Alcohol - A List of Diseases Associated With Alcoholism
80
Alcohol – should you drink it for your heart health?
Maybe, there is valid evidence that alcohol offers some cardiovascular protective effects when consumed in moderation - Moderate drinkers may well live a little longer and a little better from a glass of wine or two most nights.
But leaving moderation behind, few drugs devastate as systematically as alcohol when abused in large doses and over a long period of time. Here is a partial list of diseases and other medical conditions that are associated with the abuse of alcohol. These list items are taken from a document produced by SAMHSA for medical professionals.*
Alcohol…Does a Body Good?
Alcohol's effects on different systems or areas of the body
Cancer
Increased rates of tongue, lip, larynx, stomach, colon, breast, liver, bile duct and esophagus cancers.
The Reproductive System
Impotence, sexual dysfunction, infertility, gynecomastia, testicular atrophy, osteophenia
The Endocrine System
Diabetes, ketoacidosis, gout
The Cardiovascular System
High blood pressure, heart disease, artery disease, sudden heart failure, heart attack
The Liver
Fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis
The Blood
Anemia(s), marrow toxicity, an iron or folate deficiency, leucopenia
Increased Risks of Infection
Hep C, HIV, tuberculosis, meningitis, STD's, pneumonia
Gastrointestinal
Pancreatitis, gastritis, diarrhea (chronic) esophagatitis, colitis, acid reflux, parotid enlargement
The Brain
Seizure, Korsakof's syndrome, Wernicke's Syndrome, dementia, brain shrinkage, stroke, subdural hematoma, hemorrhage, neuropathy
Nutrition
Malnutrition from vitamin and mineral deficiencies
Only a Partial List
This is a very partial list (I left out any conditions or disorders that I had never heard of, which was more than half of all listed) but I think that even this partial list illustrates the damage that chronic alcohol abuse does.
So, a drink or two a day may do your heart good, but more than a few drinks a day greatly increases your risks of disease and death. You delude yourself if you accredit your heavy drinking to health preservation.
Happy holidays
(Sorry, I know this sounds a bit preachy at the end there…but I sort of mourn for my own lost health and function – lost to only a decade or so of hard drinking- and I wouldn't wish it on anyone else.)
*(Read the full SAMHSA document here, Figure 3-11)
P.S. – The holidays are a notorious period of excess, including excessive drinking. They are also a time of family togetherness, and a time during which you might come to wonder about the health and habits of a loved on in your family. If you suspect that someone you care about is suffering a lessening of health and well-being due to alcohol abuse, you would do them a great service to get educated about the problem and the possible solutions, and then to do something about it.
|
The Easy Way to Stop Drinking
Price: $7.81
List Price: $14.95 |
|
My Way Out: One Woman's Remarkable Journey in Overcoming Her Drinking Problem and How Her Innovative Program Can Help You or Someone You Love
Price: $10.94
List Price: $17.95 |
|
Beyond the Influence: Understanding and Defeating Alcoholism
Price: $6.80
List Price: $17.00 |
|
Drinking: A Love Story
Price: $7.78
List Price: $16.00 |
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
i am living in a soecity where drinking habit is the order of the day, i get irratated each day seeing bottles of acohol on the street, both the youngs and the old complete with this drinking habit, too bad.
i want to do some work on health dangers of acoholism.
Alchohol is harmful for your health, that is right. No excuses. Full stop.I may admit it is OK to drink a glass of wine occasionally, but certainly not everyday.
- Understanding Hangovers. What Causes the Nausea, Diz...
Your head is throbbing as you burrow you head under the covers. You feel anxious, weak, shaky and nauseous - and you look about as good as you feel. And you did it all to yourself! Most... - Alcohol Withdrawal; How Serious Are Your Symptoms? D...
Am I in alcohol withdrawal? And if so, how serious are my symptoms…Do I need to go to the hospital or not? Any serious drinker has felt the mild effects of alcohol withdrawal – after all, acute...
- Former Sun editor reveals alcoholismGuardian Unlimited3 days ago
David Yelland, Sun editor for five years, says his children's novel dealing with alcoholism is based on his own experiences The former Sun editor David Yelland surprised Fleet Street today by revealing that he nearly drank himself to death after leaving the tabloid and has suffered from alcoholism for much of his life. Yelland, who edited the paper between 1998 and 2003, has written a children's ...
- Hank Williams III brings a metal album to MadisonIsthmus10 hours ago
Like his granddad, Hank III has struggled with alcoholism and marital strife, as well as the suits who call the shots in the recording industry. He's also made a name for himself as a honky-tonk artist, just as Hank Sr. did, but his up-yours attitude isn't just genetic. He got his start banging drums and bucking authority in punk bands, and he never exchanged his hardcore roots for cowboy boots ...
- Partner remembers suicide victimPrince George Citizen Online16 hours ago
The night Cheryl Ann Bouey died, she and boyfriend Colin Mamela were indulging in their chronic alcoholism. Mamela said they shared a good, modest home, had food in the pantry, had many friends and good family connections, she had a steady job like she did basically all her life. They were not dysfunctional people in most respects, but Mamela admitted the one feature that ran through all of that ...
Amy M says:
6 months ago
I work in a nursing home and I have wished for a long time that I could bring teens in to show them 1st hand what the longterm effects of drugs and alcohol are. We get so many residents with alcohol related dementia, Parkinson's, and at such a young age. Someone 63 looks like they are 75. It is really sad. I wish I could get this message across to them.