When Irresponsible And Abusive Drinking Leads To Serious Health Problems And Relationship And Friendship Difficulties
For more than a few years alcoholism exploration has demonstrated the fact that there is strong correlation between alcoholism and life-threatening health conditions and mental health issues such as depression.
For instance, in 2005, medical investigation and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics showed that alcohol abuse and alcoholism cost the United States an estimated $220 billion annually. It may be noted that this huge alcohol-related cash disbursement was significantly more than the cost associated with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is important to highlight these facts, it is also important to highlight the fact that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health problems.
More correctly, chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency are also highly associated with obesity and with cancer.
To be sure, substance abuse exploration has demonstrated the fact that alcohol addiction can augment the risk for various types of cancer, particularly cancer of the esophagus, kidneys, throat, rectum, liver, voice box (larynx), and the colon. Abusive and recurring drinking can also result in immune system problems and impairment to the fetus during pregnancy.
Hazardous and Excessive Drinking Deteriorates the Problem Drinker’s Systems and Organs
What is more, if alcoholism continues over a period of years, the individual’s body organs will probably be affected in a negative manner. As an illustration, chronic, hazardous drinking is particularly detrimental to the liver since the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been consumed. Extreme amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and eradicates the ability of liver cells to reproduce. This condition results in a progressive inflammatory malfunction of the liver that can at the end of the day lead to cirrhosis of the liver, an acute and possibly incurable disease. Heavy, long-term drinking not only can result in critical liver damage, but it can also lead to damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this severe may be irreparable and may, in turn, result in severe disease or premature death.
The Significance of Alcohol Rehabilitation
It is critical, as a result, to know how to identify the different alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcohol dependent person can be given the opportunity to get the professional alcohol counseling he or she needs.
Alcohol Dependency and Technologically Advanced Brain Research
Fortunately, medical exploration is persistently finding unique and important information. Recent alcoholism research provides an excellent example. More specifically, for roughly the past ten years, complicated brain-imaging scanning devices have demonstrated that repetitive and long-term excessive drinking changes the structure of the brain to a great extent, consequently resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or possibly as long as the individual lives.
Stated another way, medical exploration has demonstrated that people who have been drinking in an irresponsible manner for an extensive length of time increase their risk for developing lasting and severe alterations in the brain.
This type of damage may be directly related to severe liver disease, to the alcohol’s effects on the brain, or might be indirectly associated with the drinker’s poor overall health.
Excessive Drinking, Malnutrition, and Mental Disorders
As a final example of various health problems that are substantially related to alcoholism, take into account the fact that according to medical examination, the hazardous and repeated abuse of alcohol can lead to erosive gastritis, a health problem that limits the absorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
This type of organ failure is related to malnutrition and to a number of serious mental and neurological problems including sleep disturbances, memory loss, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter medical condition is an enduring incapacitating medical condition that is epitomized by recurring memory and learning problems.
Excessive and Irresponsible Drinking Also Results in Relationship and Friendship Problems
In addition to critical health problems, hazardous and abusive drinking also leads to relationship and friendship difficulties. For example, people who have drinking problems many times go through marital issues, sexuality problems, affairs, and divorce.
Summary: The Importance of Education
It is apparent that continued, excessive drinking is directly or indirectly related to many serious medical conditions that can and do result in dangerous diseases and premature death. Such information needs to be stressed and presented to everyone in our society, especially to all students, so that a multitude of individuals will be able to refrain from hazardous drinking while other people who have a drinking problem will get the quality therapy they need.
Let us look at this pragmatically. Yes, alcohol rehabilitation is important, but alcohol therapy is something that is typically done AFTER the fact. Education, conversely, is something that is done BEFORE the problem arises. Stated a different way, whereas alcohol rehabilitation is “reactive,” education is “proactive.” It is asserted that both approaches are necessary when discussing alcohol abuse and alcoholism.
