The effect of alcohol on the body

The harm of alcohol to the human body is great. All organs and systems of the human body are affected. The negative effects do not stop at the younger generation, women and men. It is worth understanding: is alcohol harmful to a person? what impact it has on any life support system; how harmful alcohol is to the body.

alcoholism and its consequences

The effects of alcohol and its effects on the body have been well studied. Absolutely all human organs and systems fall under the blow that is part of ethanol: organs of the digestive system, central nervous system, cardiovascular system, genitourinary system, respiratory system, musculoskeletal system, organs of vision and so on. Alcohol damages the liver, heart and brain the most (memory training).

The effect of alcohol on the body is expressed as follows:

• negatively affects the cells of the organs;
• promotes mutation and the formation of oncology;
• when used during pregnancy, there may be irreversible consequences for the fetus;
• is a drug;
• disrupts normal metabolism;
• reduces immunity.

effect on the liver

The effect of alcohol on the liver is associated with its main function - cleansing the body of toxins and harmful substances. Prolonged alcohol consumption causes ethanol damage to the liver and disrupts its performance. If the liver cannot cope with the filtering function, all the toxic substances in the bloodstream go to other organs.

The effect of alcohol on the liver is manifested by the occurrence of diseases:

1. Acute alcoholic hepatitis. Symptoms: depression, deterioration in general condition, loss of appetite or loss of appetite, fever, jaundice, clouded consciousness. This disease is curable provided that the use of products containing ethanol is stopped and treatment is timely and correct.
2. Cirrhosis of the liver occurs with symptoms of indigestion, abdominal pain, weight loss, weakness. May develop asymptomatically. Cirrhosis is characterized by the growth of connective tissue that begins to destroy liver cells. The liver slowly stops working. In the later stages, an increase in pressure in the vessels of the liver, encephalopathy and oncology of cirrhosis of the liver can join.
3. fatty hepatosis. It occurs in the absence of symptoms, the presence of which is determined using a biochemical blood test. Hepatosis is not treated with medication, the main way to stop drinking alcohol.

The Effects of Alcohol on the Brain

Many people drink alcoholic beverages after a hard day at work or on vacation or just on a day off. However, it is worth noting that not every person has a sense of proportion. And sooner or later such a harmless hobby turns into a bad habit. And what aboutAlcohol is harmfulknow and write for a long time. There has been a lot of discussion about this to this dayAlcohol is the cause of many diseases. That it destroys the liver cells and cannot perform its functions. That it also affects the functioning of the brain. As a result, a person's memory and brain activity deteriorate. This happens because when drinking an alcoholic beverage, that is, alcohol, is absorbed into the bloodstream and travels with the bloodstream towards the brain, where the process of its active destruction takes place.

The human brain consists of 15 billion neurons, i. e. nerve cells that die when they interact with alcohol. This means that with every time and with every new sip of an alcoholic drink, the number of dead nerve cells in the skull area increases.

And what's next? Once in the body, ethanol is absorbed by the blood and transported through the organs with its flow. Excessive consumption affects the hypothalamus and reduces the production of vasopressin, leading to dehydration. Ethanol in the blood begins to act on red blood cells and break down their membranes. Both of these processes cause red blood cells to stick together and form blood clots. Blood clots gradually increase in size and block the passage of blood vessels - the brain becomes deprived of oxygen and brain cells die. Oxygen deficiency leads to hyperacidity and tissue hypoxia gradually sets in.

When doctors opened up the brains of people who had died of alcohol poisoning or who had heavily abused alcohol throughout their lives, they found that that person's brain was completely destroyed. After that, scientists came to the conclusion that alcohol is the most powerful tool that deprives a person of reason. As already known and scientifically proven, alcohol kills brain cells. However, it is worth considering that it affects everyone in different ways. Because for some people, the first thing exposed to the destructive effects of alcoholic beverages is the back of the brain. In this case, they are strongly panned. And in the second case, the moral center itself is subject to destruction. The latter case is considered the most dangerous condition, as alcohol kills the brain cells that control behavior. As practice has shown, in this state a person can destroy not only his own life, but also someone else's. However, there is also a third case in which a person's memory is destroyed. That is, in the morning a person simply does not remember what happened yesterday, where he was and what he did.

Scientists have found that one glass of alcohol kills around 1000-2000 cells. Which in turn begin to rot and decompose in the cerebral cortex. In this case, a person suffers from a severe headache, which is popularly known as a hangover. Since these cells poison the brain, protective processes begin to take effect in the human body. Which in turn helps pump a large amount of fluid through the skull. After that, this fluid, along with dead cells, leaves the human body through the urethra. Alcohol is harmful to humans in any form and in any dose. It disrupts the work of all metabolic processes in the human body and affects its genetic code.

The processes described lead to damage in the brain areas responsible for the vestibular system, human behavior, memory and attention. With regular alcohol abuse, there is a change in thinking and mental processes - degeneration.

Influence on the psyche and the nervous system

The effect of alcohol on the functioning of the central nervous system is expressed as follows:

1. Causes insomnia and nightmares. Night terrors can be excruciating, and it's not uncommon for alcoholics to have a fear of sleep. Taking sleeping pills or antidepressants only aggravates the situation or leads to serious side effects.
2. Violates thought processes, impairs memory. At first, memorization occurs in fragments, then ethanol destroys neuronal connections and gradually a person ceases to remember the past and cannot remember anything new.
3. The consequences of drinking alcohol are expressed in the weakening of the intellect: a person ceases to think logically, emotions, feelings and perceptions disappear.
4. Polyneuritis is a complication of a neurological nature. It manifests itself in inflammation of the nerves of the arms and legs. Symptoms: numbness, burning and weakness in the limbs.

Psychological consequences of alcoholism:

1. Psychosis - ethanol causes inhibition of metabolic processes and oxygen starvation. There is a clouding of reason, phobias, a person gradually becomes isolated and begins to live in a self-created world.
2. delirium tremens. Manifested by sleep disorders, convulsions, depression, sudden changes in feelings of fear and joy, auditory and visual hallucinations.
3. Alcoholic encephalopathy develops in the third stage of alcoholism. It is characterized by symptoms of delirium tremens, which is accompanied by weakness, loss of appetite, tremors, clouding of consciousness, coma. High probability of death.
4. Alcoholic paralysis - encephalopathy in the chronic stage. Loss of reality, neuritis of the extremities.
5. The influence of alcohol on the human psyche in the later stages of alcoholism leads to alcoholic epilepsy and alcohol degradation.

Effect on the cardiovascular system

Consequences of excessive alcohol consumption on the cardiovascular system:

1. Violation of vascular tone and flexibility of the blood flow system due to oxygen starvation and thrombosis.
2. myocardial dystrophy. The pathology is caused by a violation of interstitial metabolism.
3. Myocardial hypertrophy and obesity of the heart.
4. The formation and accumulation of blood clots from red blood cell aggregation leads to the death of heart cells, leading to heart attacks.
5. Clogging of blood vessels leads to the manifestation of streaks of blood on the skin of the face.

Influence on the organs of the urinary system

Ethanol, which is a component of alcoholic beverages, leads to a change in the sensitivity of the renal pelvis, which leads to a decrease in protective mechanisms. The likelihood of inflammatory processes in the kidneys, urethra and bladder increases - pyelonephritis, nephritis, glomerulonephritis, urethritis, cystitis.

With prolonged alcohol consumption, a protein precipitate forms in the urine. Minerals washed with ethanol settle and accumulate in the kidneys, forming stones - urolithiasis develops.

If there is a metabolic disorder under the influence of alcohol, the kidney structure is damaged, pollutants accumulate and toxins develop renal dystrophy. Without treatment and further alcohol consumption, one of the listed diseases will develop kidney failure.

Influence on the digestive organs

Alcohol, getting into the oral cavity, disrupts the salivary glands in the oral cavity and causes the saliva to become viscous, which reduces its protective ability. Ethanol begins to destroy the walls of the esophagus. Later, in chronic alcoholics, swallowing is disturbed.

Gradually, there is a deterioration in the secretory function, when its violation affects the pancreas. Alcoholic gastritis develops, which gradually turns into pancreatitis.

Alcohol also contributes to the production of gastric juice and hydrochloric acid, which attack the walls of the digestive organs and cause ulcers, which over time can cause gastrointestinal oncology. In addition, alcohol clogs the capillaries, thereby disrupting the absorption of vitamins, which is harmful to the human body.

The spleen cleanses the body of dead blood cells. With alcohol intoxication of the body, the work of the spleen and the ability to cleanse the body are disturbed. Disturbances in the work of the spleen are also caused by the action of alcohol on the liver, pancreas and circulatory system and the disruption of their work.

As a result of alcohol abuse, blood flow to the spleen is disrupted, which leads to tissue infarction and suppuration of the capsule of the spleen - splenic abscess.

Effects on immunity

The effect of alcohol on the defense mechanisms of the human body:

1. Suppresses innate and acquired immunity.
2. Reduced immunity stops producing enough white blood cells, the ability to resist disease is impaired.
3. Violates the synthesis of cytokines, the excess of which leads to tissue destruction, the absence of common diseases.
4. Suppresses the work of T cells, which increases the risk of oncology.
5. Alcohol reduces immunity and increases the risk of pneumonia, tuberculosis and HIV.

Effects on the musculoskeletal system

It is known that ethanol dehydrates the body. Water is essential for cell function. Dehydration leads to metabolic disorders. As a result, breakdown products and harmful compounds build up in muscle tissue and cause discomfort. Alcoholism leads to disruption of the endocrine system - the production of testosterone and glycogen is suppressed. Their deficiency leads to the breakdown of muscle tissue.

The Effects of Alcohol on the Joints

1. With alcoholism, arthrosis and arthrosis develop - thinning of cartilage tissue, with regular abuse, its disappearance. The protective mechanism against friction disappears, the joints begin to hurt.
2. Joint pain after alcohol can lead to compression of the epiphyses and impaired blood flow, as a result of which ischemia of bone tissue develops.
3. Aseptic necrosis - death of bone tissue
4. Gout is inflammation of the joints.
5. After drinking alcohol, joints and knees hurt due to fluid accumulation in the tissues and an increase in intra-articular fluid pressure.

effect on appearance

How Alcohol Affects Appearance:

1. Alcoholic drinks are high-calorie, combined with a high-calorie snack and a disturbed metabolism, lead to obesity and the appearance of cellulite.
2. Effect of alcohol on the skin: dehydration leads to skin aging and wrinkling.
3. Ethanol washes away vitamins, minerals and nutrients, disrupts blood circulation - the face becomes covered with acne and capillaries.
4. The body is covered with papules and scales of a non-infectious nature - psoriasis develops.
5. Acetic aldehyde dilates blood vessels, causing facial skin to turn brown.
6. In the last stages of alcoholism, skin cancer is possible.

Influence on the endocrine system

Alcohol inhibits the work of the endocrine system, which includes the endocrine glands:

1. Alcohol and the thyroid: The hormonal activity is disturbed, which has a negative effect on the possibility of reproduction. Infertility, miscarriage and premature birth are common in women suffering from alcoholism.
2. Alcohol and the pancreas: ethanol inhibits the pancreas and pancreatitis develops against the background of reduced immunity.
3. Alcohol reduces insulin production – diabetes develops. Latent cases of the disease are not uncommon.
4. The adrenal glands are responsible for carbohydrate and mineral metabolism, the production of sex hormones, and the functioning of the cardiovascular system. With a violation of the work of the adrenal glands, the whole body suffers, the biggest blow falls on the reproductive function.
5. Alcoholism disrupts the connection between the pituitary and hypothalamus. The production of tropic hormones decreases, and the synthesis of hormones of the opposite sex increases - the appearance begins to change gradually.

effects on the lungs

Alcohol is eliminated from the body not only through the digestive and excretory systems. The lungs actively participate in this process. The organs of the respiratory system are not adapted to such a load, so the lung tissue gradually hardens and expands. Connective tissue fibrosis occurs. Mucus and sputum begin to accumulate in the lungs. This causes pneumonia and other diseases of the lower organs of the respiratory system.

Alcohol also leads to dehydration of the mucous membranes, and defense mechanisms are violated, a person is more often exposed to viral and infectious diseases. Alcoholics often have tuberculosis. Blockages in the blood vessels lead to a lack of oxygen.

effects on vision

Regular alcohol consumption often leads to eye pain - this has the following causes:

1. The formation of blood clots in the vessels of the optic nerve and eye muscles disrupts the blood supply to the entire visual system.
2. A decrease in blood oxygen, causing the eyes to darken, can lead to blindness.
3. An increase in pressure inside the eye, causing blood vessels to burst and bleeding.
4. Vision does not adapt well to changing conditions and lighting. Objects in the field of view move away and become blurred. Alcohol-related disorders in the ocular center of the brain cause double vision.
5. In the final stage, the optic nerves atrophy under the influence of alcohol.

Alcohol invariably has a negative effect on the entire body. There is a violation of the digestive system, excretory organs, cardiovascular system, endocrine system and other body systems. Impaired functioning of organs leads to the development of serious diseases, some of which are untreatable.