Negative Effects of Alcohol

Alcohol is a very charming, enticing, and definitely intoxicating drink. Even if you are a non-drinker, there are times perhaps at a social gathering, where you may have taken a sip, and loved what it did to you. Slowly, the sips turned into entire glass(es), on a regular basis. Perhaps holding a glass of alcohol made you feel more confident (and powerful) among a group. The initial effect of the alcohol was wonderful, but now you noticed that these effects are more negative than positive. You can't concentrate, you feel restless, and only alcohol can calm your system. You have become a victim of alcohol addiction. You probably don't love alcohol anymore, you drink it only to avoid all the short term negative effects of alcohol. What you don't know is that this alcohol is eating into your system, and preparing it for disaster. What are these effects of alcohol on the body? Why should you give it up even at the cost of short term discomfort? We tell you, here.

Negative Effects of Alcohol on the Body

So what are the effects of alcohol on your body? All the effects given below are results of alcohol abuse over time. There are short term effects of alcoholism too, that are common in the form of hangovers, blurred vision, poor memory, weakened hand eye coordination, headaches, nausea, stomach aches and vomiting. Continue ignoring these, and the symptoms will only get magnified into problems that can prove fatal.

Liver Disease
Liver disease or cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver is one of the most common effects of alcohol addiction and abuse. In some cases, people are known to develop a condition known as alcoholic hepatitis, a disease marked by the inflammation of the liver. This condition shows itself in the form of jaundice, severe pain in the abdomen, vomiting, nausea and high fever as the short term effects of alcohol on your body. Continually drinking alcohol in spite of these symptoms can become fatal. If the condition is noticed at the right time, and given the right treatment, it is possible that its effects can be reversed to a certain extent.

Heart Disease
The long term effects of alcohol on your body include an increase the risk of heart disease. This however, is an indirect process, where the blood pressure is first affected, which then affects the heart and leads to conditions such as stroke.

Cancer
Another common long term effect of alcohol abuse is the development of different types of cancer. This may be cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum. Women who are addicted to alcohol, or consume larger amounts on a regular basis are at the risk of developing breast cancer, particularly if they are already prone to it.

Brain Damage
How does alcohol affect the brain? The effects of alcohol on the brain manifest in various forms. Excessive consumption of alcohol damages the brain cells, which slowly begin to affect your daily activities. Impaired judgment, loss of concentration, poor attention, delayed reaction time, poor dexterity in the form of impaired hand-eye coordination, slurred speech, and memory loss are all the included in the negative effects of alcohol on the brain in the short as well as the long run. In fact, over time with the continuous damage to your brain cells, it is likely that your movements and motions will also get affected and you will not be able to control them. For instance, bladder and bowel control may get affected due to the effect of alcohol on the brain.

Effects on Sleep
While an immediate effect of alcohol is to put you to sleep, in the long run, alcoholism affects the quality as well as the duration of sleep. It is not refreshing or useful. In fact, you will notice that once the alcohol is stopped completely, as an aftereffect or what is known as an effect of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome, the sleep patterns will be disturbed and filled with frightening nightmares. Alcohol has a sedative effect, and this pattern of abnormal sleep after the withdrawal of any sedative is common. However, the negative effects of alcohol on sleep can in turn affect your concentration and attention, and hinder your daily activities.

Dehydration
Alcohol has diuretic properties that result in extreme dehydration, which can take a long time for recovery. While dehydration is dangerous even in common folk, it is one of the worst negative effects of alcohol on athletes, as it puts them at a higher risk for bodily and muscular injuries. Since athletes are physically active for most of the time during the day, this combination with dehydration can cause fatigue, loss of muscle mass, poor appetite and even death.

Other Negative Effects of Alcohol

The above mentioned effects are not the only negative effects of alcohol, there are several others, that have been enlisted here:

• Infertility in men and women is a common effect, and also causes low testosterone levels (thereby, a low sperm count) in men.
• Erectile dysfunction in men, thereby causing poor sexual performance is a result of alcohol abuse.
• It is common knowledge that excess consumption of alcohol causes one to become overweight or obese over time. A lot of people have regained their original body contours, just by giving up alcohol.
• Ulcers of the mouth and stomach are common harmful effects of alcohol.
• A deficiency of vitamins in the body is another negative effect of alcohol, which in turn becomes a cause for cancer in the body.
• One of the side effects of alcohol also shows itself in the form of different skin conditions in the body.

It is probably evident now that an excess of alcohol can do no good to your system, and in fact, can lead to alcohol poisoning. The idea is to consume alcohol in moderation, perhaps as a social drinker, and it will do you more good than harm. Yes, there are certain benefits of consuming alcohol, but only when done in moderation. Of course you could choose to stop drinking alcohol altogether, and that would be ideal. These negative effects of alcohol will slowly take a toll on your system, and render useless, your life so precious. The decision to make a change is now yours.