Irresponsible Drinking Leads to Serious Health Issues
For more than a few years the alcohol addiction and alcohol abuse research literature has demonstrated the fact that alcohol addiction and serious health problems are highly correlated. For example, a U.S. research project undertaken in 2005 revealed that alcoholism and alcohol abuse cost the U.S. around $220 billion every year. It may be highlighted that these alcohol-related costs were substantially more than the cost connected with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion).
Even though these facts and statistics are significant enough to stand on their own accord, it is essential to point out that an interrelationship is present between all three of these health problems. That is to say, chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism are also highly correlated with cancer and with obesity.
From a different outlook, medical research and alcohol dependency investigations have documented the fact that chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism considerably increase a persons risk for diverse types of cancer such as cancer of the throat, liver, voice box (larynx), colon, kidneys, rectum, and cancer of the esophagus. Not only this, but heavy drinking over an extended period of time can also result in abnormalities of the fetus during pregnancy and immune system problems.
In a similar manner, the longer a person drinks in a hazardous and excessive manner the more likely it is that his or her organs will be adversely affected. As a case in point, heavy, long term drinking is especially dangerous to the liver because of the livers primary importance in processing the alcohol that has been consumed. In fact, a large amount of alcohol kills liver cells and inhibits the ability of the liver to regenerate. The upshot of this is a progressive inflammatory disease of the liver that can eventually result in cirrhosis of the liver, a serious and potentially lethal disease.
Long term, heavy drinking not only can result in a serious liver disease such as cirrhosis of the liver, but it can also result in damage to the drinkers brain and to his or her heart. When the problem drinker reaches this point, the physical damage may be so severe that it can result in critical health problems or premature death.
It is therefore critical to know how to identify the various alcoholism signs and symptoms so that the alcohol dependent person can be given the chance to obtain the best alcohol treatment he or she can afford.
It is indeed fortuitous that medical science is continuously seeking and finding novel and relevant alcohol-related facts and information. For example, for roughly the past nine or ten years, technologically advanced brain-imaging scanning instruments have demonstrated that heavy, chronic drinking modifies the inner functioning of the brain to such a significant degree that the resulting brain damage can last months, years, or maybe as long as the problem drinker exists.
Stated another way, scientific research has demonstrated that individuals who have been drinking in an excessive and hazardous manner for a relatively long period of time significantly increase their risk for serious brain damage. Damage of this type can be directly associated with serious liver disease or to the alcohols effects on the individuals brain or can be indirectly linked to a persons poor overall health.
As a final example of different health conditions that are highly linked to alcohol dependency, it needs to be underlined that heavy, abusive drinking can lead to a medical disease known as erosive gastritis. Erosive gastritis is a serious medical problem that decreases the absorption of essential nutrients and vitamins and minerals. Once an individual has this disease, organ malfunctioning can result and in turn can lead to a host of serious mental and neurological disorders such as Korsakoff's syndrome, Wernicke's Encephalopathy, memory loss, and malnutrition.
It is clear that continued, abusive drinking is either directly or indirectly associated with numerous medical difficulties that can and do lead to damaging illnesses and diseases and all too frequently, to an early death. It is also apparent that this information and these facts need to be highlighted and taught to every individual in our society so that a substantial number of people will be able to stay away from careless and unhealthy drinking while other people who currently have a drinking problem can obtain the professional rehabilitation they need.
Even though these facts and statistics are significant enough to stand on their own accord, it is essential to point out that an interrelationship is present between all three of these health problems. That is to say, chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism are also highly correlated with cancer and with obesity.
From a different outlook, medical research and alcohol dependency investigations have documented the fact that chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism considerably increase a persons risk for diverse types of cancer such as cancer of the throat, liver, voice box (larynx), colon, kidneys, rectum, and cancer of the esophagus. Not only this, but heavy drinking over an extended period of time can also result in abnormalities of the fetus during pregnancy and immune system problems.
In a similar manner, the longer a person drinks in a hazardous and excessive manner the more likely it is that his or her organs will be adversely affected. As a case in point, heavy, long term drinking is especially dangerous to the liver because of the livers primary importance in processing the alcohol that has been consumed. In fact, a large amount of alcohol kills liver cells and inhibits the ability of the liver to regenerate. The upshot of this is a progressive inflammatory disease of the liver that can eventually result in cirrhosis of the liver, a serious and potentially lethal disease.
Long term, heavy drinking not only can result in a serious liver disease such as cirrhosis of the liver, but it can also result in damage to the drinkers brain and to his or her heart. When the problem drinker reaches this point, the physical damage may be so severe that it can result in critical health problems or premature death.
It is therefore critical to know how to identify the various alcoholism signs and symptoms so that the alcohol dependent person can be given the chance to obtain the best alcohol treatment he or she can afford.
It is indeed fortuitous that medical science is continuously seeking and finding novel and relevant alcohol-related facts and information. For example, for roughly the past nine or ten years, technologically advanced brain-imaging scanning instruments have demonstrated that heavy, chronic drinking modifies the inner functioning of the brain to such a significant degree that the resulting brain damage can last months, years, or maybe as long as the problem drinker exists.
Stated another way, scientific research has demonstrated that individuals who have been drinking in an excessive and hazardous manner for a relatively long period of time significantly increase their risk for serious brain damage. Damage of this type can be directly associated with serious liver disease or to the alcohols effects on the individuals brain or can be indirectly linked to a persons poor overall health.
As a final example of different health conditions that are highly linked to alcohol dependency, it needs to be underlined that heavy, abusive drinking can lead to a medical disease known as erosive gastritis. Erosive gastritis is a serious medical problem that decreases the absorption of essential nutrients and vitamins and minerals. Once an individual has this disease, organ malfunctioning can result and in turn can lead to a host of serious mental and neurological disorders such as Korsakoff's syndrome, Wernicke's Encephalopathy, memory loss, and malnutrition.
It is clear that continued, abusive drinking is either directly or indirectly associated with numerous medical difficulties that can and do lead to damaging illnesses and diseases and all too frequently, to an early death. It is also apparent that this information and these facts need to be highlighted and taught to every individual in our society so that a substantial number of people will be able to stay away from careless and unhealthy drinking while other people who currently have a drinking problem can obtain the professional rehabilitation they need.
About the Author:
Denny Mitchell writes about long term alcohol abuse, alcohol addiction signs, blood alcohol tests, symptoms of alcoholism, and alcoholism signs. For more info please visit saliva alcohol test.
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