Vigorbuddy.com | Effects of Alcohol on the Body You Didn’t Know | About 14.5 million people ages 12 and older in the US have alcohol use disorder (AUD). Only 7.2% of these people ever receive treatment.
Without treatment, prolonged alcohol use can cause your body to deteriorate. How does drinking affect the body, exactly? Keep reading to find out.
Learning how alcohol affects the body can help you make informed decisions each time you pick up a glass. Otherwise, you might not recognize the long-term effects of alcohol use until it’s too late.
Keep reading to discover five ways alcohol affects the body today.
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Liver
Your liver breaks down and removes harmful substances like alcohol from your body. Long-term alcohol use, however, can interfere with the process. You could increase your risk of liver disease and inflammation as a result.
Inflammation can cause scarring, leading to cirrhosis, which could destroy your liver.
If your liver sustains damage, it could struggle to remove toxic substances from your body.
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Central Nervous System
When learning how alcohol affects the body, it’s important to consider your central nervous system. Alcohol impacts communication between the brain and body. You might struggle to:
- Speak
- Balance
- Create memories
- Make rational choices
How does long-term alcohol use affect the body? It can cause frontal lobe damage. The frontal lobe is responsible for short-term memory, emotional control, and judgment.
You could sustain permanent brain damage, leading to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
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Dependency
How does long-term alcohol use affect the body? It can cause dependency and potentially lead to death.
In fact, about 88,000 people die from alcohol-related causes each year. If you’ve developed a physical or emotional dependence on alcohol, seek professional help. Don’t try to detox alone.
Otherwise, you could undergo alcohol withdrawal, leading to symptoms like:
- Tremors
- Nausea
- Anxiety
- Nervousness
- Heavy sweating
- Irregular heartbeat
- High blood pressure
In severe cases, you can also experience hallucinations, delirium, and seizures. Consider help instead of trying to detox alone.
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Digestive System
When learning how alcohol affects the body, most people ask about the digestive system. Heavy drinking can cause:
- Diarrhea
- Painful stools
- Gassiness
- Bloating
Ulcers and hemorrhoids are common, too. You might experience internal bleeding, which can become life-threatening without treatment.
Consuming too much alcohol can increase your risk of cancer, too.
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Circulatory System
Drinking can also impact your heart and lung health. You can develop circulatory system complications like:
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- High blood pressure
- Irregular heartbeat
- Heart disease
- Heart failure
Your body can also struggle to absorb vitamins and minerals from food, leading to anemia.
If these symptoms sound familiar after a night of heavy drinking, make sure to seek medical help right away.
How Alcohol Affects the Body: 5 Areas That Take a Hit
Learning how alcohol affects the body is essential. Otherwise, you might not realize you’re deteriorating until it’s too late. If you’re concerned about alcohol addiction, seek help right away.
You can detox under medical attention and start focusing on your health.
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