It is often tempting to find solace at the bottom of a bottle of alcohol. The beverage has the spectacular ability to make us have momentarily amnesia, and considering how bad things are in the country, it can feel like an escape. However, alcohol is not a great way to destress, but rather, a great way to harm yourself. This blog post explores the many ways that alcohol is bad for your health. Stick around.
What is Alcohol?
Before we discuss the short-term and long-term effects of alcohol, what is alcohol? Simply, it refers to beer, wine, and spirit. What makes alcohol different from soft drinks is the presence of ethanol. The alcoholic beverage has a legal depressant. It impedes messages that are being sent to the central nervous system. Now that we know what alcoholic beverages are; it is time to discuss their side effects.
The Different Ways that Alcohol Affects the Body
When you take in alcohol, it enters from your mouth to your stomach and then to the small intestine where it is absorbed into your bloodstream. In the bloodstream, the alcohol travels all over your body including your brain. The pharmacokinetics of the “drug” sheds insights on how it impacts our body.
Many factors dictate how alcohol absorbs and affects you. They include:
- Age
- Size/weight
- Experience with drinking alcohol
- Liver Health
The more you drink, the more you raise your BAC (blood alcohol concentration). Contrary to popular belief, you can’t reduce this amount through contemporary methods like cold showers, vomiting, or caffeine. The only way alcohol leaves your system is time. Your liver takes the responsibility of munching through the alcohol as it does with other toxic substances until it is finally gone.
How Alcohol Is Bad for You
Here is an overview of the negative effects that alcohol has on your body from start to finish:
Short-term effects:
- Hangover
- Dizziness, nausea, and vomiting
- Sloppy coordination and balance
- Fatigue
- Alcohol poisoning
- Accidental injury
If you drink alcohol often, you are familiar with these short-term effects. Maybe it has never happened to you, it has happened to those around you.
Long-term Effects
It would have been good if we only had to deal with the acute blunt of alcohol usage. However, the health consequences of alcohol build up over time to cause dire health issues. Here is a list of potential health issues that come with regular alcohol consumption:
- Weight gain
- Increased cardiometabolic risk
- Liver damage (liver cirrhosis and failure)
- Heart attack
- Dementia
- Alcohol dependence
- Various forms of cancer (mouth, throat, liver, breast, and stomach)
Many people often argue that they have family members who have actively engaged in alcohol consumption but lived long. This logic is the bandwagon fallacy. Remember that everybody’s body reacts separately to alcohol consumption. So your body might just be the ideal specimen.
Parting Note
Alcohol might be your go-to drink whenever you are feeling down or just for recreation. However, the effect it has on the body builds up and can drastically damage your way of life. So, you live healthier; we recommend you cut down on excess drinking and focus on safety alternatives like water.
Disclaimer: The opinions, views, and information expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or opinions of iNaijanow. The company assumes no liability for errors, omissions, or damages from using this information.
