If you can’t moderately take alcohol, you should cease taking it. Some people cannot control their drinking, while others have health complications. This includes pregnant women, as they run the risk of getting various health complications. Read on to find out the health concerns linked to alcohol usage. If you need help with not being able to control your intake, consider this alcohol detox program.
What Counts as Moderate Alcohol Intake?
One is considered a moderate alcohol user if a man consumes two or fewer drinks in a day and if it’s a lady, one drink or less. The alcoholic drink can be shot of liquor such as rum, whisky, gin, vodka, a typical beer, or a glass of wine. You can decide not to drink or do it in moderation. The lesser, the better because you will be healthier.
Moderate Drinking Concerns
If unchecked, slowly but surely, alcohol consumption can become excessive, and your health can be at risk even when taken in moderation. Here’s a list of some health concerns related to alcohol consumption.
Mental Health Problems
Various mental health problems can occur depending on the degree of alcohol intake. These include depression, psychosis, anxiety, and other alcohol-induced syndromes. However, after several weeks of abstinence, these health issues disappear as the body becomes less dependent on alcohol.
In the short term, moderate drinking can positively affect your mood but can be harmful in the long term. This is because drinking regularly affects the brain chemicals responsible for your mental stability. Alcohol being a depressant disrupts your body’s balance as the neurotransmitters are inhibited.
Continued usage can therefore lead to its dependency. For example, it makes you want to drink more to attain a calming feeling when anxious. To reduce depression and anxiety, try relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, or even exercise.
Heart-Related Issues
Alcohol consumption is also related to heart-related complications like heart disease, digestive issues, and high blood pressure. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a heart disease caused by thinning and weakening heart muscles due to long-term alcohol use. This means that the heart no longer effectively pumps blood to your body.
Heart condition is more common in men than in women. Some symptoms related to alcoholic cardiomyopathy include shortness of breath, fatigue, and swelling in your feet. If you experience these symptoms, contact Masacheussetes rehab centers near you.
Poor Brain Functionality
It’s well established that excessive alcohol usage causes degeneration of brain tissues and dementia. Heavy usage is also linked to memory loss and poor academic performance. Your brain controls your emotions, thoughts, organs, senses, and breathing. Poor brain functionality can therefore be a result of alcohol usage.
The cerebral cortex is responsible for processing information in the brain and making decisions. When depressed due to alcohol usage, the sensory information slows down, affecting your thought process. Long-term usage can also damage this brain function.
The cerebellum controls your balance and body movement. Alcohol usage can affect your body movement as you’ll likely stagger, fall, or shake your hands. The brain is also part of the central nervous system. Alcohol can slow communication, promoting slurred speech, thinking, and movement.
Cancer
Both moderate and excessive drinkers risk getting mouth, breast, liver, voice box, and esophagus cancer. Alcohol, in this case, is listed as a known human carcinogen, so regular drinkers are at a higher risk of getting cancer.
Other types of cancer associated with alcohol consumption include kidney cancer, liver cancer, and colorectal cancer. This is because the body metabolizes ethanol in alcohol into a toxic chemical (carcinogen) called acetaldehyde before storing it. The chemical can also damage your DNA and inhibit your body’s ability to absorb various nutrients.
Weak immune system
Regular drinking makes the body’s immune weaker, making it easier for you to get sick. Alcohol consumption damages immune cells that protect your body from viruses and bacteria. Pathogens can quickly get into your bloodstream, affecting your health status. Various pulmonary diseases like pneumonia are also common in alcoholic drinkers.
Pregnant women and people with health disorders like high blood pressure should also avoid its consumption. Alcohol also dehydrates your body. Therefore, ensure you drink enough fluids for the system to run optimally.
Abstain for Better Health
Due to the many risks alcohol has on the body, it’s advised to quit or avoid regular drinking. Regular drinking unchecked can become a severe problem in the future. Instead, try different techniques of avoiding its usage, like exercising, doing yoga, or attending a friendly non-alcoholic event. Over time your health will improve, and your body will be vital.
