Alcohol is a depressant, which slows down the central
nervous system and can cause drowsiness, relieve pain and induce sleep.
- Drinker experiences mild euphoria and loss of inhibition as alcohol impairs
region of the brain controlling behavior and emotions. Alcohol impairs
behavior, judgment, memory, concentration and coordination (shortened attention
span, impaired problem solving abilities), as well as inducing extreme mood
swings and emotional outbursts.
- Alcohol acts as a sedative on the central nervous system, depressing the
nerve cells in the brain, dulling, altering and damaging their ability to
respond appropriately. Large doses cause sleep, anesthesia, respiratory
failure, coma and death.
- Impaired or distorted visual ability and hearing (affects ability to
distinguish between sounds and perceive the direction they are coming from) ;
dulled smell and taste (reducing the desire to eat) and loss of pain
perception; altered sense of time and space
- Impairs fine motor skills, and slows reactions.
- Numbness and tingling in the arms and legs caused by nerve damage from
depletion of thiamine (B vitamin); when severe, can damage other nerve endings,
causing staggering, etc. (Wernicke's Encephalopathy).
- Long term drinking may result in permanent brain damage (Korsakoff's Syndrome
or 'wet brain'), serious mental disorders, and addiction to alcohol.
ON THE LUNGS
- Lowered resistance to infection.
- High amounts of alcohol may cause breathing to stop, then death.
ON THE LIVER
- Chronic heavy drinking may cause alcoholic hepatitis
(inflammation and destruction of liver cells) and then cirrhosis (irreversible
lesions, scarring, and destruction of liver cells). Impairs the liver's ability
to remove yellow pigment, and skin appears yellow (jaundice).
- Liver damage causes fluid to build in extremities (Edema).
- Decreases production of blood-clotting factors; may cause uncontrolled
bleeding
- Liver accumulates fat which can cause liver failure (“alcoholic fatty
liver”), coma and death.
REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM – Male and
Female
- Sexual functioning can be impaired and deteriorate,
resulting in impotence and infertility, sometimes irreversible. Females also
have a high risk of developing breast cancer.
- In men, may lead to sterility, atrophy of the testes and enlargement of the
breasts.
- Early menopause and menstrual irregularities are common in women who drink
excessively.
- Drinking during pregnancy significantly increases chance of delivering a baby
with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome; small head, possible brain damage, abnormal facial
features, poor muscle tone, speech and sleep disorders, and retarded growth and
development.
HEART
- Weakens the heart muscle and ability to pump blood
(Cardiomyopathy).
- Abnormal heart signals, irregular heart beat and heart enlargement.
- Increases blood pressure, risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Inhibits production of both red and white blood cells.
MUSCLES
Due to lower phosphate, muscles become weaker and
atrophy; pain, spasms and tenderness.
STOMACH/INTESTINAL/DIGESTIVE
- Irritation and damage of esophagus lining, induces
severe vomiting, hemorrhaging, pain and difficulty swallowing. Can contribute
to throat cancer.
- Irritation of stomach lining, can cause peptic ulcers, inflammation, bleeding
lesions and cancer. Minute blood loss may deplete the body's iron stores,
causing irritability, lack of energy, headaches and dizziness.
- The pancreas becomes stressed from having to create insulin to process the
sugar present in alcohol. This creates a significant risk of pancreatitis, a
chronic inflammation that can be fatal. - rly menopause and menstrual
irregularities are common in women who drink excessively. of sugar in alcohol.
n severe,
- Irritation of the intestinal tract lining and the colon
- Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, sweating and loss of appetite are common.
- Alcohol impairs the small intestine's ability to process nutrients and
vitamins.
- Chronic drinking may result in inflammation, ulcers, and cancers of the
intestines and colon.
BONES
- Alcohol interferes with the
body's ability to absorb calcium, resulting in bones being weak, soft, brittle
and thinner (Osteoporosis)
