Long Term Effects Of Alcohol

What is alcohol? To most people “alcohol refers to the intoxicating ingredient in most beer, wine, liquor”. When people think of dangerous drugs, they probably think of heroin, crack cocaine, crystal meth or prescription painkillers. Because it is legal, alcohol is not, in most cases thought of as a substance with the ability to kill you or lead to chronic, irreversible health problems. It can wreak havoc with your health; destroy your family, your career, your hopes and dreams. Worst of all, it can directly result in death, or cause you to be responsible for causing death or harm to others, including strangers, friends and your own children. Alcohol can and does sometimes destroy all that is in its path and people should consume it in moderation.
The effects of alcohol can have damaging as well as beneficial benefits. The health
benefits of drinking, from recent studies suggest, alcohol in moderation can reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis. It may also lower mortality in adults age 35 and older. My thoughts are the cons outweigh the pros. Excessive drinking and alcohol abuse has severe debilitating drawbacks that could potentially lead to Cirrhosis of the liver and ultimately death.
Alcohol has so many different, yet linked, effects on different parts of the body. It needs no digestion, therefore is quickly absorbed in an empty stomach.
Large amounts of alcohol ingestion causes greater impairment to the brain that in turn, causes a person to have a greater degree of difficulty in functioning. It reaches the brain within minutes of consumption and can cause euphoria. Alcohol is rapidly absorbed in the small intestines and metabolizes before most nutrients; it cannot be stored in the body and can be toxic.
The liver absorbs Ninety percent of alcohol. The liver therefore receives the most devastating effects of alcohol. On average, before the liver can process alcohol, a threshold amount must first be drank and can occur at the rate of one 10 oz. wine cooler, one 12 oz. can of beer, 1 5 oz. glass of wine, or 1 1/2 oz. shot of whiskey per hour. Alcohol is eliminated through breath and urine; because of this, the breathalyzer and urine test are used for inebriation. The amounts present in this test are proportionate to the amount of alcohol present in the blood stream and brain. In most states, a person is legally drunk at .10 percent. People should drink no more than one drink per hour to ensure the liver can process the alcohol, but because individuals have different tolerances for alcohol, it is impossible to name the exact daily amount for each person.
Alcohol is considered a narcotic and has been used for centuries as a pain killer. This was dangerous because it is impossible to determine the dosage a person needed and how much would be too much. Many people also drink alcohol socially to relax. It is considered a depressant, although many think it is a stimulant.
Alcohol can have short as well as long-term effects.
Some of the short term effects are dehydration, malnutrition, impaired judgment, slurred speech, blurred vision, delayed reaction time, staggered walking, stupor, confusion, inability to comprehend, and unconsciousness. Long-term effects include but are not limited to: Arthritis, Cancer, heart disease, Hyperglycemia, Hypoglycemia, infertility, liver disease, nerve disorders, and shock comma, just to name a few. Luckily, people usually pass out before they are able to drink a lethal dose of alcohol. If a person consumes alcohol quickly though, the effects can continue after they pass out. It is also possible to stop breathing and die from drinking. One of the most devastating long-term effects of alcohol is the damage done to a child whose mother abused alcohol while pregnant. These are called Fetal Alcohol spectrum disorders and can range from mild to severe. The most severe is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which can cause problems with attention span, memory, vision, hearing, and abilities to learn and communicate. Defects will vary from person to person but are most often
permanent.
Alcohol is related to 20 percent of all boating fatalities, 23 percent of suicides, 39 percent of traffic fatalities, 40 percent of all residential fire fatalities, 47 percent of homicides and 65 percent of domestic violence incidents.
I feel that by rising the drinking age, it would give immature children more time to mature and make better choices when it comes to drinking. Those under the age of 21 should pay more attention to their future. Twenty-one is very young and people have the rest of their lives to have a drink, if that is what they choose to do.
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. It is among the most abused drugs in our society. Alcohol can be as potent as many other illegal drugs. It can also cause severe damage to a developing fetus. People often do not realize that they are becoming dependent on alcohol until it is too late.