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Dont Let Alcohol Abuse You
By Viola | February 17, 2008
Dont Let Alcohol Abuse You
When you drink alcohol, it is absorbed into your body through the stomach and small intestine. Alcohol affects you far more quickly on an empty stomach, as it slows down the rate of absorption.
The alcohol is distributed through the bloodstream throughout the body reaching the heart, brain and muscles as well as other tissues, which can happen very quickly.
As the body cannot store alcohol, it tries to get rid of it mainly through the liver, where it gets changed into acetaldehyde which is a highly toxic substance. The acetaldehyde changes into acetate, which is a harmless substance which will be passed out in the urine and some excreted via the breath and sweat.
The body’s ability to break down alcohol (ususally the rate being about one unit per hour) depends on a number of things such as age, weight and sex. Your blood alcohol volume is less when you are small, therefore the same quantity of alcohol will probably affect you more than someone who is large. It is a biological fact that women are generally smaller than man, so they can’t drink as much as men. Also in proportion women have less body water and more body fat and it is difficult for alcohol to dissolve in fat. That is the reason why women end up with more alcohol in their bloodstream than men.
Drinking alcohol in summer or after strenuous excersise has greater affects on your body and as your body’s water concentration isn’t normal, you will suffer with dehydration.
Alcohol is a type of drug affecting the nerves that pass messages around the body by slowing them down. People very often get more lively when they’ve had a drink. That happens when the alcohol affects parts of the brain responsible for self-control which causes you to be uncoordinated or unsteady on your feet as well as slowing down your reactions. You may start seeing double, your speech may get slurred or you may even feel strong emotional responses, i.e. you may become tearful or even aggressive. Alcohol impairs your judgement and you could even do things you wouldn’t normally do such as dancing on tables or even going home with strangers.
Heavy drinking, especially on a regular basis, can lead to serious consequences including:
~ Increased risk of heart disease
~ Certain types of stroke
~ Poor concentration, Anxiety, Stress, Depression, Mood changes
~ Certain types of cancer – especially breast cancer
~ Brain damage
~ Dementia, memory loss
~ Alcohol dependence
~ Stomach ulcers and other disorders
~ Pancreatitis
~ Cirrhosis of the liver
~ Liver cancer
~ Impotence and other sexual difficulties
~ Potentially fatal alcoholism
Even drinking infrequently can have consequences. It can increase risky behaviour including:
~ Injuries
~ Accidents
~ Unsafe sex – which could lead to unwanted sexual transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies
~ Fights
~ Arguments
~ Relationship issues
~ Getting in trouble with the police
Drinking alcohol is associated with relaxation, socialising and having a great time. If you enjoy good health and a good healthy diet, sensible drinking guidelines most probably won’t do any harm.
Light drinking may have certain health benefits. Evidence shows that one or two units a day may help with cholesterol and that it may help support the reduction of the development of coronary heart diseae in men over 40 as well as in post-menopausal women.
Topics: Health and Diet |
