HAZARDS OF ALCOHOL INTAKE
Alcohol poses a serious
threat to health in numerous ways. An exhaustive discussion on how alcohol may
affect the human body adversely may take up to 2 or 3 lifetimes to complete
(though I seriously doubt that would be enough). For this reason i have decided
to list the possible problems, due to alcohol intake, that can affect each part
of the body.
The Brain
Alcohol
impairs judgement, causes sleepiness, slow reflexes and response. However, that's the least of your worries
about what it can do to your brain. Here's the list of brain injuries due to
alcohol intake. It can cause altered
consciousness and brain damage (stroke,
memory loss, dementia, encephalopathy and psychosis)
Heart
Sexual Life
Alcohol lowers
inhibition and self control so most people may be more likely to engage in sex
after taking alcohol. Although some men claim alcohol boosts their sexual
performance or stamina, however alcohol is a known sex-drive killer, especially as it reduces testosterone level n males which is responsible for the male sex drive. On the long-term alcohol
can reduce sperm count as well as testicular atrophy (shrinking
of the testis) especially in patients with severe alcoholic liver damage
(cirrhosis/ liver failure). Yep!!! Sorry guys, it's true. So if you're already
having fertility issues you may want to consider doubling down or put the down
permanently.
Stomach and Oesophagus
Alcohol irritates the stomach and may cause gastritis (inflammation of the stomach) or worse stomach ulcer. In more severe cases it may cause bleeding in the stomach and cause people to vomit this blood that has accumulated in the stomach especially after drinking excessively. This is commonly mistaken by the patients, family and friends as poisoning and by others as "spiritual attack". The esophagus is similar and subject to the same damage.
Liver and Pancreas
Alcoholic liver damage ranges from mild deposition of fat in and around the liver to alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer.
Diabetes Mellitus and Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) are 2 possible consequences of alcohol damage to the pancreas.
Red wine has been shown
to protect against common cold but this is not true for beer and spirits.
Alcohol generally is a risk factor for pneumonia (an infection
of the lungs).
Cancer
Alcohol can predispose
drinkers to numerous types of cancers and this can occur even in people who
take low quantities. The cancers may arise from any of the following areas:
Mouth, pharynx (upper
throat) and esophagus (food pipe), larynx (voice box) and lungs
Stomach, liver,
pancreas, rectum,colon and anus. Did I mention breast cancer? Well that's in
addition to Kidney, bladder, prostate, ovarian, uterine (the womb) and skin
cancers (melanoma, non-melanoma). Blood cancers(leukaemias and lymphomas) are
not excluded. So you can basically point at any part of your body and you would
hardly be wrong to say that alcohol can damage it.
Summary
It would not be possible to explain the full effects of alcohol on a single bog post. However, this post is just a synopsis. Further questions would be discussed as they arise.. It is important though to say that if one is to engage in drinking it should be a
well thought out decision after risk: benefit comparison has been made.
Nice one Doc
ReplyDelete@Si Baroni:Thanks Sir!!!
Deleteso you are trying to scare us from what gives us joy abi?
ReplyDeleteOh no! Not st all. The aim is to inform and not scare.
Delete