Effects of Alcohol on Your BodyAlcohol is a part of our lives. Almost everyone, especially adolescents and young adults drink alcohol on several occasions such as wedding, party, celebrations etc. Some do it because the others do it while some really enjoy drinking and feeling of intoxication. As long as drinking of alcohol is moderate it doesn’t harm. However, when consumption of alcoholic drinks becomes excessive it starts to affect health and life of a person. Alcohol drinking entails increased risk of number of medical conditions. The effects of alcohol depend on the amount that is drunk, constitution of a person that is drinking and his or her overall health, age, gender, state of mind and other factors. Effects of alcohol on person’s body can be short and long term.
What are the Effects of Alcohol?
The amount of alcohol in the bloodstream is known as blood alcohol content (BAC). Blood alcohol content is elevated if a person drinks more alcohol than his or her body can efficiently metabolize, which is normally one drink per hour. People usually drink more than one drink per hour thus BAC increases and harmful effects of alcohol on the body start to appear.
Short Term Effects of AlcoholWhen a person starts to drink alcohol, he or she begins to experience different physical symptoms after ten minutes. A person that drinks commonly feels relaxed and less inhibited. Concentration and alertness are reduced as well. After one or two drinks more, the person experiences slurred speech, poor coordination and decrease in judgment. Since alcohol is classified as a depressant drug, it slows down the activity of central nervous system. This explains the short term effects such as emotional irrationality, inability to think clearly, alcohol blackout and exaggerated behavior. Also, there is increased risk of accidents when operating vehicles and other machinery. When BAC reaches 0.40 and above, the drinker’s sensory and motor skills are greatly affected, he or she becomes confused, disoriented and may suffer decreased respiration, coma and even death.
Long Term Effects of Alcohol
Prolonged consumption of alcoholic drinks includes long term effects of alcohol on the body. Excessive drinking often leads to cirrhosis of the liver, which can be fatal if a person continues to drink. Other medical conditions that can be caused by long term effects of alcohol include pancreatitis, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, abnormal pulse, alcoholic polyneuropathy, alcohol-dependence syndrome and alcoholic psychosis. Long term excessive drinking can also result in cancer of liver, throat, tongue and esophagus. Depression, infertility, skin problems, vitamin deficiency, and sexual problems are associated with long term effects of alcohol abuse as well.
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