Returning home from a doctor’s appointment, you see that your dad is not in a good mood. You ask how the appointment went, and he tells you that his doctor had bad news for him. He’s overweight, at risk for heart disease and diabetes and shows elevated liver enzymes. You ask if the doctor knows what could be causing the issues. Your father answers, “He thinks I drink too much!”
Dad has always been a heavy drinker, but he keeps things in check. He works, pays the bills and takes care of the family. But now that he’s getting older, the alcohol use is taking a toll on his body. You do a quick Google search for “alcoholism side effects” and find that your dad may also be at risk for certain cancers, dementia and organ damage. Now this issue has your full attention.
Over 68 percent of people who die from excessive alcohol use in Arizona are male. Your father certainly isn’t alone. However, you don’t want your dad becoming another statistic. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to be. With the right alcohol addiction treatment services, your father can recover and heal from his alcohol use and enjoy his golden years in good health.
Let’s learn more about alcohol use disorders, the short- and long-term effects and where to find support.
Why Do People Abuse Alcohol?
Even though alcohol is accessible and legal, it is still a substance that carries risks. Like other drugs, alcohol has a powerful effect on the brain. It often produces pleasurable feelings, causing people to feel happy and sociable. These positive feelings can temporarily alleviate stress and help people escape negative thoughts and emotions.
However, by continuing to drink alcohol, changes occur in the structure and function of the brain. These changes make it difficult to control alcohol use, which is why people with AUD have a difficult time stopping once they start. Even if they try to quit or cut back, they are likely to experience painful alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Furthermore, a person with AUD builds tolerance to alcohol, meaning they need larger quantities to achieve the desired results. This causes people to indulge more, and possibly even combine alcohol with other substances like cannabis or opioids. It’s a dangerous cycle, but one that can be stopped with the appropriate support.
What are the Side Effects of Alcoholism?
Most people are aware that excess drinking can have a negative effect on a person’s physical health. However, alcohol use disorder takes a toll on all aspects of a person’s life – mentally, emotionally and socially. Let’s look closer at the short- and long-term side effects of alcohol use disorder.
Short-Term Side Effects of Alcohol Use Disorder
When you drink alcohol, it passes quickly into your bloodstream instead of being digested. This means that it is able to travel throughout the body, affecting vital organs. How you are affected depends on various factors, such as your age, weight, gender and metabolism. For instance, alcohol affects women faster than men because they are typically smaller, weigh less and have less tissue to absorb the alcohol.
As alcohol travels through the body, here are some of the short-term effects it can have:
Brain
Alcohol dulls parts of the brain that control how the body works. This is why when you drink, you have a harder time staying in control. You may slur your words, have blurred vision or experience poor coordination. Alcohol can also influence your mood, causing you to feel angry, anxious, or depressed. Inadequate hydration and guilt/shame caused by heavy alcohol use can also come with panic attacks.
Stomach
About 20 percent of alcohol is absorbed in the stomach – the other 80 percent passes into the small intestine. Since alcohol increases the flow of stomach juices, it stimulates the appetite, which is where the ‘drunchies’ come from. However, a large amount of juices can dull the appetite and lead to malnutrition.
You can also develop an ulcer by drinking too much. This happens as a result of the stomach acids mixing with the alcohol and irritating the stomach lining.
Bloodstream
When alcohol gets into your bloodstream, it widens the blood vessels, causing feelings of warmth. This is why many people get flushed skin when they drink. But, this feeling doesn’t last for long as the extra blood passes right out of your body. This causes your body temperature and blood pressure to drop.
Kidneys
Alcohol affects the kidneys in a couple of different ways. First, it is a diuretic, meaning that it increases urine production. When you urinate more often, you need to drink more water to prevent dehydration. Second, alcohol can disrupt the hormones that affect kidney function.
Liver
Most of the alcohol you drink is metabolized in the liver. Essentially, what your liver is doing is converting alcohol into water and carbon monoxide. The liver is able to handle a small amount of alcohol, but if you continue drinking, it becomes stressed and can incur damage.
Alcohol Poisoning
Alcohol poisoning happens when you drink too much in a short period of time. The alcohol shuts down critical parts of the brain responsible for breathing, heart rate and gag reflex. Alcohol poisoning is considered a medical emergency, as it can lead to death.
Long-Term Side Effects of Alcohol Use Disorder
Drinking excessively over a long period of time can potentially damage vital organs in your body. It also puts you at risk for dependence and alcohol use disorder, which has symptoms of its own. Alcohol use disorder ranges from mild to severe and involves cravings and urges to drink, withdrawal symptoms, tolerance and drinking despite negative consequences.
Long-term alcohol use disorder side effects include:
- Poor cardiovascular health. Excessive alcohol use raises the risk for heart damage as it increases blood pressure and weight. This makes you more likely to experience a heart attack, stroke or type 2 diabetes.
- Shrinking brain. Over time, alcohol changes how the brain looks and functions. In fact, the brain actually shrinks in size, negatively affecting how you think, learn and remember information.
- Liver disease. The liver can metabolize some alcohol, but too much can cause extensive strain on the organ, increasing the risk of fatty liver, cirrhosis or alcoholic hepatitis.
- Inflamed pancreas. Chronic alcohol use can cause inflammation in the pancreas, leading to permanent damage. If this happens, the pancreas won’t be able to make insulin, putting you at risk for diabetes.
- Lowered immune system. Alcohol slows down your body’s immune system by stopping the production of white blood cells. Long-term heavy drinkers are much more likely to get sick frequently with pneumonia or tuberculosis.
- Cancer. Alcohol is associated with a heightened risk for cancer, specifically breast, liver, esophageal, head and neck and colorectal. Even prostate, pancreatic and skin cancer rates are higher in individuals with AUD.
Getting Help for Alcoholism (Alcohol Use Disorder) in Prescott and Phoenix, AZ
When you’re living with an AUD, it’s easy to feel hopeless and helpless. This is what the disease wants you to think. But, many people are able to recover from alcohol use disorder, and you can, too. The key is getting the right support and giving yourself time to establish new habits and coping skills. Wolf Creek Recovery offers highly personalized treatment services tailored to each client’s needs. To learn more about the treatment programs offered at Wolf Creek Recovery, contact our team today at 833-732-8202. We are here to provide support and empower you to build a life you love.
