Drinking alcohol is socially acceptable in many parts of the world. The perfect wine creates a fine experience with the right meats, cheese, and a handful of olives. However, a glass-too-many can lead to trouble!
An estimated 107 million people suffer from alcohol abuse disorder. Not to mention, excessive drinking can affect your health and well-being in more than one way. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, people drinking five or more glasses of alcohol at a single event could be classified as heavy drinkers.
Even though alcohol is a legal substance, people should drink in moderation to keep its adverse effects at bay. Overdosing can harm your health in several ways, including the following:
It has several short-term side effects
Diarrhea, headaches, blurred vision, and nausea are short-term side effects people experience soon after drinking too much. That’s why they tell you not to drive when you’ve had too much. In addition, mood swings, slurred speech, reduced inhibitions, and impulsive behavior become common. These can lead people to act irrationally and violently and hurt people around them, thereby affecting personal and professional relations depending on the occasion.
These symptoms can become a bigger problem if left unchecked. Hence it’s best to get professional help at the right time. Weighty consumers ought to gaze upward recovery offices, for example, the Delphi Behavioral Health Group to get proficient assistance to keep the propensity from declining. Addicts can choose from various treatment plans that include inpatient and outpatient options, CBT, the 12-step plan, etc.
Impact on the brain
Drinking too much can have adverse effects on the brain. Drinking decreases communication between brain cells, the central nervous system, and the rest of the body. This is one of the reasons people who go on drinking sprees tend to blackout, waking up to temporary memory loss. You may also experience numbness and tingling in the feet and hands and lose the ability to think clearly.
Although these effects are short-lived, regular consumption can cause permanent damage leading to reduced brain function. Brain damage can lead to mental health conditions such as dementia, depression, anger, and psychosis.
Weak immune system
Alcohol can slow down the immune system, thereby affecting your body to fight off disease and infections. Drinking also affects your immune system’s ability to make white blood cells. Since these cells play a crucial role in the body’s defense mechanism, people who drink more are more likely to have a weaker immune system than those who don’t. So you’re more likely to catch a cold, suffer pneumonia, or any other infectious disease such as tuberculosis.
Fluctuating sugar levels
Excessive drinking causes inflammation in the pancreas and liver cells, leading to an increased risk of pancreatitis and liver disease. This can put you at risk of hypoglycemia if the liver and pancreas can’t regulate blood sugar levels or hyperglycemia if insufficient insulin is produced.
Irregular blood sugar levels can lead to greater risk and complications with side effects such as diabetes. So it is best to limit your consumption. Remember to check your blood sugar levels after a night at the pub.
Problems with sleep
Alcohol and sleep don’t make a pleasant cocktail. People who fancy a glass or two before bedtime risk becoming insomniacs. Since alcohol can reduce REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, bedtime drinkers are more likely to experience symptoms of insomnia and be in a constant state of exhaustion throughout the following day.
This process can lead to a vicious cycle consisting of you using alcohol to fall asleep at night while ingesting high amounts of caffeine to stay awake during the day. This puts you are risk of an alcohol use disorder.
So if you’ve had a rough day and are contemplating a glass of your favorite wine to cheer you up before bed, ditch the thought. Find an alternative hobby to divert your attention. Read a book or journal your thoughts instead.
Infertility
While a modest amount of alcohol may not affect your fertility, excessive drinking guarantees the problem. However, it manifests itself differently based on your gender. Heavy drinking among women may cause them to suffer from an irregular menstrual cycle or abnormal bleeding. It may also lead to a high risk of miscarriages and stillbirth among pregnant women. Therefore, pregnant women should stay away from alcohol.
On the other hand, men who drink heavily could suffer from a drop in mineral zinc in their bodies. This reduces the quantity and health of sperm. Alcohol hinders testosterone production while simultaneously promoting the conversion of the remaining testosterone into estrogen. This reduces sperm count, reduces sex drive, and may also lead to infertility. Couples who have plans to conceive should be cautious.
Poor digestion
Heavy drinking can lead to bloating, gas, a feeling of fullness in your stomach, diarrhea, and even ulcers. Ulcers can be fatal if not taken care of promptly. Not to mention, drinking can also damage tissue in the digestive tract, preventing the intestines from digesting and absorbing minerals. In the long run, this can cause weight-related issues and malnutrition
Mental health problems
Since drinking affects brain function and cognitive and emotional behavior, addicts are like to develop mental health conditions down eh road. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) incorporates analytic measures for
- Alcohol-induced psychotic disorder
- Alcohol-induced bipolar disorder
- Alcohol-induced depressive disorder
- Alcohol-induced sleep disorder
- Alcohol-induced anxiety disorder
During rehab, dependence and withdrawal can be equally taxing on the mind and body. So slow down before social drinking becomes a chronic habit and a mental health condition.
Conclusion
Although drinking is legal for people above a certain age, it does not take away from the fact that high consumption could be catastrophic for your well-being. This article highlights a few short and long-term adversities you may inflict on your body and health by drinking too much. So consume in moderation.
The Dietary Guidelines For Americans 2020-2025, published by the US Department of Health and Human Services, states adults of legal age can drink in moderation by limiting intake to two glasses per day for adult men and one glass per day for adult women.
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