Alcohol: How Safe Are You With Drinking It? Know What To Expect
Image of a lady holding a glass with alcohol content

Alcohol is the most commonly used mind-altering substance in the United States. Many believe or are made to believe that the presence of alcoholic drinks flourishes gatherings, parties, and other social celebrations. While others believe that the absence of alcoholic drinks signifies unfairness since that is what they enjoy drinking at events. Consequently, a number of individuals believe that alcoholic drinks should be served in social gatherings to give enthusiasm to certain events.

Alcohol is produced when vegetables, fruits, or grains are fermented. Fermentation is a process that uses yeast or bacteria to change sugars in these items into alcohol. This substance is also used as cleaners and antiseptics. In fact, a number of available market products around the globe have some percentage of alcoholic content in them.

Even though alcohol is a depressant substance, it is often used to stir up liveliness. Many people have tales of doing stupid things when they drink, and they don’t often involve mellowing out and going to sleep. Therefore, alcohol is more than a depressant since it also acts on moods, emotions, actions, and reactions.

Nevertheless it important to note that, alcohol may do more harm than good if overused. People who overuse it due to many reasons may feel confused and disoriented.


Reasons people drink alcohol

Addiction due to early exposure: One of the reasons why many people are engaged in alcohol is the fact that from a very young age, children are exposed to advertising messages of alcohol. A number of advertisements of alcohol show people drinking alcohol enjoying life. While in reality, it is the exact opposite.


Fit in among peers: Most people drink majorly because they don’t want to be talked down by peers or friends. They assume their ego would be defeated if they don’t play along amidst people, especially in social gatherings. In the light of this, many researchers reported that alcoholics get worn-out and filled with “had I known” the moments they realize what alcoholism caused them.


Curiosity: In communities of today, drinking alcohol can be attributed to taste feeling. Often times people get inspired to drink by watching others. People just want to know what it feels like to be under the influence of alcohol. By nature, humans are adventurous and often quest for new things day in and out. This default nature drives them subconsciously into drinking alcohol-related drinks which in turn drift them into embarrassing positions.


Relaxation: Drinking alcohol can reduce fears and take your mind off of your troubles. It can help you feel less shy, give you a boost in mood, and make you feel generally relaxed. Alcohol makes you feel relaxed and less inhibited but not great for things that require quick responses or demanding cognitive attention.

Too much alcohol use, especially over long periods of time, passes lots of negative massages round the body and ofcourse has serious ramifications for your brain function, in ways that are difficult or impossible to reverse. A brain that is affected by too much alcohol will experience the following effects;


Brain Effects of Alcohol

Poor coordination – When your ability to think, organize, and articulate is impaired by alcohol, there are numerous potential consequences attached. The alcohol content in your bloodstream may have a strong influence on you that you would probably not do anything right.

When your ability to think, organize and articulate is impaired by alcohol, there are numerous potential consequences attached. The alcohol content in your bloodstream may have a strong influence on you that you would probably not do anything right.

You may be willing to do or try anything that you think will make you happy in the moment but it is important you know that it does not solve anything because such feeling is only induced and can survive a few moments.

However, every alcohol intake returns with a consequence of which poor coordination and bad decision-making abilities are some side effects of too much alcohol use.


Weak decision making – Alcohol can have a very strong impact on an individual’s life. Making smart decisions are crucial and beneficial to everyone; however, this decision may be confounded because of alcohol. People tend to abuse Alcohol by their inability to control their drinking limits. Drinking alcohol impairs decisions. Alcohol Abuse can cause one to become impulsive and more aggressive. When people get drunk, they often do all sorts of unimaginable and unspeakable things and sometimes make life-changing weak decisions such as unprotected sex, committing crimes, acts of violence among many others.


Memory lapses and Blackouts – Alcohol can produce detectable impairments in memory after only a few intakes and, as the number of intake increases, so does the degree of impairment. Large quantities of alcohol, especially when consumed quickly and on an empty stomach, can produce a blackout, or an interval of time for which the intoxicated person cannot recall key details of events or even entire events after the intoxicant wanes. Blackouts are much more common among social drinkers and should be viewed as a potential consequence of acute intoxication.

However, College students may be at particular risk for experiencing a blackout, as an alarming number of college students engage in binge drinking. Binge drinking, for a typical adult, is defined as consuming five or more drinks in about 2 hours for men, or four or more drinks for women.

Recent research reported that 772 undergraduates students were asked if they “Have ever woken up after a night of drinking and not be able to remember things that they did at the places they went to?”

Of the students who had ever consumed alcohol, 51 percent reported blacking out at some point in their lives, and 40 percent reported experiencing a blackout in the year before the survey. Of those who reported drinking in the 2 weeks before the survey, 9.4 percent said they blacked out during that time.

The students reported learning later that they had participated in a wide range of potentially dangerous events they could not remember, including vandalism, unprotected sex, and driving.


Other Effects of Alcohol

Accidental Death – In addition to the health hazards of alcohol, studies show that almost many deaths among teens are alcohol-related. The use of it increases the possibility of teens and many individuals being involved in car accidents, suicide, or homicide.

Further studies showed that every thirty minutes, someone dies from an alcohol-related car accident. Driving while under the influence of alcohol can cause many health problems and affect body reactions while driving. People who are drunk may experience a decreased amount of performance and judgment while driving. Drunk drivers are not the only ones who are in danger, these drivers may distribute danger to passengers, pedestrians, and other road users.


Suicide – Alcohol disorders amplify suicide and risk, at least one-third of individuals who have committed suicide are alcohol dependent. In addition, suicide among alcoholics also seems to increase with age. A study released by Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research conclude that middle-aged and older alcoholics have a higher risk to commit suicide than young adults who are alcoholics.


Increase the risk of breast cancer in women – Research consistently shows that drinking alcoholic beverage beers, wine, and liquor increases a woman’s risk of having breast cancer. Alcohol can damage the DNA in cells and also increase levels of estrogen and other hormones associated with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. Compared to women who don’t drink at all, women who have three alcoholic drinks per week have a 15% higher risk of breast cancer.

Experts estimate that the risk of breast cancer goes up another 10% for each additional drink women regularly have each day.

Research also showed that Teen and tween girls aged 9 to 15 who drink three to five drinks a week have three times the risk of developing benign breast lumps that formally exposes them to a higher risk of breast cancer in later years.


Diabetes – Consuming inappropriate amounts of alcohol puts individuals at risk for health issues like diabetes. It may reduce the body’s absorption of necessary nutrients. Many alcoholics do not partake in healthy diets, therefore further harming the body. The health effects of alcohol should not be taken for granted but should act as a reminder to drink alcoholic drinks in moderation.

Read more about Diabetes and how to lower your blood sugar naturally


Bad breath – Drinking alcohol, particularly in excess causes a decrease in saliva production – thus encouraging bacteria to settle within the oral cavity terrain. Alcohol consumption is another culprit of bad breath. The more often you drink, the more likely you are to experience bad breath. Bad breath can be a source of worry and embarrassment. It could make one feel uncomfortable around other people, and it can severely affect your self-confidence in social situations. Humans do tend to react negatively to bad breath and it does act as a barrier to communication in some instances. Therefore avoid alcohol if you can or drink less.

You can also read about 24 causes of bad breath and cure


Distorted vision – Drinkers know alcohol can give blurry, and distorted vision. Abusing it causes permanent sight problems. When these problems arise it becomes an issue for drivers as they try to adapt quickly to oncoming headlights on the road. It also affects people in a way that they can’t make clearer distinctions between different objects, colors lightness, and darkness.


Rape – Rape is a circumstance in which someone did not consent to sex. In most alcohol-induced rape cases, the act is done under the influence of this beverage. This is because they are drunk or asleep. Many people who are sexually attacked are unable to move or speak due to the weakness of their bodies caused by this liquid.


Bottomline

Despite the adverse effects of alcohol, many individuals still engage in drinking this beverage for many reasons. Many teens and young people drink it because of maybe curiosity, relaxation, fit in a crowd, and some other reasons. In any case, always remember that alcoholic drinks can damage many organs in your body, it is absorbed directly in the bloodstream and raises the risk of acquiring life-threatening ailments like diabetes, accidents, rape, memory lapses, suicide, and many others. Extremely high doses of this beverage at one time can cause poisoning which can lead to coma or death.

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