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 grocery store. Certain doses of alcohol lead to serious changes and disorders in the human body. Awareness of the harm of alcohol can help you reject it completely or limit your alcohol intake to acceptable levels.

What harm does alcohol do to humans?

Harassers don't think about the consequences of being drunk, and these are:

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

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

Popular intoxicating liquids contain substances that are hazardous to health and life:

1. ethanol. With regular and excessive use it leads to addiction. In small quantities, it does not harm the body, but an overdose can lead to sudden loss of consciousness or even death.
2. Phytoestrogens. The female hormone (contained in beer) leads to disruption of the male and female reproductive system.
3. Fuse oils. In large quantities they are toxic. With constant intake in the body, they increase the risk of stomach ulcers, cause blindness, impotence and liver disease.
4. Cobalt. In small quantities 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, particularly destructive effect on the liver.
6. Biogenic amines. Toxic chemical compound. In small quantities it can be useful, but if overused it causes convulsions, vomiting and diarrhea.
7. Sodium benzoate (E-211). Once in the stomach, it causes a strong oxidation of the epithelial cells. This leads to gastritis, stomach ulcers, pancreatitis. Contributes to the exacerbation of chronic allergic diseases: asthma, urticaria, psoriasis.
8. Phosphoric acid (E-338). It destructively affects bone tissue and tooth enamel. Causes gastrointestinal upset, leads to weight loss. A high concentration of the substance causes a burn of the respiratory tract.

Harmful effect on the body of adolescents

Alcohol has a detrimental effect on a teenager'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 the teeth, nails, hair and skin.
3. The risk of problems with the heart, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, the appearance of diseases which, as a rule, increases in people of more mature age (for example, pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus).
4. The growth of bone and muscle tissue stops.
5. The liver, kidneys, reproductive system suffer.

Female alcoholism

The difference between the development of male and female addiction:

1. In women, addiction occurs faster, and the treatment of this disease is ineffective. This is due to the characteristics of the female body: it has fewer enzymes that help break down alcohol-containing products. 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). For this reason, it is more difficult to control the level of intoxication, and the transition to strong drinks occurs, as a rule, already in the last stages of alcoholism.
3. Embarrassed by addiction, women are more likely to drink alone and seek help when changes are hard enough to hide. The rehabilitation process is more difficult and longer than in men.

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

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

Social damage

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

1. Job. Employers don't want to immediately accept or fire a person who drinks, as they skip shifts for no good reason or perform the task poorly.
2. guide. Half of all accidents are due to a drunk driver.
3. Violation of the law. Most of all crimes are committed by those who are drunk or drunk enough, as they are more prone to aggression and even murder.
4. immoral behavior. First sexual experience, unplanned pregnancy, and rape cases most often occur when one or both partners are drunk.
5. Unhealthy home atmosphere. Children grow up in an unfavorable environment and may very well inherit the negative example of their parents.
6. Divorce. All innocent family members suffer. Mothers or fathers raise their children alone, who suffer from upbringing in an incomplete family.

How does alcohol affect health?

The table shows popular alcoholic beverages, their composition and the organs they affect.

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

Liver and digestive system

The destruction of the liver is associated with a violation of protein metabolism, and in 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;
• yellowish skin and eyeballs;
• the temperature is above normal;
• pain in the right hypochondrium.

The alcohol that enters the intestine, in fact, leaves a chemical burn of its mucous membrane. Regular intoxication leads to defecation problems (soft stools or constipation, fecal stones), which are most often resolved exclusively with surgery.

More likely:

• 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 blood vessels for about 7 hours, which causes them to expand, disrupting the normal rhythm of the heart. Frequent alcohol intake, even in modest quantities, inevitably leads to blockage of the brain vessels, which, with an increase in blood pressure, rupture. At best, a person survives but remains disabled and, at worst, a fatal outcome.

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

• oxygen starvation;
• vessels thicken, shrink, burst;
• atrial flutter;
• extrasystole;
• cardiomyopathy;
• hypertension;
• hypertension;
• heart attack;
• atherosclerosis.

The pulse rises 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 causes a devastating effect on red blood cells, which are responsible for transporting air to the brain. Oxygen ceases to enter the brain cells and, as a result, they die one by one.

This leads to poor performance:

• vestibular apparatus;
• "moral" center (the sense of shame disappears, the bravado appears);
• memory;
• Caution.

The processes of arousal 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 the dynamics of movements;
• the occurrence of seizures;
• the appearance of hallucinations.

Respiratory System

A rough, hoarse voice with a peculiar timbre is rightly called "drunk" bass. People who love to abuse are more likely to contract tuberculosis.

Addiction damages the following areas of the respiratory system:

• pharynx;
• the entire nasopharynx;
• larynx.

People who drink regularly suffer from chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract such as:

• laryngitis;
• tracheobronchitis;
• atrophic pharyngitis.

Shortness of breath occurs both during moderate physical exertion and during rest. There is also a characteristic unpleasant smell of fumes from the drinker, 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. 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 life. It is this disease that is one of the main causes of frigidity and in its most severe manifestations. This leads to emotional problems for both partners and often the breakup of the family.

Immunity

The benefits of high quality wine (preferably red) from natural juice, in limited volumes, really manifest themselves: it removes toxins, strengthens the immune system. But a large amount, even the most expensive alcoholic drink, will adversely 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;
• the bones are not formed properly;
• increased likelihood of HIV transmission;
• poorly restored skin from burns and injuries.

Change your 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 do not withstand constant stress, and blue and red bruises form.

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

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

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

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

Photo gallery

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

Rules of use

It would be better to categorically refuse the regular use of a product containing alcohol. However, if a person has only decided to reduce its amount, it will be interesting for him to know that there are acceptable consumption rates.

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

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

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

• weight;
• growth;
• age;
• metabolism;
• inheritance;
• first experience of drinking alcohol.

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