For several years alcoholism research has demonstrated the fact that there is strong correlation between alcohol addiction and dangerous health conditions.
For example, in 2005, medical exploration and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics revealed that alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction cost the United States an estimated $220 billion per year. It can be stressed that this substantial alcohol-related cash outlay was substantially more than the cost associated with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is appropriate to give emphasis to these facts, it is also important to point out that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health problems.
More to the point, chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency are also highly associated with obesity and with cancer.
Undeniably, substance abuse investigation has demonstrated the fact that alcoholism can augment the risk for different types of cancer, particularly cancer of the kidneys, rectum, colon, voice box (larynx), esophagus, throat, and the liver. Excessive and repetitive drinking can also lead to immune system difficulties and harm to the fetus during pregnancy.
Irresponsible and Abusive Drinking Destabilizes the Individual’s Organs and Systems
Additionally, if alcoholism continues over a period of years, the individual’s body organs will more likely than not be affected in an unhealthy manner. For instance, long-term, excessive drinking is particularly dangerous to the liver since the liver does most of the work of processing the alcohol that has been consumed. Extreme amounts of alcohol kills liver cells and eradicates the ability of liver cells to regenerate. This condition leads to a progressive inflammatory disease of the liver that can in due course lead to cirrhosis of the liver, a precarious and possibly incurable disease.Heavy, long-term drinking not only can result in serious liver damage, but it can also result in damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this critical may be unalterable and may, in turn, result in serious disease or premature death.
The Significance of Alcohol Treatment
It is essential, then, to know how to identify the different alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcohol addicted individual can be given the opportunity to get the quality alcohol treatment he or she requires.
Alcohol Dependency and Sophisticated Brain Exploration
Fortuitously, medical examination is constantly generating original and significant information. Recent alcoholism exploration offers a high-quality illustration. More precisely, for approximately the past ten years, sophisticated brain-imaging scanning instruments have shown that repetitive and long lasting hazardous drinking modifies the makeup of the brain to a significant extent, thereby resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or conceivably as long as the person lives.
More exactly, medical investigation has shown that individuals who have been drinking in a hazardous manner for an extensive length of time increase their risk for developing permanent and substantial transformations in the brain.
This type of damage may be directly related to severe liver disease, to the alcohol’s effects on the brain, or might be indirectly associated with the drinker’s poor overall health.
Abusive Drinking, Malnutrition, and Mental Disorders
As a final example of assorted health problems that are to a great extent related to alcohol addiction, consider that according to medical research, the hazardous and repeated abuse of alcohol can lead to erosive gastritis, a health problem that limits the absorption of minerals, nutrients, and vitamins.
This kind of organ malfunctioning is associated with malnutrition and to an array of acute neurological and mental disorders including memory loss, sleep disturbances, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter medical condition is a long-term debilitating medical condition that is typified by recurring learning and memory difficulties.
The Importance of Education and Alcohol Rehab
It is obvious that repetitive, excessive drinking is directly or indirectly related to a number of critical medical problems that can and do result in dangerous ailments and premature death. Such information needs to be underlined and presented to everyone in our society so that a massive amount of individuals will be able to abstain from abusive drinking while other people who have a drinking problem will get the professional treatment they require. For without professional counseling most people who drink in an irresponsible manner will not start the healing process and work towards recovery.