Alcohol addiction and its harmful consequences

Aug 17
20:32

2019

lakshmikrishnanunni

lakshmikrishnanunni

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Drinking too much alcohol can cause serious health issues and can strip your life totally. Now, read the article to know it's health consequences and what all the ways you can deal the situation.

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Alcohol addiction or alcoholism is a chronic condition which affects individuals in all strides of life. Drinking has become a centre of attraction in many social parties,Alcohol addiction and its harmful consequences Articles celebrations and other enjoyments. Individuals who are heavily drinking on a day-to-day basis or a binge drinker cannot stay away from alcohol for a longer time. If you feel that you are drinking too much or if you and your family members are more concerned about your drinking habits, then talk with your doctor or healthcare professional and get their support and help. They can suggest you about the best alcohol treatment options that suits best on your situation. Treatments can include rehabilitation, detoxification, counselling, and sometimes medication.

 

What are the medical consequences of alcohol addiction?

If you are too much addicted to alcohol, it can cause many health consequences.

A few of them are listed below:

Liver disease: Heavy drinking over a while can replace healthy liver tissue with the scar tissue causing severe damage to the liver. It finally stops the functioning of the liver. The advanced stage of liver disease can lead to alcoholic liver cirrhosis.

 

Gastritis (inflammation of stomach lining): Is gulping more alcohol irritates your stomach?  Yes! This is because; indulging even a small amount of alcohol can increase stomach acid which in turn irritates your stomach lining. To avoid inflammation, slowly cut down your heavy drinking episodes. This is the only way to protect your stomach lining from further damage.

High blood pressure: Well! Heavy drinking can raise your blood pressure to an elevated level. If you are already suffering from hypertension, then avoid alcohol or drink in moderation. Also, there is a possibility of gaining weight among heavy drinkers as this could also trigger high blood pressure among individuals.

 

Heart disease: Heart disease is quite a common thing to happen among heavy drinkers. This is because excessive drinking can increase your blood pressure and this is one of the most common risk factors leading to stroke and heart attack. 

 

Depression: Yes! Alcohol addiction can induce depression in many individuals and can lead to more drinking in individuals. If you are already on medical treatment for depression, drinking alcohol can make antidepressants less effective. So, cutting back alcohol is the only way to improve mood.

 

Anxiety: Drinking heavily can increase anxiety levels causing severe mental and physical consequences. This is because of the serotonin levels and neurotransmitters in the brain changes when alcohol comes in contact. Even when the alcohol washes out, the alcohol-induced anxiety still stays for several hours.

 

Bone loss: If you are a chronic heavy drinker, there’s a higher possibility to affect your bone health which increases the risk of osteoporosis later in your life especially during your adolescence period. Alcohol harms calcium and hence the calcium is leached away making your bones to deteriorate. This occurs because when the alcohol reaches the stomach, it interfaces with the pancreas making calcium and Vitamin D less effective for absorption.Talk with your doctor if you feel any episodes of pain or have any fractures.  Your doctor may recommend a bone density test to estimate the risk of breaking bones and falls in the coming years. The doctor may prescribe bisphosphonates pills or bone-building medications as a treatment option for individuals who have increased the chance of getting fractures. Order the medicines from the best online medicine companies in India.

  

Cancer: Do you surprised to know alcohol consumption can cause 7 different types of cancer? Yes! It can cause mouth cancer, oesophageal cancer, bowel cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, pharyngeal cancer and laryngeal cancer. Even a small amount of alcohol intake can cause cancer. It’s good to cut down alcohol consumption to reduce the risk.

 

Ulcers: Yes! There is a strong link between heavy drinking and the development of peptic ulcers, which is nothing but the development of open sores that occurs along with the linings of the stomach. These are very painful open sores and can cause nausea, vomiting, bloating and heartburn. The ulcer can be healed only when you limit your alcohol intake; otherwise, it can only make the condition worse. Call your doctor immediately if you experience any of the above-said symptoms,

A few medications are available in the market to prevent the relapse or to reduce the drinking patterns. Your health care professional may prescribe the medicine to use alone or in combination with counselling. Along with the alcohol addiction treatment, you may need to seek medical care if you have any other health complications. If your doctor prescribes medicines for other disorders, order your prescription medicines online from any leading online medicine store at a discounted price.

 

How to deal with alcohol addiction?

Overcoming alcohol addiction is not an easy and smooth task. The road will be full of bumps and the journey to cut down your alcohol or to stop your drinking habits may face a lot of obstacles. So, to achieve your transforming habits, we have discussed a few tips which will help you to deal with the situation in a better way. Read on!

 

1) Make a table and differentiate the importance of drinking and quitting alcohol. Also, make a rough picture to know about the benefits of drinking and quitting as well.

2) Put yourself in the middle of the positively influencing people who can make you feel good about yourself. This helps you to stay motivated and drag you towards a positive note when you are on the recovery track.

3) Find new hobbies that interest you to keep you occupied so that, the drinking option will hold less demand.

4) Many individuals are often misguided to use alcohol as a stress buster. Instead, practise healthy habits like exercise, meditating, yoga and breathing exercises to keep your stress level in check.

5) Get yourself involved in various support groups and talk with the people whom you trust when you are on the urge of drinking.

6) When you have alcohol cravings, remind yourself about the long term effects and the reasons to quit. This way you can manage your cravings.

7) To motivate and boost your confidence level, try reading self-help books.

8) Avoid hanging out with friends or colleagues who are heavy or binge drinkers

9) Stop storing alcohol bottles at home.

 

The biggest and toughest challenge while quitting your alcohol habits is to manage the first 72 hours of abstinence. If you face issues while going through the phase, it is imperative to get support from the healthcare provider. So, book doctor consultation online and seek a doctor’s advice to reinvest in getting your healthier life back.