Abusing Your Health With Alcohol

by Liam Derbyshire Del.icio.us Delicious Digg Digg Facebook Myspace Myspace Ask Ask

Lots of risks are involved with the excess consumption of alcohol. These risks include damage to the heart, liver, and brain. Excessive alcohol consumption is dangerous, not just for your body but also for your well-being. Consumption of Alcohol can affect your health badly and your ability to think and work.
Almost every part of the body can be negatively affected by excessive alcohol consumption. Alcohol can cause cancer, liver disease, heart attacks and brain damage.

A person is considered to be dependent on alcohol or addicted to alcohol when he has experienced two or more of the following symptoms :
A strong urge to drink or difficulty in controlling the urge for alcohol
Gradual neglect of other activities.
Failed attempts to control alcohol use
Persistent drinking even when you know it is obviously causing harm.
Withdrawal symptoms, like sweating, shaking and nausea
A high Tolerance to Alcohol
Spend a great amount of time consuming Alcohol, during weekdays.

Short-term effects

A small amount of alcohol will make you feel relaxed and make you feel less anxious. It does affect your physical co-ordination and cause blurred vision, slurred speech and even loss of balance. Drinking a very large amount at one time may lead to unconsciousness, coma, death or death by suffocation (Vomiting while unconscious).

Long-term effects

Alcohol can be a dangerous drug. Drinking too much too often will cause physical damage and it does increase the risk of getting some diseases. Excessive drinking over time is associated with:

Hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver
Gastritis
Liver cirrhosis.
Inflammation of the pancreas
High blood pressure
Damage to the brain, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
Heart related problems
Epilepsy
Psychological effects

Although alcohol initially makes people relaxed, on a long term basis chronic use can ultimately increase anxiety and cause depression and various other diseases. It is also related to problems with sleeping, mood-swings and violence.

Cutting down

Below are some tips which help you to cut down the chronic use of alcohol...