Dangers Of Alcoholism

[sikh supreme]

HOW SERIOUS IS ALCOHOLISM?

About 100,000 deaths a year can be wholly or partially attributed to drinking, and alcoholism reduces life expectancy by 10 to 12 years. Next to smoking, it is the most common preventable cause of death in America. Although studies indicate that adults who drink moderately (about one drink a day) have a lower mortality rate than their non-drinking peers, their risk for untimely death increases with heavier drinking. The earlier a person begins drinking heavily, the greater their chance of developing serious illnesses later on. Once one becomes dependent on alcohol, it is very difficult to quit. In one study, after five years, two-thirds of people with alcoholism were still dependent.

General Effects on the Body

Alcohol can affect the body in so many ways that researchers are having a hard time determining exactly what the consequences are from drinking. It is well known, however, that chronic consumption leads to many problems, some of them deadly.

* Alcoholism can kill in many different ways, and, in general, people who drink regularly have a higher rate of death from injury, violence, and some cancers.

* Frequent, heavy drinking is associated with a higher risk for alcohol-related medical disorders (pancreatitis, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, nerve damage, and impotence) than is episodic drinking or continuous drinking without intoxication.

* As people age, it takes fewer drinks to become intoxicated, and organs can be damaged by smaller amounts of alcohol than in younger people. Also, up to one-half of the 100 most prescribed drugs for older people react adversely with alcohol.

* Alcohol abusers who require surgery also have an increased risk of postoperative complications, including infections, bleeding, insufficient heart and lung functions, and problems with wound healing. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms after surgery may impose further stress on the patient and hinder recuperation.

The Effects of Hangover

Although not traditionally thought of as a medical problem, a 2000 review of studies found that hangovers have significant consequences that include changes in liver function, hormonal balance, and mental functioning and an increased risk for depression and cardiac events. Hangovers can impair job performance, increasing the risk for mistakes and accidents. Interestingly, hangovers are generally more common in light to moderate drinkers than heavy and chronic drinkers, suggesting that binge drinking can be as threatening as chronic drinking. Any man who drinks more than five drinks or any woman who has over three drinks is at risk for a hangover.

Overdose

Alcohol overdose can lead to death. This is a particular danger for adolescents who may want to impress their friends with their ability to drink alcohol but cannot yet gauge its effects. It is important to note that alcohol overdose doesn't only occur from any one heavy drinking incident, but may also occur from a constant infusion of alcohol in the blood stream.

Accidents, Suicide, and Murder

Alcohol plays a major role in more than half of all automobile fatalities. Less than two drinks can impair the ability to drive. Alcohol also increases the risk of accidental injuries from many other causes. One study of emergency room patients found that having had more than one drink doubled the risk of injury, and more than four drinks increased the risk eleven times. Another study reported that among emergency room patients who were admitted for injuries, 47% tested positive for alcohol and 35% were intoxicated. Of those who were intoxicated, 75% showed evidence of chronic alcoholism. This disease is the primary diagnosis in one quarter of all people who commit suicide, and alcohol is implicated in 67% of all murders.

Domestic Violence and Effects on Family

Alcoholic households are less cohesive, have more conflicts, and their members are less independent and expressive than households with nonalcoholic or recovering alcoholic parents. Domestic violence is a common consequence of alcohol abuse.

Effect on relationship.

Research suggests that for women and men, the most serious risk factor for injury from domestic violence may be a history of alcohol abuse in their partner.

Effect on Children.

Alcoholism in parents also increases the risk for violent behavior and abuse toward their children. Children of alcoholics tend to do worse academically than others, have a higher incidence of depression, anxiety, and stress and lower self-esteem than their peers. One study found that children who were diagnosed with major depression between the ages of six and 12 were more likely to have alcoholic parents or relatives than were children who were not depressed. In addition to their own inherited risk for later alcoholism, one study found that 41% of children of alcoholics have serious coping problems that may be life long.

Adult children of alcoholic parents are at higher risk for divorce and for psychiatric symptoms. One study concluded that the only events with greater psychological impact on children are sexual and physical abuse.

Increased Risk for Other Addictions

Researchers are finding common genetic factors in alcohol and nicotine addiction, which may explain, in part, why alcoholics are often smokers. Alcoholics who smoke compound their health problems. More alcoholics die from tobacco-related illnesses, such as heart disease or cancer, than from chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, or other conditions that are more directly tied to excessive drinking.

The Effect on Mental Functioning

Effect of Recent Alcohol Use. Drinking too much alcohol can cause mild neurologic problems in anyone, including insomnia and headache. In a 1999 study, loss of verbal memory and slower reaction times were associated with a higher incidence of recent alcohol use (ie, within the last 3 months). One study that used imaging techniques to scan the brains of inebriated subjects suggested that while alcohol stimulates those parts of the brain related to reward and induces euphoria, it does not appear to impair cognitive performance (the ability to think and reason).

Long-Term Alcohol Use.

Long-term alcohol use may physically affect the brain. Studies have reported less blood flow in the front lobes of the brain, which may reflect links to deeper levels.

Researchers are particularly interested in the effects on the hippocampus. This region in the brain is associated with learning and memory and the regulation of emotion, sensory processing, appetite, and stress. One 2000 study suggests that during adolescence the hippocampus is particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of alcohol.

Brain scans of people with long-term alcoholism have shown atrophy in different parts of the brain and reduced brain activity. Fortunately, this seems to be reversible with continued abstinence. A history of lifetime mild to moderate alcoholism, in any case, does not seem to impair mental functioning. Except in severe cases, any neurologic damage is not permanent and abstinence nearly always leads to recovery of normal mental function. Severely alcoholic patients, however, often have co-existing psychiatric or neurologic problems, and habitual use of alcohol eventually produces depression and confusion.

Liver Disorders

Alcohol is absorbed in the small intestine and passes directly into the liver, where it becomes the preferred energy source. The liver, then, is particularly endangered by alcoholism. In the liver, alcohol converts to toxic chemicals, notably acetaldehyde, which trigger the production of immune factors called cytokines. In large amounts, these agents cause inflammation and tissue injury and are proving to be major culprits in the destructive process in the liver, which leads to cirrhosis.

* only 10% of heavy drinks develop advanced liver disease. Not eating when drinking and consuming a variety of alcoholic beverages are factors that increase the risk for liver damage. Still, the amount of alcohol consumed and the patterns of drinking are only weak predictions of risk. Other risk factors have been identified that may increase the danger to the liver:

* Obesity is a major factor for all stages of liver disease.

* Women develop liver disease at lower quantities of alcohol intake than men.

* Genetic factors that regulate the immune responses also play role.

Alcoholic Hepatitis.

About 10% to 35% of heavy drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis (damaging inflammation in the liver). And, between 10% to 20% of these individuals develop cirrhosis, a progressive scarring of the liver that can eventually be fatal.

Viral Hepatitis B and C.

People with alcoholism tend to have lifestyles that put them at higher risk for hepatitis B and C, which are caused by viruses. These potentially chronic liver diseases than can also lead to cirrhosis and pose a risk for liver cancer. People with alcoholism should be immunized against hepatitis B; they may need a higher-than-normal dose of the vaccine for it to be effective. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C [ See also Well-Connected, Report #59, Hepatitis.]

Gastrointestinal Problems

Alcoholism can cause many problems in the gastrointestinal tract. Violent vomiting can produce tears in the junction between the stomach and esophagus. Alcoholism poses a high risk for diarrhea, hemorrhoids, and increases the risk for ulcers, particularly in people taking the painkillers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as aspirin or ibuprofen). Alcohol can contribute to serious and chronic inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) in people who are susceptible to this condition. It can also cause inflammation of the esophagus (esophagitis), which can lead to bleeding in heavy drinkers.

Effect on Heart Disease and Stroke

Benefits of Moderate Drinking. The effects of alcohol on heart disease and stroke vary depending on consumption. Evidence strongly suggests that light to moderate alcohol consumption (one or two drinks a day, especially of red wine) protects the heart and helps prevent stroke. The benefits are strongest in people at high risk for heart disease and may be fairly small in those at low risk. Wine drinkers, according to a Danish study, tend to enjoy a higher social status than non-wine drinkers, which suggests they have better general health and may account for heart protection. Nevertheless, other studies, including one in 2001, have found direct benefits on factors that affect blood flow and the heart, particularly with red wine.

Adverse Effects of Heavy Drinking.

On the other hand, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in alcoholics. The following are negative effects on the heart and circulation from high alcohol consumption.

* Evidence suggests that people who consume more than three drinks a day have abnormal blood clotting factors.

* Heavy alcohol consumption can raise blood pressure even in people with no history of heart disease. The more alcohol someone drank, the greater the increase in blood pressure, with binge drinkers (people who have nine or more drinks once or twice a week) being at greatest risk. One study found that binge drinkers had a risk for a cardiac emergency that was two and a half times that of nondrinkers.

* Heavy drinking, and particularly binge drinking, may also increase the risk for hemorrhagic stroke (caused by bleeding in the brain).

* Large doses of alcohol can trigger irregular heartbeats, which can be dangerous in people with existing heart disease.

* Alcohol abuse has also been associated with and may actually be one cause of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart enlarges and its muscles weaken, putting the patient at risk for heart failure.

Cancer

As with heart disease, light to moderate consumption of alcohol, particularly red wine, may protect against cancer. Cancer, however, is the second leading cause of death in alcoholics (after cardiovascular disease), and alcoholics have a rate of carcinoma 10 times higher than that of the general population. Alcohol is probably not the direct cause of cancer, but evidence suggests that it increase the effects of factors that can contribute to certain cancers. The following are some examples:

* Alcohol produces various enzymes in saliva that may be carcinogenic and increase the risk of upper digestive cancers in certain individuals.

* Studies suggest that alcohol, in combination with tobacco smoke, causes genetic damage that is associated with the development of cancer in the upper airways, the esophagus, and liver.

* Moderate use of alcohol has also been associated with a higher risk for breast cancer, possibly because of increased estrogen levels or because the liver overproduces certain carcinogenic growth factors in response to alcohol.

* Alcoholism is also highly associated with invasive cervical and vaginal cancers. This high risk, however, may be due to behaviors associated with both alcoholism and these cancers (smoking, promiscuity, use of hormonal contraception, and dietary deficiencies).

Effects on the Lung

Pneumonia. Acute alcoholism is strongly associated with very serious pneumonia. One study on laboratory animals suggests that alcohol specifically damages the bacteria-fighting capability of lung cells. (Chronic alcoholism also causes changes in the immune system, although in people without any existing medical problems these changes do not appear to be significant.)

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. One study indicated that intensive care patients with a history of alcohol abuse have a significantly higher risk for developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) during hospitalization. ARDS is a form of lung failure that can be fatal. It can be caused by many of the medical conditions common in chronic alcoholism, including severe infection, trauma, blood transfusions, pneumonia, and other serious lung conditions.

Skin, Muscle, and Bone Disorders

Severe alcoholism is associated with osteoporosis (loss of bone density), muscular deterioration, skin sores, and itching. Alcohol-dependent women seem to face a higher risk than men for damage to muscles, including muscles of the heart, from the toxic effects of alcohol. Peripheral neuropathy, damage to the nerves in the limbs, occurs in 5% to 15% of people with alcoholism. Such injuries cause tingling, pain, and numbness in the hands, feet, arms and legs.

Hormonal Effects on Men and Women

Alcoholism increases levels of the female hormone estrogen and reduces levels of the male hormone testosterone, factors that possibly contribute to impotence in men and infertility in women. Increased estrogen levels in women may also play a role in the higher rates of breast cancer observed in women who even drink moderately. Drinking also increases the loss of melatonin, a hormone associated with sleep regulation.

Pregnancy and Infant Development

Even moderate amounts of alcohol can have damaging effects on the developing fetus, including low birth weight and an increased risk for miscarriage. High amounts can cause fetal alcohol syndrome, a condition that can cause mental and growth retardation. One study indicated a significantly higher risk for leukemia in infants of women who drank any type of alcohol during pregnancy.

Effect on People with Diabetes

Moderate alcohol consumption may help protect the hearts of adults with adult-onset, also called type 2, diabetes. It should be noted, however, that alcohol can cause hypoglycemia, a drop in blood sugar, which is especially dangerous for people with diabetes who are taking insulin. Intoxicated diabetics may not be able to recognize symptoms of hypoglycemia, a particularly hazardous condition.

Malnutrition and Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

People with alcoholism should be sure to take vitamin supplements. Even apparently well-nourished people with alcoholism may be deficient in important vitamins, such as the following:

* Of particular concern in alcoholism is a severe deficiency in thiamin (vitamin B1), which can cause a serious condition called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Symptoms of this syndrome include severe loss of balance, confusion, and memory loss. Eventually, it can result in permanent brain damage and death.

* Another serious nutritional problem among alcoholics is B vitamin folic acid deficiency, which can cause severe anemia.

* Deficiencies in potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and phosphorus can also develop. Such deficiencies also cause widespread health problems.

* There is some indication that magnesium and vitamin E supplements may help prevent alcohol-induced injuries in the brain.

* the syndrome develops, oral supplements have no effect, and only adequate and rapid intravenous vitamin B1 can treat this serious condition.

Drug Interactions

The effects of many medications are strengthened by alcohol, while others are inhibited. Of particular importance is its reinforcing effect on antianxiety drugs, sedatives, antidepressants, and antipsychotic medications. Alcohol also interacts with many drugs used by diabetics. It interferes with drugs that prevent seizures or blood clotting. It increases the risk for gastrointestinal bleeding in people taking aspirin or other nonsteroidal inflammatory drugs including ibuprofen and naproxen. Chronic alcohol abusers have a particularly high risk for adverse side effects from consuming alcohol while taking certain antibiotics. These side effects include flushing, headache, nausea, and vomiting. In other words, taking almost any medication should preclude drinking alcohol.

[Guest PRITAM SINGH KHALSA]

Just think of it like this, If you drink alcohol you are an <banned word filter activated>. You forfiet anything even related to Sikhi even if you visit the Gurdwara and do all the seva in the world. You have to alter your conciousness in order to feel dumb and drunk you choose to be dumb and destroy your body instead of being healthy.

I say these things because I used to drink and smoke and thought I was stuck into an addiction that I couldnt shake off. I tryed to quit for years and years and gave up on trying to. Then my oppritunity to quit came up. If I was to be a Sikh of the Guru then I had to quit and that second of decision I quit , cold turkey and I now get intoxicated from Gurbani and long after I thought that I actually read it in SGGS as I get "high" on Gurus bani. Remember that its hard to quit this habit and easy to start a bad habit. Do whats hard . "The way of the Khalsa is sharper than a sword and finer than a hair."Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj

[sikh supreme]

well said and well done bro...

When the desire of nasha (intoxication) of the words of God is stronger than the narcotics (drugs, alcohol,etc) then you know you are on the right path.