The harm of alcohol on the human body is great. All organs and systems of the human body are affected. The negative impact does not spare the younger generation, women and men. It is worth understanding: is alcohol harmful to a person; what impact does this have on each life support system; how harmful alcohol is to the body.
Alcoholism and its consequences
The effect of alcohol and its effects on the body are well studied. Absolutely all human organs and systems fall under the influence, which is part of ethanol: organs of the digestive system, central nervous system, cardiovascular, genitourinary, respiratory, musculoskeletal system, organs of vision, etc. Alcohol causes the most damage to the liver, heart and brain (memory training).
The effect of alcohol on the body is manifested as follows:
- negatively affects the cells of the organs;
- promotes the mutation and formation of oncology;
- when used during pregnancy, it can lead to irreversible consequences for the fetus;
- is a drug;
- disrupts normal metabolism;
- decreases immunity.
Effect on the liver
The effect of alcohol on the liver is associated with its main function - to cleanse the body of toxins and harmful substances. Prolonged alcohol consumption leads to ethanol damage to the liver and impaired performance. When the liver cannot cope with the filtering function, all toxic substances enter the bloodstream to other organs.
The effect of alcohol on the liver is manifested by the occurrence of diseases:
- Acute alcoholic hepatitis. Symptoms: depression, deterioration of general well-being, decrease or loss of appetite, fever, jaundice, clouding of consciousness. This disease is curable provided that the use of products containing ethanol is stopped and the treatment is timely and correct.
- Liver cirrhosis occurs with symptoms of digestive upset, abdominal pain, weight loss, weakness. May develop asymptomatically. Cirrhosis is characterized by the growth of connective tissue, which begins to destroy liver cells. The liver slowly ceases to function. In later stages, increased pressure in the vessels of the liver, encephalopathy and oncology can join cirrhosis of the liver.
- fatty hepatosis. It occurs in the absence of symptoms, the presence of which is established using a biochemical blood test. Hepatosis is not treated with drugs, the main way to quit drinking alcohol.
The effect of alcohol on the brain
Many people drink alcoholic beverages after a hard day at work, vacation, or just a day off. However, it should be noted that not everyone has a sense of proportion. And sooner or later, such a harmless pastime becomes a bad habit. And on whatalcohol is harmfulknow and write for a long time. So far there has been a lot of talk about thealcohol is the cause of many diseases. That it destroys liver cells and is unable to perform its functions. It also impairs brain function. As a result, a person's memory and brain activity deteriorate. This happens because when consuming an alcoholic drink, in other words, alcohol, which is absorbed into the bloodstream and travels with the bloodstream to the brain, where the process of itsactive destruction.
The human brain is made up of 15 billion neurons, that is, nerve cells that die when they interact with alcohol. That is, with each and every new sip of an alcoholic drink, the number of dead nerve cells in the area of the skull increases more and more.
And how is it going? Once in the body, ethanol is absorbed into the blood and with its current is transported through the organs. Excess consumption acts on the hypothalamus and reduces the production of vasopressin, which leads to dehydration. Ethanol in the blood begins to act on red blood cells, splitting their membranes. These two processes cause red blood cells to stick together to form blood clots. Blood clots gradually enlarge and block the permeability of blood vessels - oxygen starvation of the brain sets in and brain cells die. Lack of oxygen leads to acidification and tissue hypoxia gradually sets in.
When doctors opened the brains of people who had died of alcohol poisoning or who had heavily abused alcohol during their lifetime, they found that the person's brain was completely destroyed. After that, scientists came to the conclusion that alcohol is the most powerful tool that deprives a person of reason. As already known and scientifically proven, alcohol kills brain cells. However, it should be considered that it affects each person in different ways. Since in some people the first thing that is subject to the destructive effect of alcoholic beverages is the back of the brain. In this case, they are strongly influenced. And in the second case, the moral center itself is subject to destruction. The latter case is considered the most dangerous condition, because alcohol kills the brain cells that control behavior. As practice has shown, a person in this state is capable of destroying not only his own life, but someone else's. However, there is also a third case in which a person's memory is destroyed. That is, in the morning a person simply does not remember what happened yesterday, where he was and what he did.
Scientists have found that one glass of alcohol kills about 1000-2000 cells. Which, in turn, in the cerebral cortex begin to rot and decay. In this case, a person experiences a severe headache, commonly known as a hangover. Since these cells poison the brain, protective processes begin to work in the human body. Which, in turn, contributes to the pumping of a large amount of fluid through the skull. After that, this fluid, along with dead cells, leaves the human body through the urethra. For a person, alcohol is harmful in all its forms and in all doses. It disrupts the work of all metabolic processes in the human body and affects its genetic code.
The described processes lead to damage to the parts of the brain responsible for the vestibular apparatus, human behavior, as well as memory and attention. With regular alcohol abuse, a change in thinking and mental processes occurs - degeneration.
Influence on the psyche and the nervous system
The effect of alcohol on the functioning of the central nervous system is expressed as follows:
- Causes insomnia and nightmares. Night terrors can be excruciating, and it's not uncommon for alcoholics to have a fear of sleep. Taking sleeping pills or antidepressants only makes the situation worse or leads to serious side effects.
- Violates thought processes, negatively affects memory. First, memorization occurs in fragments, then ethanol destroys neural connections, and gradually a person ceases to remember the past and is not able to remember anything new.
- The consequences of alcohol consumption are manifested in the weakening of the intellect: a person ceases to think logically, emotions, feelings, perceptions disappear.
- Polyneuritis is a complication of a neurological nature. It is manifested by inflammation of the nerves of the arms and legs. Symptoms: numbness, burning and weakness of limbs.
Mental consequences of alcoholism:
- Psychosis - ethanol causes inhibition of metabolic processes and oxygen starvation. There is a clouding of reason, phobias, a person gradually isolates himself and begins to live in a world that he created himself.
- Delirium tremens. Manifested by sleep disturbances, convulsions, depression, sudden changes in feelings of fear and joy, auditory and visual hallucinations.
- Alcoholic encephalopathy develops in the third stage of alcoholism. It is characterized by symptoms of delirium tremens, which are accompanied by weakness, lack of appetite, tremors, impaired consciousness, coma. High risk of death.
- Alcoholic paralysis - encephalopathy in the chronic stage. Loss of reality, neuritis of the extremities.
- The influence of alcohol on the human psyche in the later stages of alcoholism leads to alcoholic epilepsy and alcohol breakdown.
Effect on the cardiovascular system
Consequences of excessive alcohol consumption on the cardiovascular system:
- Violation of vascular tone and flexibility of the blood circulation system due to oxygen starvation and thrombosis.
- myocardial dystrophy. Pathology is caused by a violation of interstitial metabolism.
- Myocardial hypertrophy and obesity of the heart.
- The formation and accumulation of blood clots by aggregation of red blood cells leads to the death of heart cells, which leads to heart attacks.
- Blockage of blood vessels leads to the manifestation of blood streaks on the skin of the face.
Influence on the organs of the urinary system
Ethanol, which is part of alcoholic beverages, leads to a change in the sensitivity of the renal pelvis, which leads to a decrease in protective mechanisms. The likelihood of inflammatory processes in the kidneys, urethra and bladder increases - pyelonephritis, nephritis, glomerulonephritis, urethritis, cystitis.
With prolonged consumption of alcohol, a protein precipitate forms in the urine. Ethanol-washed minerals settle and accumulate in the kidneys, forming stones - urolithiasis develops.
If the metabolism is disturbed under the influence of alcohol, the structure of the kidneys is damaged, harmful substances accumulate, and toxins develop renal dystrophy. In the absence of treatment and alcohol consumption, one of the listed diseases develops kidney failure.
Influence on the digestive organs
Alcohol, getting into the oral cavity, disrupts the salivary glands of the oral cavity and causes viscosity of saliva, which reduces its protective ability. The ethanol begins to destroy the walls of the esophagus. Later, in chronic alcoholics, swallowing is disturbed.
Gradually there is a deterioration of the secretory function, in case of violation of which the pancreas is attacked. Alcoholic gastritis develops, which gradually turns into pancreatitis.
In addition, alcohol contributes to the production of gastric juice and hydrochloric acid, which corrode the walls of the digestive organs and cause ulcers, which over time can cause oncology of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, alcohol clogs the capillaries and thus disrupts the absorption of vitamins, which is detrimental to the human body.
The spleen cleanses the body of dead blood cells. In case of alcohol intoxication of the body, the work of the spleen and the ability to cleanse the body are disturbed. Disturbances in the work of the spleen are also caused by the effect of alcohol on the liver, pancreas and circulatory system and disruption of their work.
Due to alcohol abuse, blood flow to the spleen is disturbed, leading to tissue infarction and suppuration of the splenic capsule - splenic abscess.
Impact on immunity
The effect of alcohol on the defense mechanisms of the human body:
- Suppresses innate and acquired immunity.
- Reduced immunity stops producing enough white blood cells, the ability to resist disease is impaired.
- Violates the synthesis of cytokines, the excess of which leads to the destruction of tissues, the absence of frequent diseases.
- Suppresses the work of T lymphocytes, which increases the risk of oncology.
- Alcohol reduces immunity and increases the risk of pneumonia, tuberculosis and HIV.
Impact on the musculoskeletal system
Ethanol is known to dehydrate the body. Water is essential for the functioning of cells. Lack of fluid leads to metabolic disorders. As a result, decomposition products and harmful compounds accumulate in muscle tissue, causing discomfort. Alcoholism leads to disruption of the endocrine system - the production of testosterone and glycogen is suppressed. Their deficiency leads to the breakdown of muscle tissue.
The effect of alcohol on the joints
- With alcoholism, arthrosis and arthrosis develop - thinning of cartilage tissue, with regular abuse, its disappearance. The mechanism of protection against friction disappears, the joints begin to hurt.
- Joint pain after alcohol can cause compression of the epiphyses and impaired blood circulation, which leads to the development of ischemia of bone tissue.
- Aseptic necrosis - death of bone tissue
- Gout is an inflammation of the joints.
- After alcohol, joints and knees hurt due to fluid retention in the tissues and increased pressure of intra-articular fluid.
Appearance impact
How alcohol affects appearance:
- Alcoholic beverages are high in calories, combined with a high-calorie snack and disturbed metabolism, lead to obesity and the appearance of cellulite.
- The effect of alcohol on the skin: dehydration leads to aging and wrinkling of the skin.
- Ethanol removes vitamins, minerals and nutrients, disrupts blood circulation - the face becomes covered with acne and capillaries.
- The body is covered with papules and scales of a non-infectious nature - psoriasis develops.
- Acetic aldehyde dilates blood vessels, and as a result, facial skin turns brown.
- In the later stages of alcoholism, skin cancer is possible.
Influence on the endocrine system
Alcohol inhibits the work of the endocrine system, which includes the endocrine glands:
- Alcohol and thyroid gland: hormonal activity is disturbed, which negatively affects the possibility of childbearing. In women suffering from alcoholism, there are often cases of infertility, miscarriages, premature births.
- Alcohol and pancreas: ethanol inhibits the pancreas, and against the background of reduced immunity, pancreatitis develops.
- Alcohol reduces insulin production - diabetes develops. Cases of latent course of the disease are not uncommon.
- The adrenal glands are responsible for the metabolism of carbohydrates and minerals, the production of sex hormones and the functioning of the cardiovascular system. In case of violation of the work of the adrenal glands, the whole body suffers, the biggest blow falls on the reproductive function.
- Alcoholism disrupts the connection between the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus. The production of tropic hormones decreases, and the synthesis of hormones of the opposite sex increases - the appearance gradually begins to change.
Lung effects
Alcohol is excreted from the body not only through the digestive and excretory systems. The lungs actively participate in this process. The organs of the respiratory system are not adapted to such a load, so the lung tissue gradually hardens and expands. Connective tissue fibrosis occurs. Mucus and sputum begin to accumulate on the lungs. This causes pneumonia and other diseases of the lower organs of the respiratory system.
Alcohol also leads to dehydration of the mucous membranes and defense mechanisms are violated, a person is more often exposed to viral and infectious diseases. Alcoholics often have tuberculosis. Blockage of blood vessels leads to lack of oxygen.
Impact on sight
With regular consumption of alcohol, it is not uncommon for the eyes to hurt - this is due to:
- The formation of blood clots in the vessels of the optic nerve and oculomotor muscles disrupts the blood supply to the entire visual system.
- A decrease in blood oxygen, which leads to darkening of the eyes, can lead to blindness.
- An increase in eye pressure, which causes rupture of blood vessels and bleeding.
- Vision does not adapt well to changing conditions and lighting. Objects in the field of view move away and become blurred. Alcohol-induced disturbances in the eye center of the brain cause double vision.
- At the last stage, under the influence of alcohol, the optic nerves atrophy.
Alcohol negatively affects the whole body without exception. There is a violation of the digestive, excretory, cardiovascular, endocrine and other body systems. The adverse effect on the functioning of organs leads to the development of serious diseases, some of which are not treatable.