Alcoholism: these are its effects on the body

Alcoholism is a health problem caused by compulsive consumption alcohol, which is capable of generating physical and psychological dependence.

It is an excessive intake, problematic, difficult to control by own will. In turn, this behavior is caused by multiple and varied factors: physical predisposition, psychological vulnerabilities and social factors that facilitate consumption.

But one of the most striking aspects of alcoholism is that many times, in its early stages, it is socially accepted. This shows another of the most important dimensions of the problem of alcoholism: its psychological and social facet.

• Related article: "The 5 types of alcoholism (and associated disorders)"

What do we understand by alcoholism?

Alcoholism is a pathology based on addiction to alcoholic beverages, that is, those that contain a significant amount of ethanol. It is also one of the most widespread types of addiction throughout the world as well as one of the oldest, since the products on which it is based have existed for thousands of years, and have appeared in various cultures in a parallel.

Alcoholism is also a very harmful addiction not only for the person who develops dependence on these drinks, but also for other people, since it leads to accidents very frequently.

On the other hand, alcohol is a drug that is widely consumed even by minors in many countries, a situation that leads to many young people to develop alcoholism at a very early age, without ever having had the opportunity to establish a way of life own self.

The naturalization of a health problem

Alcohol consumption in excess is usually naturalized and socially accepted and in the social imaginary, an alcoholic is considered to be someone who is drunk during the day, in a street situation, initiating consumption in the morning or drinking every day of the week. In this way, other forms of alcoholism are made invisible.

This is not determined by the amount of alcohol a person consumes per day but by how that person is related to alcohol: with dependence, need, compulsion and difficulties to be without consume.

That is, a person is an alcoholic because of how he drinks regardless of whether he does it every day, one day a week or more sporadically. However, anyone who consumes alcohol is not an alcoholic, since there may be consumption without establishing a link of dependency and addiction with him. But... What happens in the human body where there is dependence?

• You may be interested: "The 8 signs of alcohol addiction"

The health effects of this addiction

Once ingested in the body, alcohol produces two opposing actions, a disinhibiting effect and a depressant effect. The first blocks parts of the brain responsible for thinking, the ability to reflect, moral conscience, ethical values; and overstimulates impulses and emotions. This allows us to understand that an alcoholic person can show differently compared to when he is sober and even commit crimes without the possibility of control, which, without consumption, it would not carry out.

The depressant effect inhibits the central nervous system causing a decrease in their functions: less attention, less psychomotor coordination, drowsiness, feeling of exhaustion, among others, reaching in extreme cases respiratory arrest and death. This explains that although alcohol is often consumed by waiting for it to make us more sociable, after the first wave of effects, produces a tendency to isolation, by favoring the appearance of a low or directly mood aggressive.

The emergence of tolerance to drinking

Why are the amounts consumed of alcoholic beverages increasing? Because the body builds tolerance to the substanceIt is as if it gets used to it and, as it does not produce the expected effect, then it is necessary to drink more amounts of alcohol or stronger alcoholic beverages to achieve the desired effects.

Why can't the alcoholic stop drinking?

Another conception to be denatured refers to the reasons for the difficulty, in some cases, and the impossibility, in others, to stop drinking. It is not by taste, whim or vice, it is because of the strong compulsion to drink that the alcoholic person feels, that becomes unstoppable and beyond your voluntary control, because he is in a situation of physical and psychological dependence.

The body asks for alcohol and the head needs it to continue. In addition, without consumption, withdrawal symptoms develop, which occurs with sensations unpleasantness, physical manifestations, anxiety, irritability, anguish and strong desire (need) to consume.

How to act when you suspect that someone close to you is an addict?

A first step involves denaturing problematic alcohol use. In doing so, doubts begin to arise and the need to ask for help.

Here we can locate a second step: looking for a space for listening, for asking questions, for guidance on alcoholism, to learn to observe how the person is related to consumption and alcohol: can you control the intake without depending on the alcohol?; Is it difficult for you to stop drinking?; Looking for excuses to drink?

It is important to become aware of problematic alcohol consumption in time, due to the risks that it can cause, since alcoholism causes a greater likelihood of accidents, illnesses and death, in addition to having behavioral, emotional, bonding, social, labor, and legal effects.

Guidance and support for families is essential to understand that alcoholism is a disease that has recovery and for which it is specialized treatment is essential both for the alcoholic family member and for the rest of the family. This will allow families to redefine consumption and its consequences, generate changes in attitude and build spaces for dialogue and family communication.

It is also important that the family can work in spaces specialized in alcoholism in those difficult and traumatic situations caused due to the effect of alcoholism that affects the whole family, such as anguish, impotence, fear, anger, psychosomatic symptoms, feelings of guilt... to start having new healthy lifestyle habits for themselves, strengthening self-esteem, elaboration of new projects of personal fulfillment to learn to live better and build a healthier life.

• Related article: "The 7 effective psychological treatments for alcoholism"

Bibliographic references:

• Dunn, N.; Cook, C.C. (March 1999). "Psychiatric aspects of alcohol misuse". Medicine Hospital. 60 (3): pp. 169 - 172.
• Elzo, J. (dir) et al (2009): Drug cultures in youth and parties. Vitoria, Central Publications Service of the Basque Government.
• McGovern, T.F.; White, W.L. (2003). Alcohol Problems in the United States: Twenty Years of Treatment Perspective. New York: Routledge.
• Zimmerman, H.E.; Burkhart, K.K.; Donovan, J.W. (1999). Ethylene glycol and methanol poisoning: diagnosis and treatment. Journal of Emergency Nursing. 25 (2): pp. 116 - 120.