Dangers of Excessive Drinking

 

Drinking heavily on a regular basis can have many health consequences to your body and brain. Long term effects of drinking heavily can lead to several health effects including liver disease, heart disease, lowered immune system, irregular heartbeats, digestive system issues, and several cancers, including breast cancers. Binge drinking is a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration to 0.08%, which is about 5 or more drinks for mean or 4 or more drinks for women in about 2 hours. Even if you are not binge drinking on the regular, even one night of excessive drinking can lead to dangerous or even deadly consequences.

Here are some of the scary side effects of drinking heavily:

1. Alcohol Poisoning

 

Binge drinking or heavy drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning, which is when you drink so much alcohol the liver cannot process it which leads to issues such as slowed breathing, vomiting, confusion, passing out, low body temperature, and seizure. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and can stop a person’s breathing and/or heart rate when excessively drinking. This can lead to coma, brain damage, and death. Another risk factor of alcohol intoxication is vomiting while you are passed out which can cause a person to choke or breathe in their vomit. Excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to seizures when the blood sugar level drops low enough.

2. Impulsive Behavior

 

Alcohol affects your behaviors and lowers your inhibitions, which can cause dangerous impulsive behavior such as driving while under the influence, unsafe sex, suicide, or participating in risk-taking behavior that may result in injuries, to either yourself or someone else. Heavy drinking can also cause mood swings or changes which can include hostility, which increases your risk of getting into physical altercations.

3. Vision and Hearing Loss

 

Heavy drinking can cause many issues to your ears and hearing which can result in permanent hearing loss. Drinking alcohol can cause brain damage to the area that processes sound, damage tiny hair cells in the ear that receive sounds we hear, affect composition of the amount of fluid in your ear, and cause blood vessels to swell leading to ringing in the ears.

Other health risks of heavy drinking is damage to your eyes and vision. Drinking weakens the muscles of the eyes which can cause permanent damage to the optic nerve. Other side effects of alcohol on the eyes include disrupting communication between eyes and the brain leading to double vision, bloodshot eyes, and increased sensitivity to light causing migraine headaches.

Long Term Effects of Alcoholism

 

Excessive drinking can lead to chronic alcohol abuse and alcoholism. There are many long term effects of alcohol on the body and mind including:

  • Fatty liver and liver cirrhosis
  • Liver disease
  • Obesity
  • Irregular heartbeat and heart disease
  • Malnutrition
  • Compromised immune system
  • Hormonal issues
  • Several cancers, including liver, colon, and breast cancer
  • Digestive issues and stomach ulcers
  • Insomnia
  • Decreased attention span
  • Difficulty forming thoughts
  • Increase mental health disorders, including depression, insomnia, and bipolar disorder

Find Effective Treatment for Alcoholism with Union First

 

If you are struggling with controlling your alcohol consumption, there are treatment options available for all types of alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Union First can help you find the right alcohol treatment programs in your area. Our specialists will conduct a thorough evaluation and place you with treatment centers within our network of trusted, effective providers. We can also help protect your job while you receive behavioral health treatment under several state and federal labor laws. For additional information on how Union First services can help you get alcohol abuse and addiction treatment quickly, please do not hesitate to reach out to us today.

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