborn children at risk. Fetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD) is a serious concern. Other conditions include:
Ø learning difficulties
Ø long-term health issues
Ø increased emotional problems
Ø physical development abnormalities
Skeletal and muscle systems:
Long-term alcohol use may prevent your body from keeping your bones strong. This habit may cause thinner bones and increase your risk for fractures if you fall. And fractures may heal more slowly. Drinking alcohol may also lead to muscle weakness, cramping, and eventually atrophy.
Weaken the immune this makes it more difficult for your body to fight off invading germs and viruses. People who drink heavily over a long period of time are also more likely to develop pneumonia or tuberculosis than the general population. About 10% of Trusted Source of all tuberculosis cases worldwide can be tied to alcohol consumption. Drinking alcohol also increases your risk for several types of cancer, including mouth, breast, and colon.
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