Experts around the world have defined alcohol as a drug. For thousands of years, various civilizations and countries have been making alcohol through various fermentation techniques. It is classified as a depressant, meaning it slows down the body’s vital functions and inhibits the ability to react. Within the last ten years, it is estimated that approximately 15 million Americans suffer from alcoholism, and it is estimated over 76 million people worldwide suffer from an alcohol related illness. Alcohol abuse has many physical, emotional, and developmental effects on the human body.
Alcohol use in the past was divided into two subcategories: alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. In May 2013 the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder
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Exactly how much alcohol it takes to affect an individual varies from person to person. Research is constantly ongoing as to how much alcohol affects the brain as well as how many of the effects are reversible. Heavy drinking can cause a wide variety of memory problems such as “blackouts,” where one might have issues remembering a specific night or event. These memory lapses will start with events during the drinking and over time expand to include hours before drinking as well, leading to longer periods of memory loss. Heavy drinking can eventually lead to permanent memory conditions that require lifelong care. While evidence supports that heavy drinking can have debilitating effects, moderate drinking can also have short-term memory effects on the brain (Alcohol’s Damaging Effects on the Brain). Researchers have to take into consideration many factors about users that will contribute to how alcohol impacts the brain. How much or how often a person drinks, what age someone was and how long they have been drinking, and his or her general health status are just a few of the factors researchers have to consider. The Alcohol Alert published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, stated:
Using imaging with computerized tomography, two studies (8,9) compared brain shrinkage, a common indicator of brain damage, in alcoholic men and women and reported that male and female alcoholics both showed
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These impacts range from health issues that stem from long term usage, to participating in risky behavior. One research study showed, “Students who binge drank were more likely than both nondrinkers and current drinkers who did not binge to report poor school performance and involvement in other health risk behaviors.” (Miller, Naimi, Brewer, Jones). Driving under the influence, unprotected and/or risky sexual behaviors, and using illicit drugs are just a few of the reported behaviors from college students who drank heavily on a regular basis. Engaging in risky behavior, however, is just a part of some of the physical repercussions of heavy drinking. Liver diseases are also very common among alcoholics. These can range from fatty liver, to hepatitis, to the most severe of cirrhosis. At least 20% of all alcoholics or heavy drinkers will develop fatty liver, and 50% of patients that develop hepatitis will die as a result of the disease. A lesser known negative effect on the human body is hepatic encephalopathy (Mann, Smart, Govoni). Hepatic encephalopathy occurs when the liver is no longer able to filter toxins from the body, which in time results in a loss of brain
Zeigler, Donald. "The neurocognitive effects of alcohol on adolescents and college students." Preventive Medicine 40. (2004): 23 – 32. Web. 10 Apr. 2014. .
Liver disease resulting from alcohol affects more than two million Americans and is one of the primary causes of illness and death. The liver frees the body of harmful substances, such as alcohol. While the liver breaks down alcohol, it produces toxins that can be even more dangerous than the alcohol consumed (“Beyond Hangovers: Understanding Alcohol's Impact on Your Health” 13). “These by-products damage liver cells, promote inflammation, and weaken the body’s natural defenses. Eventually, these problems can disrupt the body’s metabolism and impair the function of other organs” (“Beyond Hangovers: Understanding Alcohol’s Impact on Your Health” 13).
Most alcoholics proceed to a stage where their brains or their bodies have been so harmed by alcohol that the effects persist even when they are not drinking. This stage may be reached...
The effects that alcohol has on the brain is that it can cause blackouts, memory loss, anxiety and psychological problems. “The brain continues to develop until age twenty-one, and that young brains can be irreversibly damaged by alcohol” (MacPherson). Alcohol may also cause inflammation in the stomach, causing ulcers or gastritis which prevents the absorption of food causing cancer in the stomach. Excessive drinking may also cause infertility in both men and women (The Effects of Alcohol). Alcohol affects almost every part of the body, many times resulting in death; in fact, alcohol is the cause of 75% of suicide deaths
Additionally, if my uncle has trouble remembering the names around him, this indicates that there is an abnormality in brain functions related to memory. We may need to know if he remembers the names in normal times and if he has other memory impairments. If so, this may be a sign for some disorder, can be Alzheimer’s disease. We need to know his age. In one of National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's publication Tyas (2008) indicates that heavy alcohol use effects on brain are similar to Alzheimer disease (AD) and alcohol use may be risk factor for AD. However, Tyas (2008) also add that there is no strong evidence about this connection.
The ingestion of alcoholic beverages for their enjoyable effects is a custom which has been around for thousands of years, and alcohol continues to be a popular drug because of its short-term effects (Coleman, Butcher & Carson, 1984). An enormous amount of damage can be attributed directly to alcohol abuse as a result of lost jobs, accidents caused by drunk drivers, and so forth (Maltzman, 2000). Alcohol also compounds other problems--an estimated 25% to 40% of hospital patients have problems caused by, or recovery delayed by alcohol abuse (Maltzman, 2000). Clinical psychologists spend about one-fourth of their time dealing with people who are suffering in part from alcohol or other substance problems (Vaillant, 1995). Although alcohol problems have been around for so long, it is only recently that these problems have begun to be associated with medical or psychological difficulties.
Alcohol is something that people use to help with multiply different things and some studies have shown that alcohol may help protect our bodies from cardiovascular disease. Alcohol does have side effects to our health the surroundings around us and can cause violence, vehicle crashes and even suicide. Alcohol does have an effect on people that many social drinkers may not realize. Many people usually have tried alcohol around 13 years of age and high school students consume more wine coolers that are sold in the U.S. and they drink more than 1 billion beers a year. To understand the effects of alcohol, it begins with the brain. It is a curiosity as to why people feel the need to drink and drive. The way the brain works while influenced with alcohol has always fascinated me. Drinking and driving is one of the biggest decisions that alcohol leads to. The National Public Services Research Institute (NHTSA) did a study on 600 people who admitted driving while under the influence of alcohol. They described in detail the decisions they made leading up to the occurrence of driving while impaired like whether to take part in a drinking event, how to get to the event, how much to drink, and how to get home. The people being interviewed revealed more than 2,000 individual decisions that led to alcohol impaired driving. The decisions were then broken down into several categories as shown on the graph attached. Little is known as to what leads people to continue to drinking and driving. But as research shows, people do think, prior to drinking, how they will get home. It’s after they have already had been drinking that they decide to get behind the wheel.
To understand alcoholism, it must first be understood what this affliction is dependent on. Alcohol is a substance that is made by the fermentation of fruits, grains, or miscellaneous other organic materials. The chemical, alcohol, is a depressant and acts on every cell in the human body. Due to this, the central nervous system, along with the pleasure centers of the brain, are affected resulting in a feeling of euphoria and a sense of well being. After repeated exposure, the brain becomes dependent on this drug to unburden itself whenever it feels the compulsion. Several factors that contribute to alcoholism are the individual’s psychology, genetics, culture, and the individual’s response to physical pain.
Having fun on a night out like a party may result in some alcohol. After one or two drinks people have “difficulty walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction time, and impaired memory (US Department of Health and Human Services 1).” These side effects are good example of how alcohol affects the brains. It doesn't end there; Alcohol is very addictive and the more someone
Increased abuse of alcohol leads to physical damage to the body. Alcohol is absorbed directly into the brain, dulling one’s senses and weakling one's will power. According to the article from the Mayo Clinic Health Information, “Excessive use of alcohol can produce several harmful effects on your brain and nervous system. It also can severely damage your liver, pancreas and cardiovascular system. Alcohol use in pregnant women can damage the fetus” (Mayo 1). Continued ingestion of alcohol affects every organ in the body. Every organ in the body is affected. The liver has serious effects that may lead to cirrhosis and death.. At first the liver adapts and tolerates alcohol. It works harder and finally damages itself in time. Alcohol leads the liver to the inability to metabolize facts. Furthermore, it leads to increase in cholesterol and triglycerides leading to clogged arteries. Red blood cells are also affected leading the individual to become anemic.
The effects of alcohol consummation may vary with damage to the brain, organs, and appearance. "Alcohol travels through your bloodstream and can damage your brain, stomach, liver, kidneys, and muscles". ("Above The Influence") With knowing that this substance is this powerful to cause damage to these internal and external organs there are several affects that comes behind them as well. The act of alcohol on the brain has a major effect because it inhibits a person’s thought process. When this is done that basically means that it slows the thought process down. A person may do unnecessary things that he/she may normally not do. Too much alcohol can affect the brain by creating a loss of memory. When this occur some people may suffer from Dementia or serious other brain injuries. The damage to the organs can be deadly leading in death because of the consummation of alcohol in a person’s body. Alcohol can lead to many diseases amongst the organs such as kidney failure, liver disease, and etc. The heart which is a person’s strongest organ is also affected by alcohol. Depending on the amount of alcohol intake at a time the heart rate can began to increase within a nick of time. A person’s appearance is affected by alcohol because if you ev...
Many people could tell you what alcohol will do to you. Blurred vision, memory loss, slurred speech, difficulty walking, and slow reaction times are all very common side effects depending on how much one consumes (National Institute on Alcohol abuse, 2004). To most, there is nothing wrong with this. Party all night, have a good time, find somewhere to sleep, pass out, and wake up in the morning. A couple of Advil and a glass of water and you are good to go, no harm done. This is where many are wrong. These effects are not just short term, they all add up in the long- run. Some of these impairments are detectable after only one or two drinks and quickly resolve when drinking stops. On the other hand, a person who drinks heavily over a long period may have brain deficits that persist well after he or she achieves sobriety (National Institute on Alcohol abuse, 2004).
Alcohol has many terrible effects on a person’s health. Alcohol affects many different parts of the body, but first of all, alcohol affects the brain. A person’s brain is very important, it shows how someone thinks, makes decisions, and controls their body. According to National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcohol in the form of alcoholic beverages has been consumed by humans since pre-historic times, for a variety of hygiene dietary, medicinal, religions and recreational reasons. According to the NIH Senior Health, drinking too much alcohol affects many parts of the body. It can be especially harmful to the liver, the organ that metabolizes (breaks down) alcohol and other harmful substances. People who drink heavily for a long time can develop diseases such as liver inflammation (alcoholic hepatitis) or severe liver scarring (cirrhosis). Alcohol-related liver disease can cause death. According to the statistics in the year 2010 by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and prevention) the number of discharges with chronic liver disease and cirrhosis as the first-listed diagnosis was 101,000 persons, while the number of deaths has been 31,903 persons.
...inking too much can take a toll on one’s health. For example, alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, which affects the way that the brain thinks, looks, works, and decides. These problems can lead to a change in mood, a change in behavior, and make it difficult to understand clearly and move. On the other hand, the heart can receive problems far more risky. These problems include cardiomyopathy, which is the stretching of the heart muscle, arrhythmias, which is an irregular heart beat, a stroke, and high blood pressure. The liver is also another big part of the nervous system. Problems from alcohol consumption cause the liver to produce problems such as steatosis, which is when fat deposits develop in the liver, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, which is the thickening and scarring of connective tissue, and cirrhosis, which can lead to liver failure.