How alcohol effect body?
by Cathy Chen
what is alcohol?
In chemistry, alcohol is a organic compound in which the hydroxyl functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated having single bonds to three other atoms.
affect to our body
Drinking too much – on a single occasion or over time – can take a serious toll on your health. Here’s how alcohol can affect your body:
Brain:
Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways, and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination.
Heart:
Drinking a lot over a long time or too much on a single occasion can damage the heart, causing problems including:
- Cardiomyopathy – Stretching and drooping of heart muscle
- Arrhythmias – Irregular heart beat
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
Research also shows that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol may protect healthy adults from developing coronary heart disease.
Liver:
Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including:
- Steatosis, or fatty liver
- Alcoholic hepatitis
- Fibrosis
- Cirrhosis
Pancreas:
Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can eventually lead to pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in the pancreas that prevents proper digestion.
Cancer:
Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of developing certain cancers, including cancers of the:
- Mouth
- Esophagus
- Throat
- Liver
- Breast
Immune System:
Drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for disease. Chronic drinkers are more liable to contract diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis than people who do not drink too much. Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows your body’s ability to ward off infections – even up to 24 hours after getting drunk.
What are the effect of alcohol?
Alcohol affects each of us differently – depending on a range of factors including:
- our weight;
- amount of muscle or fat we have;
- our gender;
- our age;
- other medicines and drugs in our system;
- other chemicals in our drinks;
- how fast we drinking;
- the amount of food in our stomach;
- our drinking history;
- our tolerance to alcohol;
- our physical health; and
- our mental health and emotional state.
If you regularly drink alcohol in excess, it is likely to cause problems. Some of the known short and long term effects of alcohol misuse include:
Short-Term effect
- Alcohol poisoning, coma and death
- Blackouts
- Blurred vision
- Drowning
- Fires
- Flushed appearance
- Headache
- Injuries associated with falls, accidents, violence and intentional self-harm
- Intense moods (aggression, elation, depression)
- Lack of co-ordination
- Loss of inhibitions and a false sense of confidence
- Motor vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian accidents
- Nausea and vomiting
- Reduced concentration
- Slower reflexes
- Slurred speech
Long term effect
- Alcohol dependency
- Alcohol related brain injury
- Cancers (including cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, bowel (in men) and breast (in women)
- Cirrhosis and liver failure
- Concentration and long-term memory problems
- Heart and cerebrovascular diseases including hypertension and stroke
- Poor nutrition
- Problems with the nerves of the arms and legs
- Sexual and reproductive problems (impotence, fertility)
- Skin problems
- Stomach complaints and problems
- Family and relationship problems
- Poor work performance
- Legal and financial difficulties