The effects of drink do you feel your at risk?


When you drink alcohol it is quickly absorbed directly into the blood stream from the stomach and upper part of the gut (small intestine). The absorbed alcohol then passes through the liver and subsequently into the blood stream where it reaches all organs in the body. Although most tissues are capable of breaking down alcohol, this is mainly carried out by the liver, where alcohol is eventually converted into water and carbon dioxide, which is removed through the lungs.

Since the liver sees the highest concentrations of alcohol, it is one of the organs in the body most prone to developing alcohol related problems. However, alcohol also causes toxic effects on other organs in the body including the brain, heart, muscles and pancreas.

Almost all excessive drinkers will develop the first stage of alcoholic liver disease fatty liver. This is a ‘side-effect’ of the liver breaking down alcohol into carbon dioxide and water. Fatty liver disappears when patients stop drinking excessively. If patients continue drinking excessively then a proportion (around 20-30%) will develop the next stage of alcoholic liver disease - alcoholic hepatitis. In this condition, the liver becomes inflamed and in its extreme form, patients can die of liver failure.

An even smaller proportion of patients (around 10%) will develop a permanently scarred and damaged liver (cirrhosis), if they continue to drink excessively.

Why certain heavy drinkers remain at the stage of fatty liver and others progress to alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis is not known at present, although undoubtedly, the more you drink and the greater the frequency and duration of heavy drinking, the more likely you are to develop the more advanced forms of disease. Recent evidence suggests that being overweight increases the risk of developing serious alcoholic liver disease and as yet largely unidentified genetic (inherited) factors may also be important.

Other harm caused by alcohol

Excessive drinking can also cause:

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stomach disorders

* pancreatitis leading to diabetes

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high blood pressure

* heart muscle damage leading to heart failure

*
strokes

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cardiac rhythm disturbances

*
sudden cardiac death

*
vitamin deficiencies

* sexual difficulties

* problems with the brain

* depression

* problems with nerves in the limb

* cancer of the liver, mouth, throat, gullet, large bowel and breast.

What was the question ?

is oniclar the biggest wankjoe living in the UK?

Thank God for alcohol!! It makes people like Oniclar a little easier to put up with! Lighten up and go and have a beer...... or 6!!

I have spent time talking to the folks at AA about their work in helping people who want to stop to stop. The are adamant that preaching does very little good. people turn to them when their lives are spiralling downhill. they have or will be fired, their spouse has or is going to leave them etc. Health concerns rarely are a factor.