Regular abuse of alcoholic beverages can undermine even health-strong health, and I'm sure that almost every one of you will find some such sad examples among people you know.

Alcohol affects almost all organs and systems, but its destructive effects in every person manifest themselves in different ways.

Doses, genetic characteristics, sex, body weight, general health - all this and more affect how a person reacts to a prolonged abuse of alcohol.

When alcohol enters your blood, the heart carries it to the most remote corners of the body, which leads to significant changes in the chemistry and physiology of almost every cell. Even after touching alcohol, you can get serious health problems (sometimes with law), and the daily poisoning of your body with alcohol leads to the development of several dozens of chronic diseases.

In this article, experts will tell you about the 10 most serious problems that are associated with alcohol abuse.

A few facts about alcohol abuse:.

• Abuse of alcohol in the US is considered to be consumption of more than 8 drinks per week for women and 15 drinks for men.

• Some experts refer to abuse of more than 3 drinks at a time for women and 4 drinks for men.

• Alcohol abuse in most developed countries is among the top 5 preventable causes of death.

• More than 3 million people die each year on the planet as a result of alcohol abuse.

• Alcoholic beverages are considered one of the main factors in the commission of violent crimes.

• Some individuals only 2 drinks of alcohol can provoke the commission of crimes.

• About 4% of global health costs are associated with alcohol abuse.

• Of the 59.7 million Americans surveyed, 17 million abuse alcohol.

• People who try alcohol after 21 years are 4 times less likely to become alcoholics.

• Russian teenagers try alcoholic beverages for an average of 13 years on average.

• Approximately 2 out of 3 deaths from pancreatitis and cirrhosis in our country are caused by alcohol.

• Scientists claim that alcohol harms the health of people who live next to a drinking person.

• Most of the alcohol is rendered harmless by the liver, but other organs are also involved in this process.

• Many of the toxic effects of alcohol are met by its carcinogenic metabolic product - acetaldehyde • Individual differences in alcohol metabolism in some people lead to unexpected complications.

The 10 most serious health risks associated with alcohol abuse.

Alcoholic liver damage.

The main impact of alcohol is taken by the liver, so the risk for this body when drinking alcohol is very high. Alcoholic liver disease can develop as a result of prolonged use of even small doses of alcohol (about 30 g of alcohol per day).

At least 90% of people who drink heavily over the years develop alcoholic fatty degeneration of the liver, in which fatty droplets are deposited in liver cells. This is an early stage of alcoholic liver disease, which is considered to be reversible, provided that the alcoholic and correct treatment is completely abandoned.

People who abuse alcohol for a long time often suffer from alcoholic hepatitis. This is a chronic inflammatory process in the liver, which is accompanied by a gradual cell death and organ scarring. Over a period of several years to decades, scar tissue largely replaces functional liver tissue, the body's work is disturbed. About 40% of cases of alcoholic hepatitis go to cirrhosis.

If the liver ceases to perform its vital functions, other organs start to refuse and the person dies. Unfortunately, many people with alcoholic liver disease develop symptoms only when alcohol has already seriously damaged the organ.

In our country, 67% of deaths from cirrhosis are associated with alcohol abuse.

Alcoholic pancreatitis.

Excessive use of alcohol can lead to pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas, which very often requires hospitalization of patients. Inflammation and cell death are accompanied by premature activation of pancreatic enzymes. Over time, the disease leads to extinction of the exocrine and endocrine function of the pancreas.

Alcoholic pancreatitis predominantly affects men 30-50 years of age. People who abuse alcoholic beverages for 5-10 years, as a rule, recorded at least one attack of alcoholic pancreatitis.

Cancer.

Alcohol abuse is associated with an increased risk of developing several types of cancer, including oral cancer, esophageal cancer, laryngeal cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer and breast cancer.

Both ethanol and its dangerous metabolite acetaldehyde can initiate malignant cell degeneration. Concomitant smoking contributes even more to the development of tumors of the upper part of the digestive tract.

Diseases of the stomach and esophagus.

Gastrointestinal tract - one of the main targets of toxic effects of ethanol.

Alcohol can lead to the development of stomach ulcers, gastritis, acid reflux and heartburn. Alcohol disrupts the secretory function of the stomach, can slow the emptying of the stomach and affect intestinal motility.

Initially, alcohol passes through the upper part of the digestive tract, where its destructive effect begins. Alcohol can gradually lead to varicose veins of the esophagus, which is fraught with a vein rupture and bleeding.

Weakening of the immune system.

Alcohol weakens the immune system, making the body defenseless both before a common cold and before more serious infections, including tuberculosis. Alcohol lowers the number of leukocytes in the blood, holding them in the spleen. After each excessive libation your immune system remains weakened for about 24 hours.

Damage to the brain.

Alcohol disrupts the work of a number of brain receptors and neurotransmitters, thereby affecting thinking, mood, emotions and human responses. Since alcohol suppresses the central nervous system, it prevents drinkers from making quick decisions and performing relatively simple mental tasks.

The effect of alcohol on the brain receptors of serotonin and gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA) deprives a person of normal natural fear of the consequences of their actions. It becomes clear why, after a bottle or two, the most brutal and senseless crimes are often committed.

Excess of ethanol in the blood can cause "dips" in the memory. The abuse of alcohol over the years has markedly accelerated the aging process of the brain, leading to early dementia. Since until about 25 years the human brain continues to develop, friendship with the green serpent at such a young age will adversely affect the mental abilities in the future.

Alcohol also interferes with coordination of movements and balance, often leading to accidents.

Lack of nutrients.

Abuse of alcohol is often combined with an appropriate lifestyle and irrational nutrition, so these people are found to deficiency of several vitamins and nutrients. Even if a person who drinks heavily does not throw himself and tries to eat right, his body has already lost nutrient metabolism, many substances are poorly digested in the digestive tract and are ineffectively used by cells. Alcohol-related gastrointestinal bleeding can cause iron deficiency in the body.

Osteoporosis.

Long-term alcohol abuse, especially in adolescence and young age, can greatly affect the condition of bone tissue and increase the risk of osteoporosis in the future. Osteoporosis in practice means frequent fractures, even under normal loads.

The fact is that ethanol breaks the balance between calcium, vitamin D and hormone cortisol. Scientists see the cause of osteoporosis in alcoholics and people who drink heavily in this. A recent study showed that women aged 67-90 years, who often drank in their youth, had a significantly lower bone mineral density than the rest.

Cardiovascular diseases.

Alcohol contributes to the development of some of the so-called "stress hormones", which short-term narrow the blood vessels and increase blood pressure. Possible consequences of alcohol abuse also include cardiomyopathy, rhythm disturbances, myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death.

Stroke - another formidable complication. Fluctuations in blood pressure plus platelet activation are a deadly combination that occurs in people who "leave" after drinking. Putting them together, we can get an ischemic stroke.

10. Accidents and injuries.

The use of alcohol in any quantity is associated with murders, suicides, car accidents, falls, drownings, occupational injuries, etc.. Alcohol disrupts balance, coordination, reaction. In the case of which, people who are drunk are generally more severely injured.

It is interesting to know that in the United States alcohol is the cause of injuries # 1 in patients in emergency departments. Local doctors call alcohol almost the main enemy of the nation's health. Whether it is a drunken party or a prolonged abuse of alcohol - the consequences in both cases may be irreparable.

The main thing is to understand everyone: the use of alcohol is nothing more than a myth; there is absolutely no harmless dose of alcohol, and there is no reliable way to predict how, when and how you will pay for your habit.

The latest achievements of science in the study of alcoholism.

Abuse of alcohol in middle age increases the risk of stroke more than diabetes.

It is well known that high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus are risk factors for stroke.

However, the results of a recent study of twins' health revealed that in middle age alcohol affects this risk more than diabetes mellitus.

Frequent drinking bouts weaken the immunity of youth.

Young people who regularly allow you to drink excess with friends, especially often have a decreased function of the immune system. The authors of the last study believe that alcohol can very quickly undermine the immune system, even in a young strong person, making his body susceptible to surrounding infections.

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