Alcohol

When the word alcohol is brought up, what do you think about? What comes to my mind is parties, and what people think they have to drink to have fun. Did you know that over 5,000 people under the age of 21 die each year from alcohol-related car crashes, suicides, homicides, alcohol poisoning, and other injuries such as falls, burns, and drowning? Alcohol can be a very dangerous substance if not treated correctly and drank responsibly. Alcohol is a form of a drug but unlike the other drug, marijuana, heroine, because this is socially accepted and is legal for anyone over the age of 21. It can have many good and bad affects to the body depending on whether you’re responsible or not. One way alcohol can be dangerous for the body is because it effects the brain and its functions. Long-term drinking can leave permanent damage, causing the brain to shrink and leading to several ­deficiencies in the fibers that carry information between brain cells. Many alcoholics develop a condition called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which is caused by a deficiency of B vitamin. This deficiency occurs because alcohol interferes with the way the body absorbs B vitamins. People with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome experience mental confusion and lack of coordination, and they may also have memory and learning problems. The body responds to the continual introduction of alcohol by coming to rely on it. This dependence causes long-term, debilitating changes in brain chemistry. The brain accommodates for the regular presence of alcohol by altering neurotransmitter production. But when the person stops or dramatically reduces his or her drinking, within 24 to 72 hours the brain goes into what is known as withdrawal as it tries to readjust its chemistry. Symptoms of withdrawal include disorientation, hallucinations, nausea, sweating and seizures. One of the bad things that can happen from alcohol is how it can affect family relationships. Married couples and partners also take on