As per the latest report by Global status, “India’s per capita alcohol consumption has increased rapidly between 2005 (2.4 liters) and 2016 (5.7 liters).”
A new report disclosed that “by 2025, South East Asia is expected to have the highest increase in total alcohol per capita consumption with an increase of 2.2 liters in India”. These facts illustrate our country’s lack to have a consolidated national alcohol policy to eliminate this considerable unavoidable condition in India.
Since our childhood, we have been told about the cringe-worthy consequences of alcohol on health. This abuse starts with occasional celebrations or happy hour and gradually transforms into dependence. Whether its career-related issues or personal life stress, people find alcoholism as the best way to cope with their situation instead of knowing its adverse effects.
From the first sip, alcohol starts to affect the brain if occasional or binge drinking converts into alcohol dependence that results in blurred vision, slurred speech, impaired memory, etc. Let’s have a look at the health issues, arise due to liquor consumption:
Endocrine System has an immense role to maintain body homeostasis and communicate with the nervous system. The increased amount of liquor hinders this communication and leads to severe outcomes for the physiological and behavioral of an individual.
Inflammatory System gets issues if a person tends to consume alcohol on a regular basis. Breakdown of alcohol on a regular basis results in many harmful by-products and clearing it from the body becomes unfeasible. It happens due to the formation of scar tissues that gradually destroy the liver.
The pancreas helps to maintain one’s sugar level. But when it does not work properly with the Liver, the person can have an issue of low blood sugar and increases the risk of diabetes.
Regular boozing causes issues for the central nervous system and reduces the communication between the brain and body. Numbness /tingling in feet or hand, short term memory, difficulty to make decisions and frontal lobe damage are brain disorders.
Drinking too much affects the digestive system badly by damaging the digestive tract and hinders the functions of the intestine. Heavy consumption of liquor leads to glassiness, bloating, diarrhea, ulcers, and hemorrhoids.
Alcohol causes issues for the circulatory system and increases the risk of heart relates problems like high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, stroke, heart failure, difficulty to pump the blood through the body.
People with heavy drinking have been reported the sufferers of low libido. Men are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction while women may have a greater risk of infertility, premature delivery, etc.
Skeletal & Muscle System – Long term alcohol prevents the body to maintain the bone density that weakens the bone and increases the risk of fractures. Muscle cramping and atrophy have been very common among alcoholics.
Consumption of liquor on a regular basis also reduces the immune system. Individuals may likely to develop various kinds of cancer, tuberculosis, and pneumonia.
How to stop drinking alcohol? Before going for alcohol treatment one must understand that not everyone experiences the addiction in the same way. Alcohol addiction recovery goes through 3 major distinct phases including detox, become abstinent and follows a path of holistic recovery.
