Long-term Alcohol Abuse Can Lead to Dangerous Consequences

Alcohol is a chemical substance that progressively deteriorates a person’s physical and mental health if abused long-term, as well as causing an insurmountable amount of distress to those who care for or have ongoing relations with that person. The dangerous consequences long-term alcohol abuse can lead to include:

Brain Damage and Mental Health

Long-term alcohol abuse can lead to depression, isolation, and even suicide.

Alcohol is a toxic chemical that destroys nerve cells in the brain every time it is used. Long-term abuse can lead to cognitive deficits, loss of memory, behavioral problems, mood and emotional instabilities, schizophrenia, or other psychotic disturbances.

Those who may have enjoyed using alcohol occasionally to relax and ward off unpleasant stress or anxiety may find these conditions worse and uncontrollable after long-term abuse. Alcohol also causes a desensitization of certain brain cells that can lead to loss of interest in once important activities, depression, or isolation and it is a major contributing factor in many suicides.

Neurological Damage

Long-term alcohol abuse takes a toll on the person’s central nervous system. They may experience symptoms of pain, muscle weakness, poor coordination, tremors, seizures, confusion, or sensation loss as a result of neurological damages.

Liver Damage

Long-term alcohol abuse is a primary cause of liver failures and the need for liver transplants. It can cause fatty liver, cirrhosis, fibrosis, and hepatitis leading to many serious physical health complications including other organ failures and death.

According to the NIAAA, “Among all cirrhosis deaths in 2009, 48.2 percent were alcohol related “and” alcohol-related liver disease was the primary cause of almost 1 in 3 liver transplants in the United States.”

Cardiovascular Problems

High blood pressure, arrhythmias, damages to blood vessels, heart muscles, and valves, are serious cardiovascular problems that can lead to cardiac arrest, stroke, seizures, or bleeding in the brain which are fatally dangerous consequences of long term alcohol abuse.

Cancer

Certain cancers have been linked to drinking too much alcohol including cancers of the:

• Throat
• Mouth
• Breast
• Liver
• Esophagus

Pancreatitis

Long-term alcohol abuse can lead to painful and dangerous pancreatitis which can become a debilitating, prevent proper digestion, or lead to diabetes if the insulin producing cells of the pancreas are damaged.

Weakened Immune System

Long-term alcohol abuse breaks down the functioning of vital organs, damages tissues, and the immune system has to work overtime to manage infections, toxins, and resulting consequences.

Other Alcohol-Related Problems

According to the NIAAA, “Alcohol contributes to over 200 diseases and injury-related health conditions most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers, and injuries. In 2012, alcohol accounted for 5.1 percent of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide.”