What Complications Can Arise When A Person Suffers From Alcoholism?

Alcoholism is a serious disease, what makes it worse is that there are complications that can arise that puts the individual at grave risk for other body system failures that may even put their life at risk. These complications include birth defects, bone loss, cardiovascular problems, diabetes complications, gastrointestinal problems, liver disorders, menstruation problems, and neurological complications, sexual function and also puts the person at risk for certain cancers.

All of the above listed possible complications of the disease, alcoholism are possible because alcohol is a drug that depresses the central nervous system. Initially alcohol stimulates the individual who first begins the habit of drinking alcohol. As the individual continues the habit the drug, alcohol starts to sedate instead of stimulate and begins to lower your inhibitions and to affect your emotions, judgments and your ability to think. Alcohol can also impair your speech and your ability to coordinate your muscles. If you consume alcohol to an excessive amount over to short of a time period you can poison your system and severely depress your vital centers of the brain that control breathing and heartbeat which are vital to your survival putting the individual into a coma and possibly cause death.

Long-term alcohol use can cause physical fatigue and short-term memory loss. An individual who drinks alcohol to excess over a long period of time may also experience weakness or paralysis of the eye muscles.

As mentioned earlier there are other complications to your health if alcohol is consumed over a long period of time including:

Leading to alcoholic hepatitis, which involves inflammation of the liver. The symptoms for alcoholic hepatitis include loss of appetite, abdominal pain and tenderness, fever, nausea, vomiting, jaundice, and confusion can also occur.

Alcoholic hepatitis can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and an irreversible, progressive damage and scarring of liver tissue.

Those who suffer from alcoholism often have gastritis, which is an inflammation of the lining of the stomach.

Those who drink heavily can also damage the pancreas.

Drinking heavily can lead to high blood pressure, which in turn can damage the heart muscle, which can lead to heart failure, heart attack, or a stroke.

Alcohol over time will prevent the release of glucose from the liver, which will increase the risk of having low blood sugar known as hypoglycemia. If you happen to be a diabetic this can be a dangerous situation for you.

Those who suffer from alcoholism also report erectile dysfunction and interruption in menstruation, birth defects if drinking while pregnant, fetal alcohol syndrome for those unfortunate fetuses born to women who drink while pregnant, bone loss which can lead to an increased risk for fractures, nervous system disorders including dementia and an increased risk for breast cancer, mouth cancer, throat cancer, liver and colon cancer, and also rectum cancer.

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