A glass of wine with dinner, a happy hour beer after work, or a colorful mocktail on vacation, alcohol has deeply engraved itself in our life.
Studies show that moderate consumption of alcohol exhibits several health benefits. It can also stimulate the feel-good effect. Perhaps this is the reason why most people are so obsessed with drinking alcohol.
In addition to the studies, research is also clear about the side effects when consumption crosses the moderate level. Experts state that if alcohol is consumed on a daily basis, it can leave a damaging effect on your mind and body.
If you have ever wondered what’s going on inside the mind and the body of the person who has too much alcohol – here is a brief primer!
Why Is Alcohol A Health Issue?
No level of alcohol consumption can be considered safe!
Yes, they do have some health benefits. But you cannot put a few health benefits against the many long-term consequences.
Moderate drinking is quite acceptable. But, most people might have a different definition of moderate drinking. People end up drinking alcohol in amounts that are harmful to their health.
Alcohol might stimulate your feel-good hormones and help you relax. But, to reward you with pleasure and satisfaction, it takes away your ability:
- To judge.
- To make sane decisions.
- To coordinate your body effectively.
In fact, it significantly affects your mind and body.
If you are someone suffering from alcohol addiction and want to come out of it. Your first step needs medical detox.
Once your medical detox process is complete. You can move on to therapies and counseling sessions for a successful recovery.
How Alcohol Affects Your Mind?
A healthy mind relies on a delicate balance of chemicals and processes. However, this balance is disturbed with alcohol consumption.
Alcohol starts by disrupting your body balance, affects your thought processes, and provides resistance to your action. Unfortunately, this results in many mental health disorders.
Here are a few ways in which alcohol affects your mind.
1. Affect Your Sleep Pattern
Excessive alcohol consumption significantly affects your health. While most people start debating that alcohol helps them get that good night’s sleep. That is not true.
Yes, it certainly stimulates the dopamine receptors, but your body remains awake to process all the alcohol inside your body. This is the reason why the body feels tired even after taking a good sleep.
2. Increased Dependency
Long-term use of alcohol increases your dependency. That means you are dependent on alcohol for normal body function. If you stay away from alcohol for too long, your mind starts showing withdrawal symptoms.
3. Creates Confusion
Alcohol stimulates your brain to release different hormones without any reason. One of the best examples is the feel-good hormone. Even if you are in a dire situation, these hormones might make you feel satisfied. This makes it difficult for you to differentiate between what’s real and what’s not.
It creates confusion, and the person who is under the effect of alcohol loses their rational thinking capability.
4. Result In Memory Loss
Anyone can forget a thing or two. However, people who consume alcohol have a tendency to make more memory mistakes. These mistakes can include recalling the task they have completed or whether they locked the car or switched off the bathroom light before going to bed.
5. Sudden Outburst Of Anger
Individuals suffering from alcohol addiction suffer from unstable emotional outbursts. Out of all the emotions, anger seems to be the most dominant one. This is the reason why you will find people getting irritated or angry with even a single silly mistake.
How Alcohol Affects Your Body?
Alcohol use can affect your physical body in many ways. You might find your body becoming weak day by day even after exercising daily, or your appetite is not what it used to be.
Here is a breakdown of how alcohol affects our bodies.
6. Affect Central Nervous System
One of the major ways to evaluate the impact of alcohol on your body is by seeing to what extent your central nervous system has taken damage. Slurred speech and memory loss are clear indications of intoxication.
7. Improper Functioning Of Digestive System
The connection between alcohol and your digestive system might not be linked directly. But, the people come to know eventually after experiencing the damage’s side effects.
Heavy drinking can lead to:
- Bloating.
- Gas.
- Painful stools.
- Ulcers.
8. Circular System Complication
Drinking is pretty dangerous for your heart and lungs, raising the risk of heart and lung-related diseases.
- High blood pressure.
- Stroke.
- Irregular heartbeat.
– are a few of the circulatory system complications that you might experience with long-term alcohol use.
9. Deteriorate Your Sexual Health
Drinking alcohol affects your body function and coordination. So, you can expect reduced sexual activity.
Excessive drinking can result in:
- Low libido.
- Impossible to hold your erection for long.
- No orgasm.
- Prevention of sex hormone production.
10. Inflammatory Damages
Your liver plays an important role in breaking down harmful substances inside your body. Long-term alcohol use can interfere with the liver’s process. This ultimately results in alcohol-related liver diseases and chronic liver inflammation.
Get Help!
By now, you must have understood how alcohol is dangerous for your mind and body. You might convince yourself that just having a little bit will not lead to any damaging effect. But, that is not the case. As we have already said earlier –
No level of alcohol consumption can be considered safe!
You must be vigilant about even thinking of drinking alcohol. Yes, you might get carried away at times. But if you do so, be prepared for the consequences.
When you find that your alcohol consumption behavior is getting out of hand. That is when you must realize that things have started getting messy!
Immediately call for the professionals and start treating yourself with the addiction treatment program.
