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Stop Drinking Tips - The Slow Poison

by: DavidPeters
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Word Count: 841

The modern way of life brings along with innumerable tensions, be it the mounting levels of stress at the workplace, or the taut strains of social relationships. Consequently, it is not uncommon to find an ever increasing section of society, resorting to as a means of alleviating their stress and thus falling prey to the devastating disease called alcoholism. But their stress-handling mechanism, more often than not, backfires as a majority of these individuals are unaware of the unending cycle of depression they are trapping themselves in. This is because alcohol, by nature, is a depressant. And hence, the more you drink, the deeper you entrench yourself in the very depression you are trying to escape, as to rid yourself of the misery alcohol is causing, you drink even more. And this excessive amount of alcohol that you consume causes severe and often irreparable damage to your body, which can even result in death.

Alcohol travels down your esophagus, into your stomach from where it spreads into your bloodstream. This blood then flows to your liver which metabolizes the alcohol by first breaking it down into simpler chemicals and finally into carbon dioxide and water for your system to excrete. Your liver is capable of converting only a certain amount of alcohol at a given point of time and if you inundate your system with larger amounts of alcohol than your liver can process, the alcohol stays back in the bloodstream, increasing the toxic levels of your blood tremendously.

Alcohol directly attacks your liver by causing large amounts of fat to be deposited in it. Although this condition is not very severe and can be reversed if you stop drinking heavily, it can also lead to alcohol hepatitis where your liver is inflamed. In its mild stages, hepatitis is usually not noticed as it does not have any distinct symptoms of its own. However, when this inflammation becomes chronic, it leads to over production of bilirubin in the liver, which causes jaundice and finally liver failure. Further, alcohol also leads to the production of scar tissue in the liver or fibrosis. This scar tissue damages the cells in your liver and prevents new ones from growing, which can also result in liver failure. Liver Cirrhosis is even more difficult to detect as the symptoms manifest themselves very gradually and often when the condition is at its most severe.

One of the most frequent origins of heart disease is excessive consumption of alcohol. Alcohol causes severe and long term damage to your heart, invariably leads to high blood pressure and can also lead to stroke. Victims of alcohol abuse are also known to develop Alcohol Cardiomyopathy, when their excesses with alcohol result in abnormal enlargement and diminishment of their cardio-vascular health.

Sustained abuse of alcohol also results in Alcohol Dementia, where your drinking patterns inflict severe damage on your nervous system, negatively influencing your memory, learning abilities and reasoning. With time, you may even begin to experience lapses in your memory which many alcoholics try to cover up with elaborate tales, which is called Korsakoff Psychosis which can even result in paranoia. The alcoholic may also experience difficulties with his basic cognitive functions like reasoning and problem solving which impairs his social and personal interactions.

Prolonged abuse of alcohol also affects the pancreas, causing a severe inflammation which is called Pancreatitis, a condition which may also lead to him contracting Diabetes. Also, the high calorific content of most alcoholic drinks makes the victim susceptible to obesity and high blood pressure. A victim of alcoholism may also be undernourished as alcohol wears out the inner lining of the stomach and thus interferes in the absorption of many essential nutrients, while also impairing the individual's appetite. Alcohol is also directly responsible for the growth of cancerous tissue in the mouth, liver, colon and gullet while also causing erectile dysfunction in males and putting female alcoholics at an acute risk of developing complications during pregnancy.

Although research has proved that the body can absorb moderate levels of alcohol and even profit from the lowered risk of heart disease that alcohol grants, it is vital that you remember that drinking any more than three times a day, brings the negative traits if alcohol to the fore. There are several other, more proven ways to boost your cardiovascular health, like a well-planned diet and an active lifestyle which incorporates a reasonable amount of exercise. It may so happen that you, as a victim may very often be unaware of the devastating impact your consumption of alcohol is causing, as one of the primary symptoms of alcoholism. Many symptoms may not be discernible, until they are at their most crucial phases, which makes treating them a lot more difficult. So, the next time you set out on a night of mindless partying, which can't do without frivolous amounts of alcohol, pay heed to that little voice which reminds you of all the damage you are inflicting on yourself and consider if that shot of vodka is indeed worth jeopardizing your physical and mental wellbeing

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