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Side Effects of Drinking Alcohol

Veethi Telang
Some 10,000 years and still running! People consume it, even when they know the various side effects of drinking alcohol. Let us unleash the most common side effects that alcohol has on the human body.
It's some kind of a nervous system drug. It may be beneficial to some extent, but losing control over the consumption can lead to alcohol abuse.
Drinking Alcohol: Side Effects on the Body
Consumption of alcohol has its own set of side effects which make the body transform steadily. While a person is in his initial alcoholism stage, he is happy, relaxed, and elated. However, that makes way for stumbling movements and a sensation of vomiting and headache.
Firstly, as mentioned in the very beginning, effects of alcohol on the central nervous system are the most critical ones. Alcohol influences the emotional functions as well as the abilities of the brain.
Astonishingly, rise in blood alcohol level increases the capacity to tolerate pain which can be one of the most negative effects of alcohol on your body. Along with that, memory loss, perplexity, dependency, animated talking, etc. are some short term effects of alcohol on your body.
Secondly, drinking alcohol results in the bursting of capillaries and blood vessels, which can lead to brain hemorrhage, and later death. Loss in hemoglobin, reduced immunity to infections and irritations, and a decreased strength to overcome them.
What's more, one of the most common side effects is it adversely affects the bone marrow function. Alcoholism can lead to considerable reduction in the red and white blood cell count, thus, resulting in weakening the anatomy of the bones.
Thirdly, there are many antibiotics which, if consumed prior to drinking alcohol, can upset your stomach, cause drowsiness, dizziness, and vomiting sensation too. The key reason behind this is that alcohol and antibiotics compete for similar metabolic enzymes.
Fourthly, alcohol addiction reduces the flow of blood into and through the body muscles, thereby, leading to immense weakness and deterioration of the muscles. This can lead to sluggish heart or cardiomyopathy.
Hence, we can say that the more alcohol a person consumes, the weaker the body muscles become. However, it should be noted that, small amounts of alcohol everyday would not contribute to any damage that happens to your body, but heavy drinking will have a number of serious side effects.
Lastly, one of the most striking side effects of consumption of alcohol is on the hormones in the body. Alcohol straightaway reduces the production of body hormones, which results in a person becoming excessively vulnerable to infections and allergies. What's more, excessive alcohol in men can result in increased estrogen, a female hormone, which may lead to the development of female features such as enlarged breasts, and decreased body hair. Precisely, alcohol is one of the key causes for infertility in both men as well as women. However, this can be tagged under long term effects of alcohol on your body.
While these were some major side effects that consumption of alcohol has, to follow below is a list of some common short-term as well as long-term consequences, or should I say, some more harmful effects of liquor consumption on the body:
  • Lack of concentration
  • Memory loss
  • Mood swings
  • Decreased tendency to react
  • Animated speech
  • Jaundice
  • Liver cancer
  • Hepatitis (alcoholic)
  • Breast cancer
  • Atrophy of testes
  • High blood pressure
  • Stroke
  • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
  • Gastritis
  • Kidney failure
When people consume alcohol, it is totally absorbed into their bloodstream, thereby, straightaway affecting the nervous system. We all know that the nervous system is operational on virtually all body functions.
Hence, considering the dreadful effects of the consumption of alcohol, too much of it is a strict no-no. However, there are still some benefits of alcohol you can experience, only if you drink it in small volumes.