Long-Term Effects And Alcohol Related Illnesses  Alcohol is a drug and as with a lot of drugs it is a poisonous substance, the more you drink and the more often you drink the more you expose your body and mind to some pretty nasty risks. If you have alcohol frequently circulating in your body it will harm your health, there are the short-term effects (see….Short-term effects article) but there are also a number of irreversible long-term effects.
 You may think it’s just those who get absolutely hammered all the time that may suffer in the future but it’s not you know. Simply drinking regularly can bring about damage to internal organs and it doesn’t matter if you are not getting absolutely sloshed each time. However heavy drinkers are more likely to get these problems and they’re gonna be a lot more severe, as alcohol can lead to serious diseases getting hold of you.
Alcohol's role in ill health is often under-recognised as doctors don't routinely ask their patients how much they drink, even when it is known that alcohol is playing a part in affecting their health; But check out the damage excessive drinking can do in the long-term:  The Brain
- The Liver
– A heavy drinker can get a build up of fatty deposits in the liver, which can eventually lead to a disease called cirrhosis and means that the liver is irreversibly damaged. The damage means that the liver can’t do it’s job properly, it can’t clean your blood by removing toxins or process the nutrients in food, which you body needs. This will mean that your body will function very poorly. Women can actually develop liver disease at lower levels of drinking than men.
 The Stomach
- The Heart and The Blood
- Drinking alcohol can contribute to high blood pressure (hypertension) in the body, this in turn can cause a stroke and no…this isn’t just in old people, it can happen in anyone.
- Cancer
– Heavy drinkers will increase their likelihood of getting cancer. By drinking excessively you are doubling the risk of getting cancer of the gullet, trebling it for cancer of the throat and quadrupling it for cancer of the voice box. The risk of getting breast cancer is also greatly increased.
 The Nervous system
- Other problems caused by heavy drinking
– Heavy drinkers may experience pancreatitis, skin problems, infertility and sexual problems, vitamin deficiency, diabetes, muscle disease and obesity due to excessive drinking.
What is interesting and important to remember is that women are more susceptible to some of these long-term effects caused by heavy drinking and these effects can occur in lower levels of drinking than men. However, it must be pointed out that most of the problems listed, except liver cirrhosis, are not solely down to drinking, as alcohol increases the risk of developing these diseases and conditions, rather than being the only cause. Not only that but drinking on top of one of these already developed conditions/diseases will sometimes make them worse. If you or anybody you know are having problems with alcohol try the following places for help and support @ the Addictions Links Page. Read:
by ChrisM
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