One glass of beer or wine on special occasions is not something to worry about as it will probably not do any harm in healthy people. It is alarming when family and friends notice someone drinks too much and too often, which usually means that the person is in serious trouble because he or she has become addicted. The truth is there are so many people who hide their drinking habit and refuse to get any treatment or they do not accept the fact that the problem even exists. Alcoholism is not about being a bad person, it is a very serious illness that should be recognized and treated. Alcoholic drinks are bad for both the body and mind, they cause deadly illnesses such as cancer, heart failures, hypertension and depression. Although you can hear from people they drink to feel happier, this is not true. Alcohol actually slows brain functions and causes a person to feel more depressed than before. Individuals who drink regularly give excuses for their addiction, they say they drink to relax, to have more fun or because all of their friends do the same. Just like all other types of addictions, alcohol abuse can kill you faster than you may think.
How Alcohol Affects the Body
Have you ever wondered what happens in your body when you drink a glass of alcoholic beverage? It spreads into your blood system through the stomach and reaches the brain where it slows down or in case of larger amounts, stops many natural processes. Alcohol causes blood vessels to dilate and affects your heart, liver, brain and stomach. It raises adrenaline levels and dangerously lowers blood pressure, irritates your stomach and dehydrates the body. You may hear people drink for various reasons, most of them abuse it to feel relaxed after hard work. What is ironic here is that they take nootropics supplements to enhance their brain skills and improve concentration. The deadly combination of drugs and alcohol has so far killed more people than car accidents.
How Alcohol Affects the Liver, Brain and Heart
Your liver is the organ responsible for dealing with toxins you take with food or drugs. It is supposed to work well all your life and remove dangerous substances from the body. When too much alcohol is consumed your liver works overtime – imagine what it has to do when someone drinks large quantities of alcohol for a long period of time. It becomes swollen, inflamed and in the worst scenario, cirrhosis develops that can lead to liver cancer.
People who drink heavily risk to suffer from brain damage that results in bad cognitive skills, blurred vision, lack of memory, anxiety and violent behavior. It is alarming that so many people think it is harmless if they have a glass or two of alcohol before getting into the car. Alcohol changes and slows down motor skills which together with changed vision can cause a deadly accident.
Your heart is one of the main organs in your body that suffers when you drink too much alcohol. Heart failure and bad circulation cause death in people who drink regularly. Alcohol affects blood vessels and causes hypertension, stroke and heart attack. On the other hand, drinking small amounts of red wine is said to protect you from coronary diseases. The problem is no one seems to know what the safe amount of alcohol is – we all react differently.
