Alcoholism is a phenomenon of truly frightening proportions. People sometimes don’t even realize how severe the damage from this phenomenon can be. But to do this, you just need to turn to statistics, which are extremely disappointing. The fact is that almost every third death in our country is, if not directly, then indirectly caused by alcohol consumption. And this is not counting all the numerous diseases, abnormalities and pathologies that occur in the bodies of men and women under the influence of alcoholic beverages.
Unfortunately, people are either not sufficiently aware of the problem or do not want to admit it. And therefore, every year, instead of decreasing, this problem develops and progresses. And needless to say, how this negatively affects both the health of the entire nation and the processes that occur in individual families. The latter often collapse because of this, because if someone in the family is an alcoholic (which applies to both men and women), then this is a real problem. Therefore, let’s deal with the main dangers that are fraught with a terrible phenomenon called alcoholism - let’s look at alcoholism and its consequences.
Description of the problem
In its general form, alcoholism is an addiction to drinks containing ethyl alcohol. This addiction includes both physical and psychological dependence. Over time, a person cannot control the amount of alcohol he consumes, he begins to drink more and more, his organs are damaged, his memory deteriorates - but he continues to drink. It is believed that there are about 140 million alcoholics in the world (of which many are women) - a frightening figure that can be compared with the population of Russia. So the problem is very serious.
Causes
A very important point is a genetic predisposition to alcoholism; such a phenomenon exists. Psychological aspects are also important, because for many people, alcohol intoxication is a very simple and accessible method of escapism that helps to forget and escape from the problems of the world around them. Sometimes it all starts small - a person drinks in small quantities just to relax, for example, after a hard day at work (or, which is especially bad, after caring for a child, if we talk about women). He does not believe that the smaller portions he consumes are capable of causing any significant harm. And therefore, he gradually develops an addiction, which after some time he can no longer control normally.
As for the social factor, it all depends on the environment that is inherent in a given person. If there were alcoholics in the family, then a person may develop a subconscious association that drinking alcohol is the norm. They say it helped my parents, why wouldn’t it help me too? And with such a deliberately incorrect belief, a person becomes addicted to destructive alcohol. This usually happens in men, but the possibility of this also cannot be ruled out in women. Of course, these are not all the reasons, but they are the most common.
Stages
Conventionally, several stages of alcoholism can be distinguished:
Consequences
Alcoholism has many consequences that can be frighteningly negative. Here are just a few examples:
- gastritis and ulcers;
- liver fibrosis and cirrhosis;
- poor heredity in children (not only when women drink, but also when the father drinks);
- problems with the functioning of the reproductive system (primarily in women, in men too, but in women the problem is more pronounced);
- problems with the nervous system, which leads to epilepsy, psychosis, and so on;
- increased likelihood of cardiovascular diseases and pathologies, for example, hypertension, strokes, myocardial ischemia, and so on;
- risk of developing schizophrenia;
- increasing the likelihood of various pulmonary pathologies, for example, tuberculosis and emphysema.
These are just some of the consequences of alcoholism. We should also not forget about various social factors, for example, limited communication with many people, difficulties in adapting to a team, and so on - these are just some of the social consequences of alcoholism. In a word, if you have alcoholism, you can safely forget about living a full life - now the alcoholic, no matter whether he is a man or a woman, has to live with restrictions.
Alcoholism is a pathology consisting of long-term intake of various alcoholic beverages. Addiction occurs in adult men and women, children and adolescents and leads to different consequences. Alcohol has a negative impact on health, and also reduces the level of social adaptation and quality of life. Due to failure to provide medical care, the patient may die or remain disabled, since alcohol affects many internal organs.
What is alcoholism
Alcoholism is a disease associated with prolonged and constant consumption of alcohol with the subsequent formation of addiction.
This disease is treated by a psychiatrist-narcologist. Self-cure in most cases is impossible, especially in the later stages.
Stages and symptoms
There are 4 main symptoms of alcoholism:
- degree of attraction;
- change in alcohol tolerance;
- withdrawal syndrome (symptoms that occur after stopping drinking alcohol);
- damage to internal organs.
All symptoms fit into 3 stages. At the first stage, addiction appears; a person has a strong craving for drinking alcohol. He ceases to realize the danger of what is happening. The patient has a loss of control in relation to the amount consumed, i.e. he drinks until intoxication occurs. The patient becomes aggressive and irritable. The next day, the addict suffers from a hangover, but there is no need for a hangover and there is no vomiting.
At another stage, there is an increase in tolerance to alcohol: the patient needs more to feel intoxicated and euphoric. There is no control when drinking alcoholic beverages. Amnesia (memory loss) may develop.
The main difference between the first stage and the second is the occurrence of abstinence. If the need for alcohol is not satisfied, the person’s condition worsens at the physiological and mental levels. Irritability appears, and jumps in blood pressure are observed. Other symptoms of alcoholism include:
- hand tremors;
- hyperemia on the face (redness);
- insomnia;
- increased heart rate;
- vomiting after eating and drinking.
Photo of an alcoholic
Hallucinations often appear. If an alcoholic continues to drink alcohol without assistance, this leads to binge drinking. At the final stage, there is a drop in tolerance, i.e. a person needs a small amount of alcohol to become intoxicated. Social degradation of the individual and a decrease in intelligence occur.
Consequences of the disease
The social consequences of alcoholism are divided into two groups:
- personality changes;
- problems in the family and maladjustment in society.
Patients cannot control their behavior, so many of them are admitted to medical institutions with hypothermia or injuries. Alcoholics often become disabled due to drinking low-quality alcohol. In the families of such people, quarrels become more frequent and marriages break up.
Because of heavy drinking, addicts often do not come to work and constantly take sick leave or time off. Alcoholics are also often victims of scammers. Addiction contributes to an increase in crime in the form of theft, robbery or murder. A large number of accidents occur while intoxicated.
The effects of alcohol on the psyche
A person who was sociable and purposeful before the illness turns into aggressive, angry and irritable. He constantly finds fault with other people and provokes quarrels. Over time, his social circle narrows.
The addict experiences a decrease in motivation. At the last stage of alcoholism, patients begin to lead an antisocial lifestyle and do not pay attention to what is happening around them. The patient experiences disturbances in mnestic and thinking abilities. The development of psychosis or epilepsy is possible. Against this background, productivity decreases.
The person begins to deny his illness and refuses to undergo treatment. Suicidal thoughts and attempts are noted. Other consequences include:
- the appearance of delirium tremens;
- sudden mood swings (emotional lability);
- headache;
- memory losses;
- development of dementia (acquired dementia).
Effect on the central nervous system
Chronic alcoholism causes various pathologies of internal organs, which lead to disability and death. When alcohol enters the bloodstream, it causes brain damage. Because of this, a person feels intoxicated.
Under the influence of alcoholic beverages, the functioning of the nervous system is disrupted (in particular, connections between parts of the cerebral cortex and a decrease in the activity of control centers). Against this background, changes in behavior appear: a person loses control over himself and his mood. Also, due to the effects of alcohol, the functioning of the frontal lobes is disrupted, thereby reducing the ability to think logically.
Alcoholics are often diagnosed with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Due to prolonged drinking, the risk of vascular ruptures increases, especially in the presence of pathologies of the cardiovascular system. It is possible to develop ischemic stroke of the brain and atrophy of the visual and auditory nerves due to the fact that the tissues do not receive nutrition for a long time.
Consequences for the cardiovascular and reproductive systems
Alcohol addiction causes damage to internal organs, in particular the heart and blood vessels. Patients are at risk for developing cancer pathologies.
Alcohol negatively affects the tone of the arteries and veins; under its influence, the vessels dilate, and after a while they spasm. Ethanol breakdown products provoke heart enlargement and the development of heart failure. At the same time, the frequency of muscle contractions decreases. Against the background of vascular spasm, the flow of blood to the heart is disrupted, which causes circulatory disorders.
Alcoholism is often the cause of promiscuity, so the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections increases. For women, this affects the maturation of germ cells. As a result, vitality decreases and infertility develops.
In men, alcohol addiction leads to impotence. Both sexes experience decreased libido. What is characteristic of female alcoholism is that it causes hormonal disturbances. The menstrual cycle is disrupted and the risk of the formation of benign and malignant tumors increases.
Effect on the respiratory system and gastrointestinal tract
Due to the fact that alcohol is eliminated from the body, including through the lungs, their cells, as well as the trachea, are damaged. In more severe cases, doctors diagnose tumors. Against the background of stagnation in the pulmonary circulation, inflammatory processes develop: pneumonia and tuberculosis.
Pulmonary tuberculosis
Alcoholic drinks cause the formation of gastrointestinal ulcers. Pancreatic and liver cells often die, pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus develop. Alcohol abuse contributes to loss of appetite.
In addiction, the liver is the one that suffers the most, as it processes the largest amount of alcohol. When an organ can no longer cope with decay products, they begin to damage it. This leads to liver cirrhosis and hepatitis. Other pathologies also appear:
- ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdomen);
- varicose veins of the esophagus.
Cirrhosis of the liver
Consequences for women, children and adolescents
If a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy, there is a high probability that the child will be born with disorders. They manifest themselves in incorrect proportions of the body, head, and limbs. Underdevelopment of the fetus often occurs, which harms its health in the future.
Children from such a mother become hyperactive and absent-minded. Their mental and motor development also lags behind healthy peers. If after the birth of a child the parents drink, then the child is in a difficult psychological atmosphere, often in these cases stuttering, involuntary urination, fears, phobias, and aggression appear. Difficulties are noted when communicating with other children.
Consequences of childhood alcoholism
To become an alcoholic, children and adolescents only need to drink alcohol for several months. Mainly the cardiovascular system and liver will suffer. Due to the underdevelopment of the body, this category has a delay in mental development.
Due to the fact that children and teenagers do not have enough money of their own to purchase alcohol, they often turn to crime.
Alcoholism is a disease characterized by constant and uncontrolled consumption of alcohol-containing drinks, resulting dependence, pathological desire for intoxication and changes in tolerance to alcohol.
The pathology is manifested by a combination of various mental and somatic disorders that develop as a result of systematic alcohol abuse.
The consequences of drunkenness and alcoholism are conventionally divided into two classes:
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| Negative consequences for the patient himself associated with the progressive deterioration of his health and gradual personality degradation: |
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| Negative consequences for family and society, manifested by an increase in the number of social and economic problems: |
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Psychological changes
Significant consequences of alcohol consumption are observed in the psychological state of a person. These changes occur regardless of the personal characteristics that he had before the development of the disease - interests, life position and behavior.
Previously active, enthusiastic and cheerful people during a certain period of alcoholism become rude, irritable, cynical and picky, which provokes loved ones into scandals and conflict situations. Alcoholics become sloppy, withdrawn, and surround themselves with the same individuals.
Even in the initial stage of the disease, people lose good jobs, find less prestigious ones, and as alcoholism progresses, they lose it, gradually sinking to the very “bottom”. Patients' moral character changes significantly; their desires are limited by the need to systematically consume alcoholic beverages.
As alcoholism continues and progresses, personality destruction is noted:
- alcoholics deny the presence of the disease;
- degradation of personal characteristics is observed: the emotional-volitional sphere is destroyed, progressive apathy and carelessness, indifference to everything except alcohol are noted;
- periods of aggression, anger, irritability are observed (more often in women);
- complex mental consequences develop:
- decrease in personal qualities in the form of loss of moral values and interests;
- psychopathization with suicidal tendencies;
- steady decline in intelligence and memory;
- which are manifested by sudden mood swings, alcoholic depression, aggressiveness, dysphoria, hallucinations, delusions of jealousy;
- in later stages, dementia develops.
Consequences of alcoholism for the body
The most significant consequences of alcoholism for the body are severe somatic diseases, combined pathologies of various organs and systems, which quite often lead to disability and death. In this case, almost all internal systems and organs of the patient are affected.
| central nervous system |
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| Cardiovascular | Ethyl alcohol adversely affects the functioning of the heart muscle and the tone of blood vessels. The consequences of alcoholism are pronounced dystrophic disorders of all organs and tissues of the body, leading to the progressive death of cells of the regulatory centers of the nervous system and cardiomyocytes, leading to the formation of complex cardiovascular pathologies:
The activity of the central regulatory mechanisms of the cardiovascular system is gradually and significantly disrupted - to a large extent this concerns the tone of the arteries and veins. Under the influence of alcohol, blood vessels dilate for a short period of time and then spasm.
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| Reproductive | Frequent alcohol consumption often leads to sexual promiscuity and an increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, HIV infection and other dangerous infections that negatively affect the normal functioning of the reproductive system of men and women, causing irreversible changes in the normal functioning of the genitourinary system. Long-term inflammatory processes gradually develop, causing:
Also, alcohol abuse leads to persistent endocrine disorders and hormonal dysfunction. This is manifested by irregularities in the menstrual cycle, the occurrence of benign neoplasms (fibroids, polyps, cysts), prostate adenoma and the formation of malignant diseases of the reproductive organs and mammary gland. |
| Respiratory |
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| Gastrointestinal tract |
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| Liver | The most dangerous diseases are liver diseases - constant consumption of large quantities of alcohol, liver cells cannot cope with the processing of alcohol and fatty acids and accumulate in the liver over time. Therefore, alcoholics first suffer from fatty degeneration of hepatocytes, which progresses to fibrosis, and then to cirrhosis of the liver. Inflammatory diseases of the liver tissue (hepatitis) are observed. The dangerous consequences of these pathologies are:
A diseased liver cannot fully perform the function of cleansing the body of toxins, which significantly affects the development of pathology and aggravates the course of diseases of other organs and systems of the body - pathologies of the nervous and cardiovascular systems, diabetes, diseases of the digestive tract, purulent-septic diseases. The most typical liver lesions in chronic drinkers are:
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Impact on social aspects
The consequences of alcohol abuse significantly affect social life. Gradually declining as individuals, alcoholics become outcasts in society. Most narcologist patients lack self-control, a sense of self-preservation, and ethical and moral standards.
- problems in the family, which are manifested by increased conflicts, disruption of peace and internal balance, aggravated by aggressiveness and rudeness, a drinking family member and economic difficulties (almost all financial resources are spent on the purchase of alcoholic beverages), which leads to its destruction;
- at the country level, the social consequences of the abuse of strong drinks are unemployment, devastation and degradation of the population;
- increase in crime - alcoholics often commit thefts, robberies or even murders;
- road traffic accidents (80% of all road accidents are caused by drunk drivers);
- a violation of the relationship of alcoholics with society as a whole - against the background of systematic alcohol consumption, a person’s moral character changes, he becomes rude, sloppy and surrounds himself with the same people, whose desires are limited only by the need to drink alcohol-containing drinks.
Economic Shifts
Alcoholism has a pronounced negative impact on human health, and its consequences gradually lead to the economic crisis of the country. Due to the systematic consumption of alcoholic beverages, the employee’s ability to work is reduced, which negatively affects the productivity of the company.
The state suffers large losses by paying financial resources for benefits for sick leave and disability. There is an increase in the mortality rate and a decrease in the birth rate, gradually leading to a labor shortage.
All these factors negatively affect the state of the state budget and its gross domestic product.
During pregnancy
Today, it is a proven fact that strong drinks have a negative impact on the state of a woman’s reproductive system and the health of the fetus when drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
Therefore, frequent consequences of alcohol abuse during childbearing years are infertility, chronic miscarriage or the birth of a child with genetic abnormalities (Down syndrome, autism, polydactyly and other complex genetic abnormalities).
Conception while intoxicated is considered no less dangerous - this can also lead to the birth of a child with pathologies of the neuropsychic sphere or congenital anomalies (brain atrophy, combined congenital heart defects, eye abnormalities).
Alcoholic drinks consumed by a woman during pregnancy cause irreparable harm to the health of the unborn child - and it does not matter in what trimester of pregnancy the pregnant woman drinks strong drinks. This is manifested by persistent toxicosis, threats of abortion, nephropathies and exacerbation of somatic diseases. In this case, chronic intrauterine hypoxia of the fetus, the development of intrauterine malnutrition, and significant morphofunctional immaturity of the baby are noted.
It is important to remember that the most dangerous period for the fetus is the first trimester of pregnancy. During this period, the laying and formation of all the main organs and systems of the baby occurs, so any dose of alcohol, even a minimal one, can cause various developmental pathologies - congenital anomalies of the neural tube, eyes, cardiovascular system, and digestive tract.
The consequences of frequent and uncontrolled alcohol consumption in the third trimester of pregnancy is the likelihood of having a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome.
This disease is incurable and is manifested by weight deficiency, short stature, various deformations of the brain and/or facial skeleton (anomalies of the upper and lower jaw, abnormal shape of the eyes); as these children grow, they lag significantly behind in mental and physical development; manifestations such as symptomatic epilepsy, enuresis, logoneurosis, autonomic and mental disorders.
For diabetes
Patients suffering from diabetes must take their own nutrition seriously. It is important to remember that drinking alcohol is absolutely incompatible with this pathology. Ethyl alcohol is one of the reasons for the development of hypoglycemia and the aggravation of this complex disease.
The main dangers of drinking even small doses of alcohol with diabetes are:
- the negative effect of alcohol on the normal functioning of liver cells with inhibition of glucose production;
- substances in alcoholic beverages and their breakdown products have a destructive effect on cell membranes that protect them from direct contact with glucose;
- when alcohol-containing drinks enter the body, destruction of cell membranes is observed, glucose enters the cells with a sharp reduction in blood glucose levels and the development of a hypoglycemic state;
- Under the influence of alcohol, insulin-producing cells of the pancreas die, provoking a complicated course of diabetes mellitus.
Alcoholism is a severe chronic disease that is characterized by dependence on the use of alcoholic beverages at the psychological and physiological level. As it develops, control over the amount of alcohol consumed is lost, and tolerance to alcohol increases (in order for intoxication to occur, you need to drink more alcohol than before). Signs of hangover and toxic damage to internal organs appear. Long-term alcoholism negatively affects the functioning of the brain and central nervous system - psychosis, memory impairment and inhibition of thinking occur.
Under the influence of ethanol and its metabolites, irreversible changes in internal organs occur. The gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system suffer the most. According to statistics, most deaths from alcohol addiction occur due to these diseases. What other tragic health consequences alcoholism has will be discussed in the article.
The tragic consequences of alcoholism are divided into 2 groups:
- deterioration of the drinker’s health, his personal degradation;
- problems in the family and the inability to adapt to society.
The danger of addiction for the person himself lies, first of all, in numerous damage to internal organs. Alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver develops, heart function is disrupted, blood vessels are damaged, and the risk of cancer increases.
A person becomes aggressive, thought processes slow down, psychological and personal problems worsen. In severe cases of alcoholism, psychosis and epilepsy develop. As a result, he loses his ability to work.
Accidents are becoming more frequent: alcoholics cannot control their behavior, so they are often admitted to hospitals with hypothermia or injuries. Another cause of disability or even death is the use of low-quality (surrogate) alcohol.
The social consequences of alcohol abuse are manifested in the deterioration of family relationships - quarrels become more frequent, and marriages break up over time. The economic side of this problem includes a decrease in labor efficiency and a drop in purchasing power due to lack of money. The addict does not come to work, takes time off or sick leave, and as a result, the productivity of the entire enterprise decreases.
Patients often become victims of scammers and end up on the street without a livelihood.
Alcoholism, like drug addiction, provokes an increase in crime, forcing addicts to commit theft, robbery or even murder for the next dose of alcohol. Drunkenness causes the majority of road traffic accidents, which claim the lives of tens of thousands of people every year.
Consequences of alcoholism for the psyche
Long-term exposure to alcohol to the brain and central nervous system gradually changes human behavior. It affects everyone, regardless of social status and life goals.
A person from sociable, open and purposeful turns into aggressive, irritable and nervous. He finds fault with others and provokes scandals. Over time, his circle of contacts narrows, and the person himself rapidly slides to the social “bottom”.
This process occurs gradually. First, the addict has troubles at work: he receives a warning from management, and soon he is fired for poor work or absenteeism. This forces a person to switch to less skilled work, but even there he does not stay long, because he completely loses his motivation to work. 
At the last stage of alcoholism, patients lead an asocial lifestyle, they do not care about anything except strong drinks.
Long-term alcoholism leads to irreversible personality degradation. This is due to the effect of ethanol on the nervous system and brain, as well as the formation of a psychological habit of alcohol.
What mental disorders are caused by alcoholism?
With chronic drunkenness, the following personality disorders are noted:
- The addict denies his illness and refuses treatment;
- There is a destruction of the emotional-volitional sphere: increasing apathy and depression appear, the person focuses on alcohol;
- Uncontrollable attacks of aggression occur. The patient is very often irritated and dissatisfied with others. Women may be diagnosed with hysterical seizures;
- An alcohol addict loses interest in life, his moral qualities decrease;
- Patients often experience suicidal tendencies;
- There is a progressive decline in mental abilities, memory loss;
- Schizoaffective psychosis – sudden changes in mood, dysphoria (depressed state characterized by melancholy, anger, irritability);
- Manifestation of alcoholic delirium (delirium tremens). It is accompanied by auditory, visual, and taste hallucinations, as well as headache, vomiting and a feeling of inexplicable anxiety;
- Asthenic neurosis. It is characterized by increased mental excitability due to exhaustion of the nervous system, frequent headaches and sleep disturbances. A person gets tired very quickly, his activity and performance decrease;
- At the third stage of alcoholism, dementia forms - acquired dementia. Its symptoms are disturbances in behavior and emotional reactions, inability to assimilate new information, and memory lapses. It becomes difficult for the patient to navigate in space, he may forget the names of his closest relatives, not recognize himself in the mirror, and lose household and hygienic skills.
Consequences of alcohol addiction for the body
Long-term drunkenness contributes to the development of serious diseases that can lead to disability or death. They affect most body systems. 
central nervous system
Behavior change begins after a small dose of alcohol consumed. Ethanol, entering the blood, quickly affects the structure of the brain and neurons. A person feels this as a state of intoxication. Under the influence of alcohol, regulatory processes between parts of the cerebral cortex are disrupted, and the activity of control centers decreases.
This leads to changes in behavior - a person partially loses control over his actions, his mood changes dramatically. In the case of advanced drunkenness, aggressiveness, temper, inappropriate behavior and psychopathic disorders appear.
Alcohol affects people's behavior in different ways. For some, it is a stimulator of all nervous processes, causing a state of excitation of the nervous system, while for others it has a depressing effect, contributing to its inhibition.
Ethyl alcohol instantly dissolves in the blood and reaches its maximum concentration in those organs and tissues that are best supplied with it. First of all, it enters the brain. Ethanol dissolves the lipid membrane of red blood cells, disrupting their negative charge, which under normal conditions helps them repel each other. They stick together and block the capillaries, forming a blood clot. Blood does not flow to the tissues, causing oxygen starvation and dehydration. A person feels this as a slight intoxication, a state of euphoria. The functioning of the frontal lobes is disrupted, therefore the ability to think logically is reduced.
Long-term alcoholism leads to irreversible pathological changes in the brain, causing memory loss and a general decrease in intellectual abilities.
The consequences of minor hemorrhages resulting from blood clots are alcoholic encephalopathy, cerebral infarction, and acute epileptiform syndrome.
Chronic alcoholics are often diagnosed with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
Due to prolonged drinking, the blood vessels in the brain become very fragile, and the risk of their rupture increases significantly. This is especially dangerous if the patient has cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension and arrhythmia. 
In addition, prolonged vascular spasm due to blood clotting disorders and thrombosis threatens ischemic stroke of the brain and atrophy of the optic and auditory nerves. Tissues do not receive nutrition for a long time, and their cells die.
The cardiovascular system
Alcohol has an extremely adverse effect on its regulatory mechanism, as well as on the tone of the arteries and veins. Under the influence of alcohol, blood vessels dilate, and after a while a spasm occurs.
The product of intermediate processing of ethanol, acetylaldehyde, damages cardiomyocytes and causes degenerative changes in the tissues of the heart muscle.
They manifest themselves in an initial increase in its size and subsequent dystrophy. The frequency of muscle contractions decreases, causing the development of heart failure.
Alcoholism causes spasm of the coronary vessels, which interferes with the flow of blood to the heart. Due to the lack of nutrients and oxygen carried with it, the death of cardiomyocytes begins, and the risk of acute myocardial infarction increases.
Long-term alcohol dependence provokes the development of hypertension and can cause serious circulatory disorders.
Reproductive system
Very often, alcoholism becomes the cause of promiscuity, and the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections in this case increases significantly.
Hidden inflammatory processes are often diagnosed against the background of alcohol abuse. They cause disruption of the maturation of germ cells, as well as a decrease in their viability.
The risk of congenital pathologies of the fetus and severe disorders of its health increases. Alcoholism causes erectile dysfunction in men. The negative consequences of drinking alcohol also manifest themselves in the gradual disappearance of sexual desire. Impotence develops and the risk of prostate adenoma formation increases.
In women, systematic abuse of strong drinks leads to hormonal imbalance. The menstrual cycle becomes disrupted, and the risk of the formation of benign tumors of the genital organs (polyps, cysts, fibroids) and malignant ones (breast cancer) increases.
Respiratory system
Since alcohol is eliminated from the body in all ways, including through the lungs, their cells are damaged, as well as the epithelium of the bronchi, trachea and pleura. In severe cases, doctors diagnose obstruction and oncogenic organ tumors. 
Often, diseases of the respiratory system develop against the background of existing cardiovascular diseases. This is facilitated by stagnation in the pulmonary circulation and the presence of inflammatory lung diseases, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis or pleurisy.
Gastrointestinal tract
Alcoholic drinks cause the formation of ulcerative and inflammatory processes in the digestive organs. At the third stage of alcoholism, necrosis often occurs - the death of pancreatic and liver cells. Pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus develop.
As diseases of the gastrointestinal tract develop, the exhaustion of the body increases, since weakened organs cannot fully absorb all the nutrients from food. Alcohol abuse provokes metabolic disorders and loss of appetite.
A lack of nutrients, vitamins, and microelements negatively affects the general condition of the body, reducing its performance and resistance to infections.
Ethanol damages the tissues of the stomach and pancreas and promotes the formation of malignant tumors in them.
The main impact falls on the liver, as it is forced to process large amounts of alcohol. When the organ can no longer cope with the utilization of alcohol metabolites, they begin to damage it. This leads to the formation of fibrosis, which turns into cirrhosis of the liver. It may be preceded by tissue inflammation - hepatitis. These are typical diseases of alcoholics.
Pathological changes in the liver can contribute to the development of other diseases, such as ascites (concentration of fluid in the abdominal cavity), esophageal varices and alcoholic hepatopathy.
The impact of alcoholism on social life
Abuse of strong drinks leads to a deterioration in a person’s social life. The social consequences of alcoholism are manifested in:
- Changing your usual social circle. Old connections are severed, a person finds himself surrounded by people who are also addicted to alcohol;
- Conflicts in the family, destruction of relationships;
- Loss of work, study, hobby. The patient loses concentration and finds it difficult to focus on anything other than alcohol.
An alcoholic also becomes an outcast in society. He loses social skills, begins to be hostile towards others, and loses friends. Many people try to avoid communicating with a drunk and kick him out of work.
Consequences of beer alcoholism
People often think that regular drinking of beer will not harm their health and will in no way contribute to the development of pathological cravings for alcohol. But this opinion is erroneous, because it contains alcohol, albeit in a lower concentration. Young people drink it to appear like adults, gradually becoming addicted to drinking alcohol.
If you multiply the percentage of alcohol content in an intoxicating drink by the volume of alcohol consumed, it will become obvious that 5-6 bottles of beer are equivalent to 0.5 liters of vodka.
Regular consumption of beer leads to the development of alcohol dependence and causes serious harm to health. First, the body gets used to the daily intake of ethanol, and then dependence on new doses appears. A person becomes nervous and irritable, his mood deteriorates, and his head is occupied with thoughts about an intoxicating drink. With prolonged beer alcoholism, withdrawal syndrome develops. This term is used in addiction medicine to refer to the state of hangover. An alcoholic has a headache, feels thirsty, has a dry mouth and trembling limbs.
In the case of binge drinking, alcoholic psychosis, which is also called delirium tremens, may occur 2-3 days after quitting alcohol. This is a dangerous condition for the patient and those around him, so he requires emergency medical care.
The foamy drink negatively affects hormonal levels and the human reproductive system. The fact is that beer contains phytoestrogens - plant analogues of female sex hormones. In men, they suppress testosterone production and change their appearance - a beer belly appears, breasts grow and shoulders become rounder. Problems with potency and reproductive function begin.
In women, beer provokes an increase in progesterone levels several times higher than normal. This leads to the development of gynecological diseases and difficulties in conceiving and bearing a child. In addition, excess weight and swelling appear. 
Beer has a strong diuretic effect and flushes out potassium from the body, which is necessary for the stable functioning of the heart, and puts a strain on the kidneys and liver.
Chronic beer alcoholism is no different from normal alcoholism in terms of the degree of destructive effect on the body.
Alcoholism is a serious problem for humanity. The rate of its growth depends on the welfare of society. The availability of alcohol, its widespread advertising in the media and national traditions lead to the fact that the number of addicts is growing every year.
Every person needs to know about all the consequences of this terrible disease, because preventing it is easier than treating it. Not only the health of the individual, but also of society as a whole depends on this.
Video on topic
Alcoholism has plagued humanity for a long time. Unfortunately, no means of combating it have yet been found that could restore lost health to a person. The consequences of alcoholism manifest themselves in several directions:
- Deterioration of the alcoholic's health and personality degradation. The individual problems of an alcoholic are characterized by:
- aggressiveness and loss of self-control during the entire period of intoxication and even during a hangover;
- accidents, extremely high or low body temperatures during severe intoxication;
- alcohol poisoning;
- risk of developing complications in the liver;
- extreme risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases;
- development of various types of psychosis;
- decreased ability to work;
- detention by law enforcement agencies for appearing drunk in public places;
- constant and incessant conflicts in the family, which most likely end in its disintegration;
- financial difficulties;
- committing crimes punishable by the criminal code.
- An increase in the number of social problems in society based on alcohol abuse:
- committing an accident;
- accidents at work;
- absenteeism and decreased productivity;
- economic losses caused by disability benefits and the fight against crime.
We recognize an alcoholic by his gait...
And not only. Gait is not the only sign that indicates a person’s lifestyle. First of all, the appearance is striking:
- the person looks clearly older than his age;
- the hairstyle is dull and tousled hair;
- the face is in pinkish tones, as if the person had just come out of a steam bath;
- over time, the vessels remain constantly overflowing with blood, and the face takes on the appropriate color;
- if a person takes a break between feasts, the redness on the face disappears;
- telangiectasia occurs, dilated small vessels on the cheeks, tip of the nose, neck and upper chest do not return to their previous state;
- the skin takes on a flabby appearance and looks older;
- the orbicularis facial muscle relaxes and “forms” the characteristic image of an alcoholic;
- the final touch: sloppiness in clothing and uncleanliness.
As soon as an alcoholic pours another drink into himself, muscle tone is restored. The alcoholic perks up.
"Beer heart" cannot love
The “biography” of alcoholism of different periods had its own signs and dominant drinks. During the times of ill-conceived “dry” laws, the masses returned to folk recipes and “made” moonshine from everything they came across - fruits, construction and industrial mixtures, etc.
The current time is characterized by an expansion in the scope of beer consumption. It's cheaper. Misinformation is constantly being spread about its supposedly harmless nature, and even usefulness. In some cases, it is even recommended as a drink to quench thirst or as an addition to medical procedures.
There is so much positive information with a “plus” rating that society’s reaction begins to make us wary and seriously think about the future. Young people eagerly took the bait and now there is a surge in the number of alcoholics. The disease does not distinguish which source provoked it - beer or ordinary. A living organism reacts equally painfully to the presence of an extra dose. With only one difference in the consequences - for beer alcoholism they are more severe.
A “harmless” bottle of beer gives rise to the development of various complications in the body’s functioning. Young people feel them through sexual or mental disorders. Alcohol poisons contained in beer disrupt the functioning of vital internal organs. As usual in such cases, the central nervous system, cardiovascular and digestive systems, and, naturally, the liver are primarily affected.
Beer actively destabilizes the functioning of the heart muscle. The drink is absorbed by the body in a short time and overwhelms the blood vessels, which leads to increased stress on the heart. Increased as a result of drinking a drink with hops, it is modified and from this received the capacious name “beer heart”. It loses activity in its work, pumps blood worse and weakens. Such a flabby heart will not allow a person to love or live normally.
Hops, which are used in the production of beer, contain psychoactive substances. They influence a person: he increasingly talks nonsense and becomes aggressive. A person turns into an aggressive creature, so not only himself becomes dangerous. His behavior also poses a danger to those around him. Psychoactive substances not only intoxicate, but also stupefy the drinker. His nervous system gets used to the new pathogen and the constant craving for the drink increases. Without it, it is difficult to relax, come to your senses and rest.
A drink containing hops kills brain cells, just like regular alcohol. The affected cells are excreted from the body in the urine, filtered through the kidneys. As a result of constant drunkenness, the expression “brain drain” is taken by experts in its literal sense: as is known, nerve cells are not restored. Therefore, a beer drinker loses his intelligence. In youth, this is also accompanied by reduced learning abilities.
Substances in “harmless” beer: not all of them are safe Phytoestrogens are female hormones of natural plant origin. Accumulating in the male body, they deposit fats according to the “female pattern” - in the hips and sides, reduce potency, reduce or completely block the functionality of sperm.
Humulones and lupulins are responsible for the specific aromas and bitter taste of the drink.
Bitter substances form the “beer taste” and are responsible for sedative, hypnotic and hallucogenic effects.
Phenols act as a catalyst for the development of malignant tumors in some areas of the urinary system.
Cobalt “helps” with inflammation of the esophagus and stomach. Since the liver is constantly under attack from toxins, the risk of hepatitis and cirrhosis increases.
Other metals lead to disruption of the endocrine system.
Cadaverine (Latin for corpse) is usually formed as a result of rotting meat.
What does childhood alcoholism lead to?
A child's body is defenseless against the attacks of alcohol. If an adult man’s body can resist for many years, a woman’s body only for a few years, then a child will only need several months of “tasting” the corresponding drinks to recharge with alcohol.
Can you imagine how easily the defenseless liver and cardiovascular system are dismantled brick by brick by the poisons of alcohol! The child’s development slows down and becomes aggressive. His whims know no limits and do not tolerate objections, causing childish cruelty. Having neither money for drinks nor the opportunity to earn it, children begin to steal and beg. If they can’t buy beer, wine or something low-alcohol, they buy glue, get high and turn into drug addicts. And this is a direct road to mental degradation and physical self-destruction.
Female alcoholism: the expected ending
Woman is the future of humanity. She bears a child within herself and enriches the genetic tree of the family with new branches. Therefore, it depends on her how they grow up. If a girl drinks during pregnancy, the likelihood of giving birth to a fetus with severe morphological abnormalities increases:
- External changes. A mother can pass alcohol syndrome to her child. Therefore, after birth, he may have non-standard sizes of the face, brain part of the skull, head, body or limbs. A child may be born with spherical eyes; they, like the base of the nose, may be recessed. Sometimes children are born with underdeveloped jaw bones. Pathologies can be the most unpredictable.
- Internal signs. A child born to a drinking mother has noticeable decreased brain function. It manifests itself in increased mobility and decreased concentration, aggressiveness and a tendency to complete loss. The psychomotor development of such children is very slow. This prevents them from learning practical skills.
Growing up in the family of an alcoholic, the psyche of children is formed in an appropriate atmosphere. It quickly becomes injured, which is why such children often suffer from enuresis and stuttering. They are haunted by night terrors. Children become aggressive and stubborn, some run away from home.
Frequent anxiety and depression lead to thoughts of suicide. All these components form a person with delayed mental development, who finds it difficult to study, communicate with peers, etc. One can imagine what kind of future awaits such children, and what young branches they will give on the genetic tree of their kind. Here's how 9 months of abstinence from alcohol for a pregnant woman can change the evolution of the family.
Coding and its consequences
It is known that the “gypsy teletype” works faster. At least they trust him more. Therefore, those currently suffering are often happy to take advantage of the advice of their exes: you, they say, “give in” and everything will pass.
Many people tend to perceive the coding of alcoholics as a panacea for alcohol addiction. It would be a good idea to look through specialized literature. "Panacea" may give a negative result.
The main purpose of coding is to help a person get rid of alcohol addiction. Even after stopping drinking alcohol, the encoding continues to make itself felt. Treatment algorithms embedded in the patient’s subconscious do not act selectively, so the human body reacts to many stimuli.
The individuality of coding results from alcoholism is observed in each specific case. However, some typical factors have been identified:
- Mental disorders can manifest themselves in excessive irritability with signs of dysphoria, aggressiveness, pickiness, conflict and petty grievances. Lethargy in behavior may appear, accompanied by lack of initiative, as well as other signs of the zombie effect. Coding can lead to decreased sexual desire.
- The resumption of binge drinking with even greater activity causes disruptions during treatment or in later periods.
- Social costs may arise from feeling compassion for a recovering alcoholic. Close people and those around the patient sometimes try to fill the resulting family “vacuum” during feasts and do not hide their claims to his portion, begin to sip for “that guy” and soon achieve their goal. Therefore, when caring for a patient, doctors recommend working with his family members.
- Memory response to smell and hearing at the subconscious level. A person, having remembered a suggestion heard under hypnosis, in real life reacts to the same sounds with unpleasant and even painful sensations. The desire to indulge in beer is brought to the surface by the psychiatrist’s words about impending death. Mentions of vodka, beer or wine, and even “men in white coats” can cause depression and poor health. The places on the body that the doctor pressed during the hypnosis session begin to suffer pain.
- Loss of appetite, constant overeating, weakness throughout the body become constant companions and interfere with the usual work. Sometimes pain is difficult to relieve even with the most effective pain medications.
- There is no guarantee that coding will forever turn the patient away from craving for alcohol: no one knows what processes took place in the patient’s mind before treatment began.
“Inheritance” of the mental pathology of alcoholism
Mental pathologies as a result of long-term alcohol use come to the alcoholic like the sunset at the end of the day. Thus, we can come to the conclusion that alcoholism brings with it serious consequences in a person’s mental behavior:
- First of all, they are manifested by unstable mood, rapid exhaustion, sleep disturbances and other general neurotic disorders.
- Personality changes occur according to the alcoholic pattern with a reduction in a person’s range of interests and a predominance of egocentrism, deceit, and irresponsible behavior. “Reformatting” of personal characteristics in the direction of their deterioration leads a person to complete degradation. Take a closer look at the dirty “guests” of the station areas and the morning “researchers” of garbage cans in the local areas.
- Alcohol delirium is the most severe form of mental disorder. The essence of this phenomenon is contained in the name. As a rule, this is a chronic course of the disease that lasts almost a lifetime. Closer to old age, it may lose emotional fullness. And this is with a successful life scenario.
- Pathological jealousy has no chance to listen to and perceive even compelling arguments. For a person with such a defect, there is only one correct opinion - his. Any other explanation of the situation causes additional suspicion and even greater irritability. Can you imagine what it’s like to live with such a person until old age, when, perhaps, something will change in him! What if it’s not?
Who is ready and for what reason to endure constant showdowns, threats, fights? It’s not just uncomfortable to live with such a person. The other half has to walk in the line of fire all his life: the slightest hint of jealousy can explode the patient’s psyche until he loses control over himself and ends tragically.
- “Squirrel” is a typical image of the manifestation of alcoholic psychosis. In specialist circles it is also called delirium delirium. It appears, as a rule, with interruptions in sleep, just at the moment when a person is trying to make a sharp break with the past. This is the very case when it is impossible to “slow down” sharply. But the goal is right. To achieve it, you need to stock up on sleeping pills that will ensure a restful and long sleep.
- Internal anxiety and fear constantly increases as withdrawal symptoms become more complicated, accompanied by sweating, insomnia, and rapid heartbeat. They are followed by hallucinations through the organs of vision and hearing. The patient loses his sense of reality, he is poorly oriented in space and time: the influence of hallucinations and delusional fantasies takes its toll. The emerging fear is replaced by unpredictable outbursts of emotions: a person becomes both dangerous: for his own life and for those around him. At this stage, only a psychiatric clinic and prolonged sleep under the supervision of doctors will help him. Their task comes down to finding effective and safe doses of sleeping pills that, in addition to their main task, would ensure the normal functioning of the patient’s internal organs. The problem is that weakly active drugs are not able to kill the “squirrel”, and an overdose can disrupt the activity of the cardiovascular system and breathing, or even block them completely.
- Patients perceive auditory hallucinations or “voices from space” as real. They strain to determine where the sounds come from, are perplexed and lost in their guesses. The “voices” sound very different; they seem scary to the patient and have unpredictable consequences.
- Alcohol hallucinations are similar in their effect to delirium tremens: they also arise during the hangover period with sleep disturbance. But their depth of darkness is not so active.
- Alcoholic paranoid, delusional fantasies of persecution appear in the patient’s body, exhausted by a hangover and sleepless nights. With every fiber of his soul, he “feels” someone’s pursuit for the purpose of murder. Everything that happens around him seems to him to be elements of careful preparation for committing a crime against him. He begins to come up with the most intricate options for saving his life.
If paranoid, as well as hallucinations, are not stopped with medication, attacks can develop into delirium tremens. This “couple” has one starting point.
- Patients rarely suffer from chronic alcoholic hallucinosis. But he can pester the patient for years with auditory deceptions. A gradual habituation to “sounds from nowhere” is formed and the alcoholic endures the attacks relatively calmly, outwardly, he does not pretend that he is “hearing voices.” Such chronically ill people were given the name “voice bearers.”
- Asthenia, in the form of a drop in the level of personal qualities, psychopathization, rudeness in behavior, is also often observed in the behavior of alcoholics.
- Effective disorders include sudden changes in mood, depression and dysphoria, as well as a predisposition to psychopathization and suicide.
Scientists have long been convinced that alcohol penetrates and affects almost all human organs. Affecting with toxins, it temporarily creates a deceptive feeling of flying in a state of high and against the backdrop of well-being. In fact, alcohol, penetrating into the body, only complicates life with worries that can be formulated in several problems: how not to succumb to alcohol addiction and whether there are methods of prevention against alcoholism.
stopalkogolizm.ru
Alcoholism is a huge problem for modern society. Conventionally, the consequences of alcoholism can be divided into two categories. The first is the consequences for a person who abuses alcohol related to his health and personality. The second is the consequences for society, the growth of social problems that are directly related to alcoholism in the population.
There are quite a few points that can be attributed to the personal problems of an alcoholic:
· Aggressive behavior and loss of self-control when intoxicated or with a hangover;
· Frequent accidents, overheating or hypothermia due to negligence or severe alcohol intoxication;
· Poisoning with low-quality alcohol;
· Risks of developing cirrhosis, certain types of cancer, problems with the cardiovascular system;
· Loss of human performance;
· Development of mental illness;
· Problems with legislation;
· Constant conflicts within the family and its subsequent destruction;
· Money difficulties and increased crime.
At the stage of physical addiction, alcoholism begins to cause many problems of a psychological and mental nature. Please note that people who abuse alcohol may develop the following diseases:
· Gastritis and peptic ulcers of the duodenum and stomach (very often during heavy drinking, perforation of ulcers occurs with further internal bleeding and death);
· Liver diseases (hepatosis, dystrophy, cirrhosis, etc.);
· Heart failure and ischemia, which lead to heart attacks and seizures. Also happens during drinking bouts;
· Hypertension (increased pressure, including in the blood vessels of the brain, which leads to stroke);
· Tuberculosis and emphysema, as well as other pathologies of the respiratory system that develop when a person’s immunity is weakened;
· Infertility in women and impotence in men. In addition, alcoholism causes miscarriages and the formation of congenital pathologies in children (cleft palate, dementia, developmental problems, heart defects).
Separately, it is necessary to note how alcohol affects the human nervous system. Alcoholism causes necrosis of some areas of the brain (often very large), which lead to a variety of alcoholic psychoses. Alcoholics often experience:
· Alcohol hallucinations (visual, auditory and many others, sometimes long-lasting);
· A feeling of persecution that develops during binge drinking;
· A feeling of jealousy, which usually develops in men after 40 years of age and in some cases is accompanied by erectile dysfunction. An alcoholic will suspect his wife of cheating and behave aggressively towards her;
· Alcoholic encephalopathies are serious disorders that are accompanied by memory impairment, motor and other dysfunctions of the human body, which in some cases lead to paralysis;
· Delirium tremens - better known as delirium tremens. It is an acute psychosis that combines hallucinations, motor agitation and narrowing of consciousness;
· Dementia (alcoholic dementia). The disease will occur when brain cells die when exposed to alcohol and toxic substances;
· Epilepsy;
· Suicidal tendencies.
In addition, the state of intoxication in alcoholics is often accompanied by memory loss (alcoholic palimpsest) and severe stimulation of the nervous system. People will suffer from sleep disturbances, constant anxiety, fear of a hangover, and tremors.
If a person has been diagnosed with alcoholism, then his appearance may be as follows: the person looks much older than his actual age, he has an unhealthy complexion, reddish eyes, dull hair, loose skin with a noticeable network of blood vessels. Alcoholism will have a very negative impact on the appearance of women. In this case, the person will have a puffy appearance with obvious signs of aging skin. Due to its characteristics, female alcoholism will develop faster than male alcoholism, therefore it carries more dangerous consequences and quickly progresses and develops into a chronic condition.
Alcoholism is also dangerous for its social consequences. The disease leads to degradation of a person's personality. The patient begins to lose basic moral qualities, he loses family and spiritual values. A person considers the main goal of his existence to be the achievement of alcoholic intoxication, because in this state he will feel as confident and comfortable as possible.
For society, the consequences of alcoholism are destructive, because intoxication and hangover lead to:
· Numerous fatal accidents;
· Offenses (in a state of intoxication or with a hangover, when a person becomes aggressive and cannot adequately perceive reality);
· Accidents in working conditions and everyday life;
· Absenteeism and decreased productivity.
Often, alcoholics, as the disease progresses, begin to look for less qualified work, and then do not want to work at all, because during a hangover it is simply impossible. Alcoholism will force a person to look for the easiest ways to make money. First of all, alcoholics will spend all their savings, their own and their family’s, after which they will begin to ask for loans from relatives and friends, and then they will begin to steal and receive funds in other criminal ways.
The consequences of female alcoholism are seen as more serious because many women become mothers. If the expectant mother consumes alcohol during pregnancy, the likelihood that the child will be born with serious morphological abnormalities greatly increases. These include incorrect proportions of the body, head, limbs, and problems with the sensory organs, as well as any other underdevelopment of the fetus as a result of congenital pathologies.
In addition to external signs, children in this case will most likely experience brain failure, expressed in hypermobility, lack of concentration, a tendency to destruction or aggressiveness. Mental and motor development in children who were born alcoholics is slow or unsatisfactory, so they cannot fully master all the necessary skills.
If parents are drunk, then children develop in a very difficult environment that traumatizes their psyche, so they often develop: stuttering, enuresis, night terrors, stubbornness, and aggressiveness. Such children have very unstable emotional development: anxiety, depression, and suicidal tendencies may occur. With mental development disorders, there will be great difficulties in learning and contact with peers.
Consequences of childhood alcoholism
If, due to physiological characteristics, the female body is more susceptible to the effects of alcohol than the male, then the children's immune system cannot cope with toxins at all. To become an alcoholic, a child must drink alcohol for only a few months. And after this there are terrible consequences.
Alcohol will destroy the baby's developing organs. The cardiovascular system and liver will suffer to a greater extent. There is a slowdown in mental development and aggressiveness. Under the influence of alcohol, children lose the ability to think normally, so their actions can be very cruel. Without sufficient funds to buy alcohol, they will definitely commit some kind of crime. If there is not enough money for beer, vodka or wine, then alcoholics will simply sniff glue. When a person becomes a substance abuser, he quickly degrades and destroys himself mentally and physically.
Consequences of beer alcoholism
Today, beer alcoholism is so widespread that society is forced to seriously think about the future of the country. Young people are confident that this drink is completely harmless and even useful to some extent, which is why it is young people, in most cases, who become beer alcoholics. There is no big difference whether beer alcoholism or regular alcoholism, because the disease in any case is an addiction that causes serious harm to the body. Beer alcoholism has many consequences.
Periodic consumption of beer is the cause of the development of various diseases. Young people suffer from mental and sexual development disorders. Alcohol toxins contained in beer lead to disruption of critical systems. First of all, the brain, cardiovascular system, liver, and gastrointestinal tract will suffer.
Excessive consumption of beer also has a significant impact on the heart. Beer is instantly absorbed in the stomach, so the bloodstream becomes congested, increasing the load on the heart. This causes the veins and borders of the heart to expand, which leads to a “beer heart” condition. Such an organ will pump blood poorly and become flabby.
Beer alcoholism also affects the nervous system. First of all, the people around you will suffer. Beer leads to outbursts of aggression and stupidity. What could be more terrible? People who constantly drink alcohol are violent. Beer contains psychoactive substances that are present in hops. That is why it gives a stupefying and intoxicating effect. The worst thing is that soon the human nervous system begins to get used to this, so without beer the alcoholic will no longer be able to relax, rest and calm down.
The effects of beer on the brain are also destructive because the drink will kill cells. Dead cells will be excreted in urine, which is filtered by the liver. In the brain, dead cells are not restored, so with systematic drunkenness, a person begins to become dull before our eyes. At a young age, the consequences of alcoholism are more pronounced because there is a decrease in intelligence and loss of learning ability.
It should be noted that beer contains cadaverine, a cadaveric poison that has a toxic effect on the brain.
Abuse of beer has a negative impact on reproductive functions. The alcohol contained in beer stimulates the degeneration of the seminiferous tubules, and beer heavy metals will disrupt the functioning of the endocrine system. In addition, beer will begin to suppress the production of testosterone, so the man will begin to resemble a woman in some ways - his chest will enlarge and his pelvis will expand.
These are pronounced and known consequences of beer abuse. Every year, experts publish new facts that confirm the harm caused by beer.
Alcoholism and other addictions greatly complicate the normal life of society, so it is very important to take some preventive measures that will prevent the formation of alcohol addiction in young people. Sports, creativity, culture, as well as many other ways of developing the human personality should be cultivated.
alkozavisimost.ru
Effects of alcohol on the brain
Alcohol is made up of incredibly simple molecules: two carbon atoms, a few hydrogen atoms and a hydroxyl. A simpler molecule could hardly be found.
Nevertheless, alcohol has quite a strong effect on the brain. For example, it gets into small pockets in certain signaling molecules in the brain, such as chemical signaling receptors called neurotransmitters. Alcohol changes chemical connections in the brain.
One of the most powerful effects of alcohol is a decrease in the ability of glutamate (the main neurotransmitter of the cerebral cortex) to send signals through NMDA receptors. Notably, this is the same receptor that painkillers such as ketamine or phencyclidine (PCP) bind to.
Alcohol does not block NMDA receptors very effectively, but when consumed in large quantities over a long period of time, the number of these receptors increases. When this happens, the brain becomes less sensitive to alcohol and more sensitive to glutamate.
When an alcoholic suddenly stops drinking, he releases more glutamate than usual and at the same time becomes more susceptible to its effects.. As a result, the brain becomes more excitable, and this causes serious and life-threatening complications of withdrawal syndrome, including seizures, delirium tremens, and various psychoses.
Other systems in the brain also adapt to alcohol. One such system is gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This is the most important inhibitory transmitter of the cortex and limbic system of the brain. Alcohol generally suppresses neuronal activity and also enters GABA membranes. Thus, it stimulates receptors and imitates the action of neurosteroid hormones. It is for this reason that alcohol is a muscle relaxant, anxiolytic and sedative. In particularly high doses, alcohol can suppress breathing, which is one reason why overdose can be life-threatening.
The brain also adapts to alcohol's overstimulation of GABA receptors, making those receptors less sensitive. GABA adapts in a rather complex way. One of the important stages as a result of which the brain becomes immune and dependent on alcohol is the switching of the brain from the active functioning of GABA receptors to less active one.
Decreased GABA receptor activity contributes to decreased susceptibility (in other words, the ability to drink more alcohol without feeling intoxicated). However, when a person stops drinking, the decreased activity of GABA receptors cannot compensate for the loss of neural inhibition, the brain becomes more excitable, and signs of withdrawal appear. After a week of sobriety, high-functioning GABA receptors appear and withdrawal symptoms disappear.
Therefore, if you drink heavily and systematically, many changes can occur in your brain.
The most important of these are the following: the excitatory glutamate system becomes more sensitive, and the inhibitory GABA system becomes less sensitive. This causes the brain to become more excitable, and this imbalance between excitation and inhibition leads to many of the symptoms we associate with alcohol withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, hyperexcitability, fearfulness, and seizures.
Likewise, medications that reduce glutamate signaling or increase GABA signaling, such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and anticonvulsants, reduce brain overexcitability and relieve withdrawal symptoms.
Severe consequences of alcoholism
People who are physically dependent on alcohol are at risk of severe consequences such as seizures. In extreme circumstances, they may have moments of confusion.
There is an extreme form of alcohol withdrawal syndrome called delirium delirium. It can be accompanied by metabolic hyperactivity and even lead to death. Most people who drink heavily are not at risk of these most dangerous symptoms. They tend to appear in people who have had several episodes of physical dependence on alcohol. Typically, people do not have seizures until they have had 5-10 bouts of severe intoxication, marked by the need to detoxify, or are experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
Other causes relate to the variety of symptoms and problems that complicate alcohol use disorders. People may develop depression and anxiety, and may have seizures. During withdrawal episodes, some nerve cells may become more vulnerable to damage or even death, and therefore people who have had several episodes of withdrawal symptoms may have problems with concentration or memory that is not always fully recovered.
There are several particularly dangerous conditions that can develop with alcoholism. They are not pure pharmacological consequences of alcohol, but rather consequences of more complex syndromes of alcoholism. One of these conditions is nutritional problems.
When people change their diet because they drink a lot of alcohol, their diet is often unbalanced; they develop severe thiamine and folic acid deficiencies. When combined with alcohol, this can create vulnerability to other factors.
One of them is called Wernicke's syndrome, or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome , and it includes severe memory impairment in which people may not even remember their own name, or what they were doing, or where they were going. This is a consequence of severe memory impairment that occurs if the brain is deprived of nutrition and subjected to the metabolic regression of alcohol addiction and abstinence.
Treatment of alcoholism
Medicine had long recognized the effects of alcoholism as suitable for medical research, even when pathological drinking was recognized as a sign of moral weakness rather than disease.
However, as we have learned more about the biological factors that interact with the physical and social factors that drive pathological drinking, doctors have become more involved in studying alcohol and medical treatments that could reduce its effects.
The turning point was the emergence of the disease concept of alcoholism, put forward by Professor Alvin Jellinek of Yale University in the 1940s and 1950s. Within this framework, various types of pathological drinking were considered to be subtypes of the medical disorder called alcoholism. The first medical drug for pathological drunkards - disulfiram - was invented in the 1920s, but began to be prescribed to patients much later.
When taken daily, this medication inhibits aldehyde dehydrogenase, an enzyme responsible for breaking down alcohol molecules called acetaldehyde. If you take disulfiram and drink alcohol, high levels of acetaldehyde will accumulate in the body and this will cause illness. Disulfiram can be very helpful in quitting alcohol if taken regularly, but many people don't benefit from it because they get off track.
Some patients, for example, stop taking their medication when they want to drink. However, this medicine can be very effective if family members or employers supervise the taking of the pills.
There are other medications to treat alcoholism. Naltrexone blocks the effects of opioids such as morphine, and some believe it reduces the beneficial effects of alcohol. Others believe it reduces alcohol consumption.
Acamprosat is approved for the treatment of alcoholism in the United States, but its mechanism of action is not fully understood, and the drug was not effective in the longest study testing the drug, the NIAAA Project COMBINE.
Newer anticonvulsant drug topiramate , which has not yet been approved for use in the United States, also shows promise.
Other types of medications are used to relieve withdrawal symptoms.
Inherited risk of alcoholism
Based on the available data, it can be assumed that the risk of developing alcoholism is approximately 40–50% due to genetic inheritance, and another 40–50% is determined by the environment.
Much research work has been done to determine the genetic nature of alcoholism. The greatest progress in identifying the genes for alcoholism came when scientists found genes that are protective and alter the metabolism of alcohol. For example, a mutation in a gene that reduces the function of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase is very common among people in the Chinese sample.
These people are protected from developing alcoholism because their bodies metabolize alcohol as if they were taking disulfiram (a drug that inhibits the same enzyme).
Another protective mechanism occurs in the gene encoding alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). Variations of this gene are found in some groups of European ancestry. In this case, increased ADH function leads to rapid accumulation of toxic acetaldehyde.
Some people learn to overcome their inhibitions and drink heavily despite these mutations, but they do so at some risk. Sustained high levels of acetaldehyde in the body may contribute to the development of some forms of cancer.
Other gene variants have been discovered, but there is still much we do not understand about the genetics of alcoholism. One clue we have is that people who are prone to developing alcoholism have an innate sensitivity to alcohol.
This doesn't just mean that they are less sensitive to alcohol in general, but that they experience fewer effects and fewer negative effects, and they are particularly less sensitive to them. And when they drink, they experience only pleasant sensations without side effects, which protect against problems associated with alcohol use.
So how does it work? One proposed method takes us back to alcohol's blockade of NMDA glutamate receptors. In other words, when alcohol blocks NMDA receptors, we become uncoordinated, our memory declines, and this may contribute to the feeling of dizziness that many people experience after drinking heavily.
But it seems that people with a family history of alcoholism have an innate tolerance especially to this mechanism, so they are less sensitive to drugs that block NMDA glutamate receptors, such as ketamine, and they are less susceptible to the negative effects of alcohol.
It appears that part of the inherited risk for developing alcoholism is regulated by mechanisms by which alcohol affects chemical signals in the brain.
Alcohol and motivation
Do people at risk for alcoholism only have an altered sensitivity to alcohol, or are there other things that are inherited? Scientists have found that people with a similar family history of alcoholism who have altered sensitivity to ketamine also have distorted perceptions of the world.
An important risk factor for addiction problems is how a person weighs the rewards and punishments in life. If people think about the risks of drinking alcohol, they drink less. For example, they tell themselves, “Okay, you can drink, but then you'll lose your driver's license.” But others think: “I’ll drink this drink now and think about future problems as they arise.” Such people underestimate long-term risks and overestimate short-term benefits.
How people balance between long-term and short-term rewards and punishments is an important factor in how they choose the amount of alcohol they drink. It turns out that People who have a family history of alcohol use not only tend to drink alcohol, but also choose short-term benefits and are oblivious to the threat of future consequences. . Therefore, they choose pleasure, despite the fact that they may get problems from it. Their body perceives alcohol as attractive, and their motivational system makes them want short-term benefits like the pleasure of drinking. So it's interesting how we can teach people to focus on long-term rewards.
Social factor
The environment is an important factor in vulnerability to alcoholism. Stress is a good example. When we are under stress, the mechanisms that control our behavior and help us function are weakened. Judgment changes and the ability to resist certain stimuli and say “no” decreases, and people may do things they would not do without stress. The social factor is as complex as the genetic one. It's easy to say no when you're alone at home, but if you're at a party and surrounded by people who are drinking, there's a social tension that drives people to drink.
People often want to feel connected to other people and to feel comfortable and relaxed in the company of other people. Even when people find themselves in such situations and are reluctant to consume alcohol because they know they will have problems once they start drinking, the social environment reduces this confidence.
We usually talk about alcoholism as if it were a rational choice made by a rational person, such as “I would like to have a drink, so I will,” but it turns out that people who are addicted to alcohol have a slightly more complex system of behavior .
Alcoholism as a habit
In alcohol research we use the term “habit”, by which we mean a situation in which very often people drink automatically when they find themselves in a certain set of situations. They do this not because alcohol makes them feel good, not because they consciously make such a choice, but simply because this behavior has become routine, the context of certain situations excites the desire to drink.
People often say that they drank in a situation where they had no intention of drinking at all. For example, they were driving home, without thinking twice they stopped at their favorite bar and had already drunk a glass before they realized what was happening. This is difficult to explain because people themselves do not understand their behavior. In other words, they don't understand why they start drinking alcohol even though it doesn't make them feel good.
Cognitive and behavioral treatments for alcoholism are designed to teach people to avoid doing things automatically. We tell people to avoid people, places and situations that trigger cravings for alcohol. It could be stress, bars or parties. If people around us drink, we teach them to recognize the risks and evaluate the chances when consuming alcohol.
We now understand that alcoholism develops under the influence of society, and then becomes a habit as a result of a biological process in the brain. These types of alcoholism work through adjacent but different circuits in the brain.
You can think like this: the things we choose to do are by nature under our control and we can suppress them, but behavior that emerges from the primitive parts of the brain is difficult to control . It's like trying to eat just one potato wedge when we have a whole bag of chips. Scientists are trying to understand the neurobiology of the habit of drinking alcohol in order to develop medications that can make the procedure of drinking alcohol not habitual, but focused on specific goals.
zozhnik.ru
Consequences of alcohol abuse
- Development of serious diseases. Liver cirrhosis, oncology, heart and vascular problems. And this is far from
All. Depending on the individuality of the body, any organ can be affected. Alcoholics often forget to eat and do not get the vitamins and minerals they need for health. And alcohol itself interferes with the absorption of many beneficial substances.
- Mental changes. Alcohol causes a severe blow to the nervous system. As a result, serious changes in behavior may occur. Manifestations of outbursts of aggression, irritability, depression. Serious mental disorders also develop.
- Personality degradation. Alcohol abuse leads to memory loss, impaired concentration and dementia. At the second and third stages, the alcoholic loses interest in life values and ceases to be interested in social life. All his worries come down to finding the next alcohol.
- Loss of ability to work. As a result of chronic drunkenness, a decrease in intelligence occurs and a person loses the ability to perform his professional duties. Frequent lateness to work and absenteeism force the employer to dismiss such an employee. Also, as a result of personality changes, regular conflicts with colleagues and management occur, which leads to disruption of the stable work of the team.
- Family relationships become tense. Constant quarrels against the background of alcoholism lead to the deterioration of relationships and the destruction of families. Children suffer the most. They suffer serious trauma while living with an addicted person. Such a parent is not capable of raising his child and cannot give him the necessary care and attention. Can be rude and use physical force under the influence of alcohol.
- Problems with law. Under the influence of alcohol, a person is capable of the most unreasonable acts. Statistics show that the largest percentage of crimes occur while intoxicated. This does not reduce responsibility, since drinking alcohol is voluntary. Hooliganism, robbery, violence and even murder are committed with particular cruelty. The reason is the loss of control over one’s actions under the influence of alcohol.
In addition, driving while intoxicated leads to traffic accidents. A large percentage of workplace injuries also occur due to the fault of drunken persons.
Consequences of female alcoholism
In addition to the fact that health is destroyed and the same problems arise as in drinking men, female alcoholism leads to impaired reproductive function. Very often the problem of conceiving and bearing a fetus arises even after treatment for alcohol addiction. Women who drink give birth to sick children. These may be serious genetic problems that cannot be treated.
Even the appearance of babies born alcoholics can indicate the fact of alcohol abuse during pregnancy. Incorrect body proportions, too large head, deep-set or spherical eyes and other signs.
But even if a newborn does not outwardly differ from healthy peers, he may be diagnosed with developmental delays. They acquire physical skills later, are restless, and sleep poorly. Such babies often suffer from hypermobility and aggressiveness. They do not know how to play calmly and focus their attention on a specific activity.
Very often, children born to drinking mothers do poorly at school and have behavior problems. And if they live with parents who drink regularly, they suffer serious psychological trauma, leading to problems such as stuttering, enuresis, night terrors and other mental disorders.
During adolescence, such children show signs of aggression and cruelty. They find it difficult to communicate with peers and adults. These are the guys who are at risk for possible suicide or addiction to alcoholism.
The consequences of female alcoholism occur much earlier than in men, since the female body is more vulnerable to alcohol.
Consequences of childhood alcoholism
When a child at 8-10 years old begins to try alcohol, he may not like the taste and may feel disgusted. But there are a number of reasons that can lead to regular alcohol consumption. Children from disadvantaged families are most at risk of alcohol dependence. They do not receive proper attention, often run away from home and lead a wandering life. In the company of other street children, they try alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs.
But it also happens that children from wealthy families are at risk. Excessive guardianship does not allow the child to express himself, and at the first opportunity, having received a little freedom, he does not use it for the best purposes.
Imitating idols or more popular peers, loneliness, misunderstanding of others - all this can lead to the first attempts at alcohol. The teenager will want to repeat the resulting state of euphoria if the slightest difficulties arise. It will take very little time for a fragile body to become dependent on alcohol.
Children and teenagers are not aware of the dangers of such pranks. For the human body, alcohol is a poison, and for a developing personality it can cause a slowdown in development and the appearance of all kinds of diseases.
The consequences of childhood alcoholism are irreversible, since health will never become standard.
To prevent alcohol addiction from ruining your life, it is very important to be careful with alcoholic beverages. Drinking on holidays can very quickly develop into the first stage of alcoholism. If you don’t stop in time, you won’t be able to do without the help of a narcologist in the future. Therefore, the consumption of alcoholic beverages should be minimized, or even better, completely abstain from them.
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The effect of alcohol on the liver
As you know, it is this organ that suffers most from alcohol. The liver is an element that plays an important role in the human body, since it removes dangerous substances and also prevents them from damaging tissues and muscles. The entry of alcohol into the liver begins with the rapid breakdown of the drink into safe components. However, excessive consumption of beer or other strong drink leads to rapid destruction of the organ, because it can protect internal systems and organs from ethanol, but is not able to provide protection for itself.
As a result of severe alcohol dependence, alcohol penetrates the liver and forms a harmful toxin that cannot be eliminated from the body in full - this leads to its accumulation in the liver, which causes the development of many dangerous pathologies that aggravate its work.
The most dangerous diseases caused by alcoholic beverages are:
- cirrhosis;
- hepatitis;
- carcinoma;
- aggravation of the work of the body or violation of its direct “responsibilities”.
With frequent exposure of the liver to ethanol, its cells are very quickly destroyed and destroyed. In addition, they begin to be replaced by fatty or scar tissue, since the cells of the organ are not able to recover. This leads to severe impairment of functionality, which certainly affects human health.
Alcohol has the most serious consequences for the liver, since it is affected most quickly, while aggravating the functioning of the entire body. The most dangerous disease is cirrhosis, which causes the organ to dry out and decrease in size, as well as changing its structure. In addition, with the development of pathology, a disruption in the functioning of blood vessels occurs - they have an increased load, they are compressed and lead to an increase in pressure, and blood flow is disrupted. As a result, in the absence of treatment and measures to restore the body, blood vessels rupture, which causes instant death.
The effect of alcohol on the brain
The consequences of alcoholism also negatively affect the human brain. Since the blood circulation in it is much greater than in other organs, blood penetrates into it in large quantities - and if ethanol is present in it, this will certainly affect the human condition.
It is important to note that alcohol, first of all, begins its negative effect on the brain, since it penetrates it within 10 minutes after the start of drinking alcohol. Over time, neurons begin to suffer from such a harmful hobby and die every time you drink strong drinks. After this, in the absence of treatment, a person experiences a gradual death of parts of the brain and destruction of the cortex - this leads to a lot of unpleasant consequences:
- memory impairment or loss;
- lack of coordination;
- deterioration of memory and thinking;
- inability to perform any mental tasks.
On average, personality degradation after frequent drinking occurs after 1-4 years during advanced alcohol addiction. Since the brain is an organ that is not subject to self-healing, treatment in this case will be carried out only to normalize its general condition, as well as nutrition.
Important: from alcohol, the brain begins to become covered with ulcers and scars, the vessels become wider, the organ swells, and ruptures and cysts form in the most damaged areas. This condition often causes death in the absence of medical care.
The influence of alcohol on the psyche and central nervous system
Constant drunkenness, especially uncontrolled, leads to the destruction of the human psyche. At the same time, his behavior completely changes as the alcoholic degrades. Alcohol, along with the nervous system, can completely destroy a person, because a mental disorder aggravates an inadequate perception of personality.
Why alcohol is harmful to health, and in particular to the psyche and central nervous system:
- attention disorder;
- worsening memory;
- emotional disorders;
- the occurrence of polyneuritis, the symptoms of which are itching, pins and needles, burning, muscle pain;
- damage to nerve fibers;
- deterioration of central nervous system conductivity;
- loss of sensitivity (numbness of the limbs, lack of response to temperature);
- increased irritability.
Based on this, it can be noted that alcohol causes great harm to the psyche and nervous system. What exactly are the consequences of alcoholism that can be expected from excessive consumption of strong drinks:
Delirium tremens
It appears as a result of a long absence of alcohol intake. This condition is accompanied by fever, hallucinations, headaches, delirium and the possibility of suicide. This condition occurs due to a violation of nerve endings, which greatly worsens a person’s well-being.
Encephalopathy
This disease is caused by a lack of vitamins in the body. , included in group B. Encephalopathy develops only in chronic drunkards. Symptoms of the pathology are disruption of the vestibular apparatus, impaired quality of vision, as well as the appearance of confusion.
Epilepsy due to alcoholism
This condition is characterized by seizures and a sharp deterioration in health.
Korsakov psychosis
As you know, any type of psychosis leads a person to rapid degradation, while greatly disturbing the general condition of the drunkard. This diagnosis is given to people who suffer from the last stage of alcohol dependence.
As it turned out, alcoholism and its consequences for the central nervous system and the general condition of the body are quite deplorable, so in order to avoid such problems, you should avoid frequent drinking of alcohol, since these drinks greatly worsen human health.
The effect of alcohol on blood vessels and the heart
Pathologies associated with the heart muscle as a result of alcohol intake are the most common cause of death today. And this is correct, because strong drinks do not have the best effect on the condition of the heart and blood vessels.
Due to the fact that a person drinks alcohol every day, the heart muscle begins to greatly increase and become overgrown with fat - this negatively affects the general condition of the organ, which leads to disruption of its functioning. Strong drinks also have a negative effect on blood vessels, disrupting their tone and impairing conductivity.
Heart diseases caused by drinking large doses of alcohol:
- arrhythmia;
- hypertension;
- atherosclerosis;
- heart attack
Each of these pathologies causes serious harm to health, especially if, along with these conditions, a person drinks large doses of alcohol. Treatment in this case is carried out by completely ridding the drinker of alcoholism - only after this can one hope for positive treatment.
The effect of alcohol on the kidneys
The kidneys are rightfully considered an important organ, which is responsible for the normal removal of fluid from the body, as well as for cleansing the blood flow of harmful elements. Constantly drinking strong drinks forces the kidneys to work at maximum load in order to quickly remove dangerous alcohol breakdown products from the body.
If the kidneys are damaged, this will lead to a host of dangerous conditions, namely dehydration, the appearance of sand and stones in the organ, the development of tumors and infections of the urinary system. In addition, ethanol, which negatively affects the mucous membrane, can quickly destroy the calyces of the kidneys, which will lead to irreversible consequences - the kidney will have to be surgically removed.
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general information
Alcoholism is a rather serious disease that occurs due to frequent consumption of alcoholic beverages, resulting in a strong addiction. According to experts, it refers to one of the types of drug addiction, since alcohol literally acts on the central nervous system like a drug. Due to prolonged consumption of alcohol-containing drinks, irreversible changes gradually begin to develop in the human body, which often end in death. 
The problem of alcoholism has recently caused a lot of concern on the part of doctors. Every year the number of “sick” people only increases. As you know, any disease is treated by a doctor. In this case, it is necessary to seek qualified help from a psychiatrist-narcologist, because alcoholism provokes the development of serious mental and physical changes in the body. As practice shows, it is possible to cope with this disease on your own in exceptional cases. However, timely contact with the appropriate doctor allows not only to restore health, but also to eliminate the existing addiction.
Main reasons
According to experts, all the causes of alcoholism can be divided into three categories.
- Physiological factors.
- Psychological factors.
- Social factors.
One of the main points is the presence of a predisposition to alcoholism at the genetic level, which occurs due to mutations in genes. Due to such changes in chromosomes, the rate of development of the disease increases several times. Taking into account the fact that recently this disease has been diagnosed more and more often, the likelihood of children being born with an existing tendency increases several times. However, the presence of a genetic predisposition still does not provide a 100% guarantee that the child will subsequently suffer from alcoholism. Of particular importance in this matter is education and social status.
In addition to genetic predisposition, there are physiological causes of alcoholism. In some diseases related to the central nervous system, metabolism or liver, this problem manifests itself more quickly. Men and women who drink alcohol-containing drinks very often become depressed and have so-called manic personality changes. It is safe to say that alcoholism and its consequences are terrible from a psychological point of view, since the person himself is very much degraded. Some people start drinking out of despair (breaking up with a loved one, getting fired from work), others perceive alcoholic drinks as an opportunity to relax after a hard day. However, taken together, all this causes constant alcohol consumption, which in the future can provoke addiction.
There is also a socio-economic factor (all the conditions in which we directly live). Depending on the environment, there may be a tendency to drink alcohol or give it up. Traditions, upbringing, family values - all this influences how a person spends his leisure time and copes with emerging difficulties. If a child had a clear example of alcoholism before his eyes in childhood, the likelihood of addiction in the future increases several times. The younger generation believes that if parents could not otherwise cope with their problems, then beer or wine is really the only way out. 
Stages
First of all, it should be noted that there are two types of addiction: psychological and physical. The first appears due to the influence of alcohol on the central nervous system, and the second due to the inclusion of a substance (ethanol) in metabolic processes. Alcoholism in men and women usually develops gradually. To confirm the presence of this problem, the doctor evaluates four signs:
- Degree of craving for alcoholic beverages.
- Change in tolerance to alcohol.
- Withdrawal syndrome (formation of psycho-neurological symptoms after stopping the use of alcoholic beverages).
- Damage to some internal organ systems.
A psychiatrist-narcologist always first evaluates the accompanying signs of the problem in order to understand the severity of the condition. The most important symptom is an irresistible desire to drink alcohol, regardless of the situation. There are three stages of the disease in total.
The first stage is characterized by the appearance of dependence. A patient with alcoholism experiences an unbearable desire to drink alcohol. Even if such an impulse occurs only once a week, this symptom should still not be ignored. The alcoholic at this stage does not yet realize the full danger of the disease; he prefers to satisfy the existing need rather than try to fight it. Gradually, control over the amount of alcohol consumed is lost. This means that a person drinks until he becomes intoxicated. The next day he usually suffers from a hangover.
What is different about the second stage of alcoholism? Symptoms in this case may vary. A clear sign is the appearance of the so-called withdrawal syndrome. If the desire is not satisfied in time, a number of mechanisms are triggered that worsen the mental/physical state of a person. Thus, the body literally requires a new portion of alcohol each time. Blood pressure rises, irritability, insomnia, and vomiting appear, including after the next meal. Psychosis often begins with hallucinations. This condition is dangerous not only for the patient himself, but also for those around him. This is exactly how alcoholism develops consistently. The symptoms listed above cause a lot of concern. To avoid their development, a person continues to drink alcohol-containing drinks, which already leads to real binge drinking.
The third stage is considered the final stage. It is characterized by a decrease in tolerance to alcoholic beverages. A person needs a small amount of alcohol to become intoxicated. Personality gradually degrades, intelligence and the ability to think disappear. The influence of alcoholism almost always entails irreversible consequences for all internal organ systems. 
Features of female alcoholism
The main patterns of development of the disease in both female and male bodies are almost identical. However, experts name a group of characteristic features that make it possible to isolate this problem.
- Relative psycho-emotional lability. The higher nervous activity of women is arranged in the direction of the superiority of the so-called intuitive activity of the brain, and not the logical one. As a result, they are more emotional and susceptible to the negative effects of stress factors.
- The harm of alcoholism is indeed more pronounced among the fair sex. The thing is that liver tissue has increased sensitivity to the toxic effects of ethanol against the background of reduced abilities of enzyme systems for its subsequent processing. As a result, women require a smaller dose of alcohol to become intoxicated.
- Already at the initial stages of the development of the disease, a disruption in the transmission of nerve impulses occurs due to the fragile structure of interneuron connections.
- Rapid absorption of alcohol in the intestines.
- Incompatibility of sex hormones and the direct breakdown products of alcohol-containing drinks.
Very often a situation arises that a woman herself does not notice that she begins to feel the need for alcohol. As a result, self-criticism decreases, and any comments from loved ones are denied. Damage to the brain, liver and other internal organ systems is observed even faster. Ultimately, all these features merge into a severe form of alcoholism, and with persistent dependence.
What should the treatment be?
What treatment options do modern alcoholism treatment clinics offer?
- Complex aspect. The most effective approach to treatment is considered to be a combination of psychotherapy and the use of medications. In this case, therapy involves learning new forms of behavior, managing emotions, and improving family relationships. As for medications, nootropic drugs are most often prescribed to restore and strengthen the central nervous system and suppress the craving for alcoholic beverages.
- The fight against alcoholism through biological methods involves the use of blocking drugs. As a rule, Esperal and Torpedo are used. They are given by injection or implanted subcutaneously. Blocker drugs not only suppress persistent cravings for alcohol, but also provoke pronounced incompatibility reactions when drinking alcohol.
- In the presence of alcohol dependence coupled with a depressive state, therapy is first prescribed to eliminate the underlying disease. Its treatment allows you to eliminate the main reason for drinking alcohol and achieve sobriety.
Some alcohol treatment clinics only offer one treatment option. Before choosing a particular institution, it is recommended to first study reviews about the method used, its effectiveness and side effects. Many clinics today offer treatment options different from the above, for example, using acupuncture or hypnosis. Preference should be given only to those specialists who have the appropriate medical education and a license to perform certain procedures.
Please note that you should not try to overcome alcoholism on your own. Reviews of traditional methods of treatment, as a rule, prove the ineffectiveness of our grandmothers' recipes. Moreover, during the time that close relatives spend on such “therapy”, the disease can develop into a chronic stage. 
Coding and alcoholism
Coding is not really a panacea for alcoholism. In the vast majority of cases, it only delays the next binge. For some people, such a “rest” can last only a few days, for others it can last several years.
The fight against alcoholism in this case involves the introduction of special medications into the body, which, when interacting with alcohol, provoke the appearance of severe physiological reactions. This may include a drop in blood pressure, redness of the skin, and tremors. Today, coding is carried out not only in specialized clinics; a doctor can visit a potential patient directly at home. Unfortunately, not all patients benefit from such treatment in practice.
- Liver pathologies. Fatty acids serve as the main “fuel” for the cells of this organ. However, with regular consumption of alcoholic beverages, the liver is primarily forced to process alcohol. Unbroken fatty acids consistently accumulate, causing changes in liver tissue. As a result, dystrophy develops, which after some time can develop into fibrosis and even cirrhosis.
- Exhaustion. Chronic alcoholism contributes to a constant feeling of euphoria and simultaneous suppression of appetite. As a result, a person eats less, which entails a deficiency of certain vitamins and nutrients.
- Oncology. As a rule, the liver and pancreas are affected. In addition, cancer of the rectum, prostate, larynx and esophagus is common among alcoholics.
- Peptic ulcer disease. Excessive consumption of alcohol-containing drinks disrupts the balance of aggressive and protective factors in the stomach, resulting in damage to the mucous membrane of the digestive tract.
- Pancreatitis. According to experts, up to 80% of cases of this disease are caused by this particular problem.
- Diabetes.
- Bleeding. Against the background of liver disease, varicose veins of the esophagus itself often develop. Their rupture leads to massive bleeding, which often ends in the death of a person. In addition, the veins of the esophagus are very easily damaged by vomiting.
- Depression and psychosis. Against the background of these diseases, the risk of suicide increases several times. That is why qualified psychotherapeutic assistance can not only cope with a depressive state, but also save a person’s life.
- Heart diseases. Chronic consumption of alcoholic beverages increases blood pressure and increases the concentration of cholesterol and its derivatives.
What's going on with your personal life?
- Losing friends. With this disease, people lose their former common interests, they become more withdrawn and look for a company with the same problem.
- Problems in study/work. Alcoholism, as a rule, interferes with the performance of usual duties, a person becomes less organized, and character and behavior change. All this, of course, affects work and educational activities.
- The social consequences of alcoholism are also expressed in a tense family environment. Alcoholics are not interested in the ordinary life of the average person; over time, they cease to fulfill their direct responsibilities. This state of affairs, as a rule, does not satisfy relatives and friends. Any attempts to help or correct the situation end in scandals and resistance from the drinking person.
- Financial difficulties.
- Chronic alcoholism increases the risk of committing illegal acts, as well as criminal offenses.
Consequences of female alcoholism
Abuse of alcoholic beverages by the fair sex has even more terrifying consequences, since all ladies sooner or later become mothers. If a woman continues to drink alcohol during pregnancy, the likelihood of having a child with the so-called alcohol syndrome increases. These are gross morphological disorders, characterized by incorrect proportions of the face and body. A newborn may have a wide bridge of the nose, spherical eyes, underdevelopment of the jaw bones, or other pathologies.
In addition, alcoholism and its consequences for the mental development of a child are simply terrible. Such children, as a rule, are diagnosed with congenital brain failure and delayed mental development.
Children with alcoholic parents grow up in a very difficult environment, which affects their psyche. That is why they are often diagnosed with enuresis, stuttering, aggressiveness, and leaving home are possible. The emotional state of such children is extremely unstable, in some cases there is a tendency towards suicide.
Consequences of beer alcoholism
Currently, beer alcoholism has become widespread, which is increasingly forcing society to think seriously about the future of the country. Young people mistakenly believe that intoxicating drinks are absolutely harmless to the body, because they contain a small proportion of alcohol. Boys and girls are not concerned about beer alcoholism and its health consequences. However, this addiction actually causes a lot of harm to the young body.
Constant drinking of beer primarily provokes the development of quite serious pathologies. Young people experience disturbances at the sexual and mental levels of development. The cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract are affected by alcohol toxins. 
Beer is absorbed very quickly, which leads to overflow of the bloodstream, increasing the load on the heart. This alcoholic drink contains psychoactive substances. They have a stupefying and intoxicating effect; people become aggressive and cruel.
What else is dangerous about beer alcoholism? The consequences for the brain are often irreversible. This intoxicating drink consistently kills his cells. Subsequently, they are excreted from the body along with urine. Dead cells are not restored, and as a result, when drinking beer, a person literally becomes dumb. In youth, the results of such addiction are most pronounced, since learning abilities and intelligence levels are noticeably reduced.
The intoxicating drink also has a detrimental effect on the reproductive function of the body. The alcohol contained in beer entails the degeneration of the seminiferous tubules. In addition, testosterone production is suppressed. As a result, men are becoming more and more like the fair sex. For example, their pelvis expands and their breasts enlarge.
Conclusion
The problem of alcoholism has recently increasingly attracted specialists from all over the world. In almost every case, this disease requires a qualified approach to treatment, as well as appropriate rehabilitation. No less important is the attention from family and friends, their persistent desire to help the person.
We hope that all the information presented in this article will be truly useful to you. Be healthy!
