What is the harm of alcohol: negative effects on the body and consumption rates

Alcoholic beverages are the most common product on the shelves of almost every supermarket. Certain doses of alcohol lead to serious changes and disturbances in the human body. Awareness of the harm of alcohol can help to refuse it completely or limit alcohol intake to acceptable levels.

What harm does alcohol do to humans?

Abusers don't think about the consequences of getting drunk, and these are:

• mental degradation;
• deterioration of physical and mental health;
• problems in society;
• bad heredity;
• financial problems;
• amoral behavior.

According to statistics, men are more likely to drink. This happens for many reasons, for example, bad company or the illusion that alcohol can relieve stress. But it also extends to women and, worst of all, teenagers.

Harmful substances contained in alcohol

By knowing which harmful substances the most common types of alcohol contain, you can understand how it affects the quality of our lives.

Popular intoxicating liquids contain substances dangerous to health and life:

1. Ethanol. With regular and excessive use it leads to addiction. In small amounts, it does not harm the body, but an overdose can lead to sudden loss of consciousness or even death.
2. phytoestrogen. The female hormone (contained in beer) leads to disruption of the male and female reproductive systems.
3. fusel oils. In large amounts they are toxic. With constant intake into the body, they increase the risk of stomach ulcers, cause blindness, impotence and liver disease.
4. Cobalt. In small amounts, it is a useful trace element, but if it accumulates in the body, it becomes dangerous for the normal functioning of the heart and gastrointestinal tract.
5. N-nitrosodimethylamine. Highly toxic substance, especially destructive effect on the liver.
6. Biogenic amines. Toxic chemical compound. In small amounts it can be helpful, but if abused, it leads to convulsions, vomiting and diarrhea.
7. Sodium Benzoate (E-211). Once in the stomach, it causes a strong oxidation of the epithelial cells. It leads to gastritis, stomach ulcers, pancreatitis. It contributes to the exacerbation of chronic allergic diseases: asthma, urticaria, psoriasis.
8. Phosphoric acid (E-338). Destructively affects bone tissue and tooth enamel. It causes gastrointestinal disorders, leads to weight loss. A high concentration of the substance causes a burn of the respiratory tract.

Harmful effect on teenagers body

Alcohol has a detrimental effect on an adolescent's growth and development processes:

1. Intellectual and emotional decline.
2. Useful vitamins and microelements that enter the body are poorly absorbed, and this adversely affects the condition of teeth, nails, hair and skin.
3. The risk of problems with the heart, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, the onset of diseases, which, as a rule, increases in people of more mature age (eg, pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus).
4. The growth of bone and muscle tissue stops.
5. Liver, kidneys, reproductive system suffer.

female alcoholism

The difference between male and female addiction development:

1. In women, addiction occurs more quickly and the treatment of this disease is ineffective. This is due to the characteristics of the female body: it has fewer enzymes that help to break down products that contain alcohol. Therefore, toxins are not excreted from the body for a long time and quickly lead to harmful effects on the organs.
2. Women prefer low-alcohol drinks (wine, champagne, cocktails). Because of this, it is more difficult to control the level of intoxication, and the transition to strong drinks occurs, as a rule, already in the later stages of alcoholism.
3. Embarrassed by their addiction, women are more likely to drink alone and seek help when the changes are difficult to hide. The rehabilitation process is more difficult and longer than in men.

Because of the effect of alcohol on the egg, conceiving, carrying and giving birth to a child can be a difficult or even impossible task.

Conception at the time of intoxication affects the genetic information of the egg. After generating such a fetus, there is a fundamental threat of the birth of an heir with cerebral palsy syndrome (infantile cerebral palsy) or with other disorders of external and internal organs. And there is also the possibility that during the gestation period the placenta exfoliates and the fetus dies.

social damages

Wife/husband, children, relatives, friends, colleagues, neighbors and bystanders can become victims of inappropriate behavior by a drunk person:

1. Work. Employers do not want to immediately accept or fire a person who drinks, as he or she misses shifts without good reason or performs the task poorly.
2. driving. Half of accidents are due to a drunk driver.
3. violation of law. Most crimes are committed by those who are drunk or quite drunk, as they are more prone to assault and even murder.
4. immoral behavior. First sexual experience, unplanned pregnancy and rape cases occur most often when one or both partners are drunk.
5. unhealthy home environment. Children grow up in an unfavorable environment and can inherit the negative example of their parents.
6. Divorce. All innocent family members suffer. Mothers or fathers raise children alone, who are affected by upbringing in an incomplete family.

How does alcohol affect health?

The table shows popular alcoholic beverages, their composition, as well as which organs they affect.

Drink	Composition	Organs of damage and possible consequences
Beer	Carbohydrates, ethyl alcohol, nitrogenous substances	kidney stones; heart problems; liver disease; brain damage; atherosclerosis; diseases of the intestines and stomach; fat deposition; impotence
Vodka	Purified water, ethyl alcohol. The composition may include chemical additives and spices	bad orientation in space; mental degradation; cerebral hemorrhage; heart attack; cardiac insufficiency; violation of the liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract
Brandy	Alcohols, organic acids, ethyl esters, tannins and tannins	liver cirrhosis; cardiovascular diseases; asthma attacks; destruction of dental enamel; the stomach walls are corroded; poor blood clotting
Low alcohol cocktails	Ethanol, synthetic additives and chemical additives	Brain stroke; varicose veins; mental decline; memory impairment; gastritis, stomach ulcer; hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver; asthma attacks occur; there is a deterioration in the structure of the skin; hormonal disturbances; development of infertility

Liver and digestive system

Destruction of the liver is associated with a violation of protein metabolism, and at the first stage it is usually not accompanied by subjective sensations and changes in laboratory parameters.

There are five stages of liver destruction:

• adaptive hepatomegaly (enlarged liver);
• alcoholic fatty steatosis;
• alcoholic hepatitis;
• alcoholic fibrosis of the liver;
• cirrhosis.

Common signs of these diseases:

• constant weakness;
• yellow skin and eyeballs;
• the temperature is above normal;
• right hypochondrium pain.

Alcohol that enters your intestines actually leaves a chemical burn on your mucous membrane. Regular intoxication leads to problems with defecation (loose stools or constipation, fecal stones), which are most often resolved exclusively by surgery.

More possible:

• angioedema;
• diarrhea;
• urticaria;
• gastritis;
• ulcerative dyspepsia;
• pancreatitis;
• necrosis of pancreatic tissues;
• bowel cancer.

heart and blood vessels

After drinking alcohol, ethyl alcohol enters the bloodstream and stays in the vessels for about 7 hours, which causes them to expand, disrupting the heart's normal rhythm. The frequent intake of alcohol, even in modest amounts, inevitably leads to blockage of the cerebral vessels, which, with an increase in blood pressure, rupture. At best, a person survives, but remains incapacitated and, at worst, a fatal outcome.

Minimal but constant doses of alcohol are dangerous and cause the following painful conditions:

• lack of oxygen;
• the vessels thicken, shrink, burst;
• atrial flutter;
• extrasystole;
• cardiomyopathy;
• arterial hypertension;
• hypertension;
• heart attack;
• atherosclerosis.

The pulse increases from 95 to 100 beats per minute. Fat accumulates in the heart muscle, respectively, increases and becomes flabby.

Brain and nervous system

The entry of ethyl alcohol into the bloodstream has a devastating effect on red blood cells, which are responsible for transporting air to the brain. Oxygen fails to enter the brain cells, and as a result, they die one by one.

This leads to poor performance:

• vestibular apparatus;
• "moral" center (shame disappears, arrogance appears);
• memory;
• attention.

The processes of excitation and inhibition in the nervous system are disturbed, which leads to the following signs of antisocial and painful behavior:

• manifestation of aggression;
• inability to control oneself;
• illogicality in the presentation of thought;
• suicidal tendencies;
• violation of movement dynamics;
• the occurrence of convulsions;
• the appearance of hallucinations.

Respiratory system

A rough, husky voice with a peculiar timbre is aptly called a "drunk" bass. People who like to abuse are more likely to get tuberculosis.

Addiction harms the following areas of the respiratory system:

• pharynx;
• the entire nasopharynx;
• larynx.

People who drink regularly experience chronic upper respiratory diseases such as:

• laryngitis;
• tracheobronchitis;
• atrophic pharyngitis.

Shortness of breath occurs both during moderate physical exertion and during rest. There is also an unpleasant smell characteristic of the drinker's smoke, which is the cause of the breakdown of ethanol, which is excreted through the lungs.

sexual dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction and even impotence are consequences of alcoholism. Regular intake of strong drinks negatively affects the ability to procreate. Erection problems can lead to prolonged depression.

The myth is the claim that small doses of alcohol have a positive effect on male strength. The accumulated ethanol disrupts the normal functioning of nerve endings, so intimacy does not bring the expected pleasure.

Alcoholism has a negative effect on the quality of women's sex lives. It is this disease that is one of the main causes of frigidity and in its most serious manifestations. This leads to emotional problems for both partners and often to family separation.

Immunity

The benefits of high quality wine (preferably red) from natural juice, in limited volumes, really happen: it removes toxins, strengthens the immune system. But a large amount, even the most expensive alcoholic beverage, will negatively affect health.

The fact is that, at this time, the following defenders of the immune system are suppressed:

• lymphocytes;
• macrophages;
• granulocytes.

Consequences of immunodeficiency:

• wounds do not heal for a long time;
• bones are not formed correctly;
• greater likelihood of HIV transmission;
• poorly restored skin from burns and wounds.

change in appearance

The reason for the purple color of the skin is ethyl alcohol, which acts in such a way that the pulse speeds up and blood pressure rises. Over time, the vessels cannot withstand the constant stress and blue and red bruises form.

The bloating is explained by the fact that the body is trying with all its might to restore the water balance after the toxins contained in vodka, beer and other intoxicating drinks enter it. And the female body does this more actively. An alcoholic is plagued by constant thirst, however, water is absorbed very slowly. He drinks, and the fluid builds up, resulting in swelling of the hands, feet, and also the face.

In addition to an unattractive appearance, there can be "obvious" complications after fights (scrapes, bruises, abrasions, fractures), which chronic drinkers are often involved in.

During the development of chronic alcoholism, narcologists observe external symptoms in patients, such as:

• physical exhaustion;
• swollen face;
• crimson tongue;
• elevated temperature;
• dry, flaky or oily skin;
• intense sweating;
• tachycardia, arrhythmia.

Photo gallery

The effects of alcohol on various organs can be seen in the photos below.

usage rules

It would be better to categorically refuse the regular use of a product that contains alcohol. However, if a person has just decided to reduce their quantity, it will be interesting to know that there are acceptable consumption rates.

The weekly norm (with two days of total refusal) of alcohol with low risk of harm to the stronger sex is less than 5 liters of beer with a content of 4. 5 degrees or 50 grams of vodka or cognac at lunch and dinner (daily) , or three glasses of dry wine. For women, this norm is 3 liters of beer a week, or 80 grams of vodka with dinner, or two glasses of wine.

It is worth considering that if you abstained from strong drinks on certain days, this does not mean that on another day you can drink more without adverse consequences.

But still, calculations for the consumer must be made individually, taking into account:

• Weight;
• growth;
• age;
• metabolism;
• heredity;
• first experience of alcohol consumption.

Attention!The information is presented for informational purposes and is not a guide to action. Do not self-medicate, consult your doctor first.