Heavy drinking: The long-term effects
Heavy drinking over a long period of time eventually leads to ill health, and damage to some organs of the body can be permanent. Medical problems are usually accompanied, or preceded, by the social, family and workplace problems associated with alcoholism.
Alcohol-related disorders
Some of the most common problems associated with alcohol abuse include:
Liver damage. The poisonous action of the alcohol causes a drinker's liver to become dangerously fatty. Some people recover if they stop drinking alcohol altogether; others may develop dangerous complications such as hepatitis and cirrhosis.
Chronic gastric, pancreatic and anaemic disorders.
Damage to the central nervous system. This can result in the heavy drinker experiencing a 'tingling' sensation in the extremities and loss of feeling in hands and feet.
Brain damage. Memory loss, general mental confusion, impaired ability to learn new things and, sometimes, hallucinations, are all associated with alcohol-related brain damage.
Difficulties during or after pregnancy. Medical research has established a clear link between problems in pregnancy and consumption of alcohol. Statistics show that expectant mothers who drink face a greater risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth than those who avoid alcohol. The safest approach is not to drink at all, especially during the first three months of pregnancy when the fetus's organs and limbs are forming.
Alcohol-related disorders
Some of the most common problems associated with alcohol abuse include:
Liver damage. The poisonous action of the alcohol causes a drinker's liver to become dangerously fatty. Some people recover if they stop drinking alcohol altogether; others may develop dangerous complications such as hepatitis and cirrhosis.
Chronic gastric, pancreatic and anaemic disorders.
Damage to the central nervous system. This can result in the heavy drinker experiencing a 'tingling' sensation in the extremities and loss of feeling in hands and feet.
Brain damage. Memory loss, general mental confusion, impaired ability to learn new things and, sometimes, hallucinations, are all associated with alcohol-related brain damage.
Difficulties during or after pregnancy. Medical research has established a clear link between problems in pregnancy and consumption of alcohol. Statistics show that expectant mothers who drink face a greater risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth than those who avoid alcohol. The safest approach is not to drink at all, especially during the first three months of pregnancy when the fetus's organs and limbs are forming.
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