Drinking too much is dangerous for every
aspect of your health. Alcohol abuse affects approximately 16.6 million people
per year, according to information from a 2013 survey by the National Institute
on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Nearly 90,0000 of those people die every year
because of alcohol abuse. The numbers are staggering, and the effects of
alcoholism are damaging. While the most dangerous effect is death, there are
other physical and mental effects caused by too much drinking many people are
unfamiliar with.
Physical Effects of Alcohol
Your physical appearance and function suffer when you depend on alcohol. It’s not small changes to the body, either. It’s big changes in a short amount of time that cause you to look different and become physically unable to do certain things. Your appearance is one of the first things to change when you begin drinking too much. Physical changes might include:
- Weight gain
- Sallow skin
- Popped blood vessels become visible in the face
- Puffy face
When you drink so much you become dependent on alcohol, you also begin to look dependent on it. Gone is your glowing skin. Your blood vessels begin to pop, and they become noticeable through your skin. Your eyes become tired, and they begin to reflect the lack of quality sleep alcoholism causes. Your weight gain comes on quickly thanks to the excessive calorie intake, and you probably aren’t exercising as much anymore. Weight gain is quickly noticeable, but the puffiness in your face is what usually alerts people to the fact you’re drinking too much.
Other physical changes aren’t as noticeable to others, but they’re remarkably noticeable to you. Many people with alcohol issues lose control of their bladder. This causes you to begin wetting your pants when you drink. It might include public wetting, or it might be something that only occurs when you’re home in bed. Some people begin to blackout as they drink more often. This is an issue you won’t notice until you wake up, but it’s one of the more serious issues with drinking too much. If you blackout in the middle of a public place, you can’t predict what someone might do to you.
There are always people who suffer another physical issue when they drink too much. This issue is the inability to perform sexually. It happens more noticeably to men, but it can happen to women, too. It’s something you can help by no longer drinking so much, but true alcoholics don’t want to take that step. It leads to more serious physical impairment, and it might cause a man to seek medical assistance for impotence. The added danger of drinking excessively while taking prescription medication is yet another danger.
If you suffer from additional physical changes, you might notice you shake, experience tremors, and/or sweat profusely. These changes are common in alcoholism, but they’re not necessarily problems everyone experiences. Suffering from these physical changes as a result of alcoholism often makes people experience more pronounced mental effects.
Mental Effects of Alcohol
People who suffer from a drinking problem might notice numerous side effects associated with their mental health. The most prominent side effect is typically depression. Alcohol is a depressant, and alcoholism makes the feelings of depression more prominent. Other mental and behavioral issues alcoholics commonly experience include:
- Fear
- Aggression
- Euphoria
- Guilt
- Discontent
- Loneliness
- Anxiety
- Sadness
Many of these symptoms are linked to depression, so alcoholics group their feelings together as one. Even if you don’t suffer from depression, it feels as if you do. Alcoholics typically notice feelings of excitement and euphoria as they begin drinking for the day. Their mood quickly changes for the better, but it changes for the worse just as quickly. Euphoria turns to fear and aggression. Discontent and sadness cause alcoholics to feel lonely. The problems you have in life become magnified to seem significantly worse, and feelings of depression begin to form.
These feelings go away, but they are often the reason people turn to alcoholism. When you feel down and unhappy after drinking, you might think having a drink will put you in a better mood. It does, but that mood changes quickly each time. The more you drink to curb the unhappiness you feel, the more dependent you become on alcohol. It’s a vicious cycle.
Alcoholism and Mental Disorders
Medical professionals have proven pre-existing mental disorders can become more pronounced when alcohol is introduced. Alcohol makes symptoms more noticeable. If the side effects of a mental disorder are violent, alcohol becomes a weapon. According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, the presence of alcohol abuse and a pre-existing mental disorder is called dual diagnosis. It’s also referred to as a co-occurring disorder.
Addiction and mental illness work independently even when they are present together. Each one makes the other seem worse. Many people who suffer mental disorder such as anxiety or depression use alcohol to help dull the symptoms they feel, but they only make the symptoms worse. It’s also possible that people who don’t already suffer from mental issues can develop them as their alcohol consumption becomes more habitual.
It’s not easy to offer a diagnosis for co-occurring disorders. Many share the same symptoms alcoholics present, and that makes it difficult to diagnose one issue in addition to another. Once a diagnosis is made, it makes treatment a bit easier for medical professionals to recommend. Ignoring mental health issues, self-medicating with alcohol, or ignoring a problem with alcohol makes everything worse for addicts. Seeking help right away is the best solution for anyone, but it’s not easy to get to that point. It’s true that most people with alcohol addiction aren’t successfully recovered until they make the decision to stop drinking on their own. The road is often long, but recovery is an option for anyone who suffers from physical and/or mental issues related to drinking heavily.
Physical Effects of Alcohol
Your physical appearance and function suffer when you depend on alcohol. It’s not small changes to the body, either. It’s big changes in a short amount of time that cause you to look different and become physically unable to do certain things. Your appearance is one of the first things to change when you begin drinking too much. Physical changes might include:
- Weight gain
- Sallow skin
- Popped blood vessels become visible in the face
- Puffy face
When you drink so much you become dependent on alcohol, you also begin to look dependent on it. Gone is your glowing skin. Your blood vessels begin to pop, and they become noticeable through your skin. Your eyes become tired, and they begin to reflect the lack of quality sleep alcoholism causes. Your weight gain comes on quickly thanks to the excessive calorie intake, and you probably aren’t exercising as much anymore. Weight gain is quickly noticeable, but the puffiness in your face is what usually alerts people to the fact you’re drinking too much.
Other physical changes aren’t as noticeable to others, but they’re remarkably noticeable to you. Many people with alcohol issues lose control of their bladder. This causes you to begin wetting your pants when you drink. It might include public wetting, or it might be something that only occurs when you’re home in bed. Some people begin to blackout as they drink more often. This is an issue you won’t notice until you wake up, but it’s one of the more serious issues with drinking too much. If you blackout in the middle of a public place, you can’t predict what someone might do to you.
There are always people who suffer another physical issue when they drink too much. This issue is the inability to perform sexually. It happens more noticeably to men, but it can happen to women, too. It’s something you can help by no longer drinking so much, but true alcoholics don’t want to take that step. It leads to more serious physical impairment, and it might cause a man to seek medical assistance for impotence. The added danger of drinking excessively while taking prescription medication is yet another danger.
If you suffer from additional physical changes, you might notice you shake, experience tremors, and/or sweat profusely. These changes are common in alcoholism, but they’re not necessarily problems everyone experiences. Suffering from these physical changes as a result of alcoholism often makes people experience more pronounced mental effects.
Mental Effects of Alcohol
People who suffer from a drinking problem might notice numerous side effects associated with their mental health. The most prominent side effect is typically depression. Alcohol is a depressant, and alcoholism makes the feelings of depression more prominent. Other mental and behavioral issues alcoholics commonly experience include:
- Fear
- Aggression
- Euphoria
- Guilt
- Discontent
- Loneliness
- Anxiety
- Sadness
Many of these symptoms are linked to depression, so alcoholics group their feelings together as one. Even if you don’t suffer from depression, it feels as if you do. Alcoholics typically notice feelings of excitement and euphoria as they begin drinking for the day. Their mood quickly changes for the better, but it changes for the worse just as quickly. Euphoria turns to fear and aggression. Discontent and sadness cause alcoholics to feel lonely. The problems you have in life become magnified to seem significantly worse, and feelings of depression begin to form.
These feelings go away, but they are often the reason people turn to alcoholism. When you feel down and unhappy after drinking, you might think having a drink will put you in a better mood. It does, but that mood changes quickly each time. The more you drink to curb the unhappiness you feel, the more dependent you become on alcohol. It’s a vicious cycle.
Alcoholism and Mental Disorders
Medical professionals have proven pre-existing mental disorders can become more pronounced when alcohol is introduced. Alcohol makes symptoms more noticeable. If the side effects of a mental disorder are violent, alcohol becomes a weapon. According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, the presence of alcohol abuse and a pre-existing mental disorder is called dual diagnosis. It’s also referred to as a co-occurring disorder.
Addiction and mental illness work independently even when they are present together. Each one makes the other seem worse. Many people who suffer mental disorder such as anxiety or depression use alcohol to help dull the symptoms they feel, but they only make the symptoms worse. It’s also possible that people who don’t already suffer from mental issues can develop them as their alcohol consumption becomes more habitual.
It’s not easy to offer a diagnosis for co-occurring disorders. Many share the same symptoms alcoholics present, and that makes it difficult to diagnose one issue in addition to another. Once a diagnosis is made, it makes treatment a bit easier for medical professionals to recommend. Ignoring mental health issues, self-medicating with alcohol, or ignoring a problem with alcohol makes everything worse for addicts. Seeking help right away is the best solution for anyone, but it’s not easy to get to that point. It’s true that most people with alcohol addiction aren’t successfully recovered until they make the decision to stop drinking on their own. The road is often long, but recovery is an option for anyone who suffers from physical and/or mental issues related to drinking heavily.
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