For several years alcohol addiction exploration has revealed the fact that there is strong correlation between alcohol dependency and dangerous health conditions.
As an illustration, in 2005, scientific examination and alcohol abuse and alcoholism statistics showed that alcohol abuse and alcoholism cost the United States an estimated $220 billion on an annual basis. It can be stressed that this massive alcohol-related expense was substantially more than the cost associated with cancer ($196 billion) or with obesity ($133 billion). While it is pertinent to call attention to these facts, it is also important to point out that an interrelationship exists between all three of these health conditions.
More explicitly, chronic alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency are also highly interrelated with obesity and with cancer.
Definitely, substance abuse examination has shown that alcohol dependency can amplify the risk for various forms of cancer, especially cancer of the esophagus, kidneys, throat, rectum, liver, voice box (larynx), and the colon. Heavy and recurring drinking can also result in immune system problems and abnormality to the fetus during pregnancy.
Abusive Drinking Breaks Down the Person’s Systems and Organs
What is more, if alcohol dependency continues over a period of years, the individual’s body organs will likely be affected in an unhealthy manner. For example, long-term, hazardous drinking is particularly damaging 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 destroys the ability of liver cells to regenerate. This medical circumstance leads to a progressive inflammatory malfunction of the liver that can in the end lead to cirrhosis of the liver, an acute and possibly deadly medical problem.Heavy, long-term drinking not only can result in acute liver damage, but it can also result in damage to the heart and to the brain. Physical damage this critical may be irreversible and may, in turn, result in serious ill health or an early death.
The Relevance of Alcohol Counseling
It is essential, therefore, to know how to recognize the various alcoholism symptoms and the “alcohol signs” so that the alcohol dependent person can be given the opportunity to seek the professional alcohol rehabilitation he or she requires.
Alcohol Dependency and Technologically Advanced Brain Research
Fortunately, medical research is persistently finding innovative and important information. Recent alcoholism exploration offers a good example. Stated differently, for roughly the last ten years, complicated brain-imaging scanning instruments have shown that repetitive and chronic excessive drinking modifies the structure of the brain to a great extent, therefore resulting in brain disease that can last months, years, or conceivably as long as the individual lives.
More explicitly, medical research has shown that individuals who have been drinking excessively for an extensive length of time increase their risk for developing long-term and serious modifications in the brain.
This type of damage may be indirectly associated with the drinker’s poor overall health or directly related to severe liver disease or to the alcohol’s effects on the brain.
Mental Disorders, Malnutrition, and Abusive Drinking
As a final illustration of different medical conditions that are largely associated with alcohol dependency, take into consideration the fact that in accordance with scientific research, the abusive and repeated abuse of alcohol can result in erosive gastritis, a condition that diminishes the absorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
This form of organ malfunctioning is correlated with malnutrition and to an array of serious neurological and mental disorders including sleep disturbances, memory loss, and psychosis such as Wernicke’s Encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome. This latter health problem is a long lasting debilitating condition that is exemplified by continual memory and learning difficulties.
Summary
It is evident that continued, abusive drinking is directly or indirectly associated with a variety of acute medical problems that can and do result in serious ailments and premature death. Such information needs to be highlighted and presented to everyone in our society so that a massive amount of individuals will be able to refrain from irresponsible drinking while other people who have a drinking problem will get the professional therapy they require.
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