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Alcohol has
been named the world’s third greatest risk factor in the development of
premature disease. This seemingly
innocent drink is a staple in social gatherings but its effects often spills
over into society as a whole. Alcohol’s
intoxicating, toxic and dependence-producing properties play a role in
violence, child neglect and abuse, shattered relationships and poor job
performance.
The harmful
use of alcohol is a global problem that claims at least 2.5 million lives per
year. The sad reality is that many of
the lives lost are caused by an intoxicated person’s poor choices that
ultimately resulted in the harm of others.
Alcohol use is very similar to the concept of secondhand smoke; it
impacts everyone around you.
Alcohol’s causing more than a buzz
Very few
people realize that the short-term abuse of alcohol can result in long-term,
severe health conditions that include but are not limited to heart disease and
cancer. These conditions are often called
non-communicable diseases (NCD’s) as they cannot be passed from one person to
the next but are greatly dependent on our personal choices.
Communicable
diseases or ones that can be passed from person to person are also affected by
the use of alcohol. Alcohol use is associated
with diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) as alcohol can compromise one’s immune system.
“320,000
young people between the age of 15 and 29 die from alcohol-related causes,
resulting in 9% of all deaths in that age group” according to the World Health
Organization.
Nearly
everyone knows someone that has been harmed intentionally or unintentionally by
risky drinking practices. Fatal
accidents resulting from traffic accidents, violence and suicides tend to occur
in younger age groups but are not limited to youth or any gender group.
Alcohol is not man’s best friend
According to
statistics, men are more likely than women to drink excessively and make poor
decisions that can result in serious injury or death. Examples may include reckless driving,
violent behavior and other questionable decisions associated with alcohol
consumption.
The use of
alcohol can alter one’s mood significantly.
Depression – the opposite of aggression – can occur as well. Men are more likely than women to have
alcohol induced depression that increases the risk of committing suicide or
doing other forms of self-harm.
Alcohol can cause cancer
Studies now
demonstrate the damaging effects of alcohol on hormones of the body. Hormones
have a direct impact on weight gain, diabetes and cancer. Alcohol has been
found to decrease testosterone in men and increase levels of cortisol. The imbalance of these hormones and other
altered processes has been linked to the risk of cancer of the mouth, throat,
esophagus, liver, and colon in men and women.
Studies have
linked the risk of breast cancer to increase proportionally in relation to the
amount of alcohol use in women. The more
alcohol consumed, the greater the cancer risk.
Alcohol consumption
is also associated with poor dietary food choices. Less than optimal food items that are fried,
in a bag or made with highly toxic fats and sugars will exacerbate the risk of
developing cancer. In general terms,
one’s cancer risk increases with the processing of food items with nitrates,
food colorings and preservatives.
Alcohol affects women more
Recent
studies have shown that women who drink excessively are at an increased risk
for damage to the heart muscle in comparison to men. The findings highlighted that women were at
greatest risk even if they had lower levels of consumption.
Men are more
likely to drink in larger quantities but what really matters is trying to
understand how gender differences and body structures will impact the body’s
response. Women commonly have smaller
structures and breakdown alcohol slightly different than men. This will result in higher alcohol levels in
the blood that ultimately will impact a female longer despite drinking an equal
amount.
6 out of every 10 women drink
The
consumption of alcohol is very common despite the known side effects. Excessive drinking has not only been linked
to memory loss but also brain shrinkage. Research suggests that women are more
vulnerable once again to alcohol’s damaging effects to the brain and liver.
Alcoholic
liver disease does not necessarily affect only heavy drinkers. Once again there is a direct relationship
between the amount of alcohol, the length of consumption and the rate of
cirrhotic liver. The important item to understand is that alcohol-induced liver
disease is irreversible and steps must be taken to prevent complications.
Alcohol and pregnancy
Recent
surveys reveal that about 7.2% of pregnant women still consume alcohol. These figures are low as many women are
unaware that they are pregnant early in the pregnancy. Alcohol consumption will have its greatest
damage on the fetus in the first few weeks of development. Sometimes the damage is already done without
knowing it.
Women who
drink alcohol while they are pregnant will increase the risk of having a baby
with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The most severe form of FASD is
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), which will cause mental retardation and birth defects.
Stop drinking immediately if you find out you are pregnant as you will lower
the risk of having a child with physical, mental, or emotional problems.
Excessive
drinking may disrupt the menstrual cycle and increase the risk of infertility
or more serious – miscarriage, stillbirth and premature delivery. These
outcomes are still very common in developing countries.
Improving lifestyle choices
The first
step of any addiction or destructive lifestyle habit is identifying that there
is a problem. This is often the most
difficult component as alcohol is involved in our social gatherings and our
cultural definition of what is acceptable.
Coping with problem drinking requires that you change your habits and
make different lifestyle choices. The following are items to consider:
• Your social situation. Make it clear to your friends and family that
you are not drinking.
• Develop healthy habits. Good sleep, exercise and a healthy diet will
help your body respond to alcohol if you choose to quit or not.
• Get involved. Commonly people drink as their social
release. Find social activities that
don’t involve alcohol such as community events, programs or volunteer
activities.
Preventing alcohol catastrophes
Don’t wait
until you have a problem to try to fix it.
Alcohol abuse is a portal of entry for many serious health
conditions. It has direct links to heart
disease, diabetes and cancers – the major disease killers in the world. We must understand that our personal choices
today will impact our overall health tomorrow.
The purpose
of this column is not to say one cannot drink alcohol but to understand the
effects and take self-responsibility to prevent overuse. Alcohol impairs our ability to make good
decisions and unfortunately we cannot change the past. Improving your choices will improve your
decisions and ultimately improve your future.
Dr. Cory Couillard is an international healthcare speaker and columnist for numerous newspapers, magazines, websites and publications throughout the world. He works in collaboration with the World Health Organization's goals of disease prevention and global healthcare education. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement.
Email: drcorycouillard@gmail.com
Facebook: Dr Cory Couillard
Twitter: DrCoryCouillard
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