Complete Impact of Alcoholism on the Body and the Mind

Drinking alcohol, especially binge drinking or drinking alcohol for many years, can cause a lot of adverse effects. It is important to know these effects aren’t the same for everyone. However, there are common effects that can and do happen to people who drink alcohol, sometimes, even when they don’t have an alcohol addiction.

If you do have alcoholism, our Recovery by the Sea addiction treatment team can help you to overcome it. All you have to do to start your recovery journey is to pick up the phone and give us a call.

Common Effects of Alcohol Consumption

Everyone is different in the way that alcohol directly impacts their body and mind. However, there are some people who have alcoholism and can’t control how much they drink, until they get help in overcoming the addiction. Before discussing treatment options, however, it is a good idea to learn more about blood alcohol content and how much certain drinks raise those levels.

If you or someone you know is consistently having high blood alcohol levels due to drinking too much, some of the effects may end up being permanent.

However, you can get help right now before things get worse. Here at RBS Rehab, our team has been helping people to overcome addictions for awhile and we want to help you, as well.

Understanding More About Blood Alcohol Content

In order to further learn about the impact of alcoholism on the body and mind, it is crucial to know that a higher blood alcohol content in the body is going to cause more effects. It is going to make those effects more severe, too.

With this being said, alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, which is why it causes many of the effects that it does. In addition, people who have a lower tolerance to alcohol can’t drink as much as those who have a higher tolerance – before they start feeling effects.

Depending on a person’s blood alcohol content, they may have a range of effects and complications – ranging from minor to much more severe. For instance, a lower blood alcohol content may only cause someone to have minimal side effects such as mild lightheadedness. However, the higher the BAC levels go, the more life-threatening the effects can and often do become. Get the breakdown of various blood alcohol content percentages along with the effects of those levels here today.

These statistics are alarming, but they are true, too. If you or someone you know wants to quit drinking alcohol, but needs help, turn to our Recovery by the Sea treatment team today. We can get you enrolled in an alcohol addiction treatment program to help you finally get your life back.

Alcohol Abuse and Effects on the Body

As noted above, alcohol can affect the body in numerous ways. It can cause damage to the inside and outside of a person’s body. Even though you can’t see your organs, except for on imaging tests, that doesn’t mean the damage isn’t happening every time you take a drink of alcohol, especially when you binge drink. Learn more about how alcohol is affecting your body today!

Effects of Alcohol on the Brain

One of the organs in the body that alcohol does impact is the brain. Not only can someone experience temporary brain issues from alcohol consumption, but they can have some long-term side effects, too. Some of them may even become irreversible.

Some of the ways that alcohol impacts the brain include:

• Memory loss
• Lack of coordination
• Damaging different areas of the brain (especially the cerebral cortex, limbic system, and cerebellum)
• Changing the structure of the brain
• Impaired motor skills
• Loss of balance
• Emotional response issues

If you want to try stopping the effects of alcohol on your brain before they become permanent, contact our RBS treatment team today.

Effects of Alcohol on the Heart

The heart is also impacted by alcohol consumption. In fact, it is one of the organs that is most vulnerable to alcoholism. Over time, people who drink heavily, are going to have a weaker heart. Some of the negative impacts of alcohol consumption on the heart include:

• Less oxygen and nutrients are delivered to other organs from the heart
• Increased triglyceride levels which raise the risk of heart disease and other severe heart-related issues
• Increased risk of cardiomyopathy
• Strokes
• Sudden cardiac death

As you can see, the effects of alcohol on the heart are quite severe. If you aren’t experiencing heart issues yet, choose to stop drinking. Our team can help you to do that. Even if you already have some heart issues as a result of alcohol consumption, overcoming an alcohol addiction now can slow down the progression of these issues or possibly stop them from getting worse.

Effects of Alcohol on the Liver

If you are a heavy drinker, it is crucial to know that alcohol is likely impacting your liver in life-threatening ways. Whenever you consume alcohol, the liver must break it down and remove it from the blood in your body. However, when you drink a lot of alcohol (especially in one sitting – binge drinking), the alcohol overwhelms your metabolism and can cause fatty liver disease. This is a chronic health condition that causes a buildup of unhealthy fats in a person’s liver. Fatty liver disease can cause type 2 diabetes, obesity and liver failure which can lead to death.

Some of the other serious consequences of alcohol consumption on the liver include:

• Higher risk of alcohol hepatitis
• Fibrosis
• Cirrhosis

While there are treatments for some of these conditions, that doesn’t necessarily mean a person’s lifestyle will be great if it gets to this point. You don’t have to let things get this out of control with your health due to alcoholism. You can get treatment today.

Effects of Alcohol on the Pancreas

The pancreas is also impacted by alcohol consumption. In fact, millions of people who regularly or binge drink do develop pancreatitis. This is a painful and dangerous condition that can lead to numerous complications including shock or even death. It can also increase the risk of getting pancreatic cancer which is extremely harmful and even life-threatening.

People who develop pancreatitis often have pancreatic attacks, too. Some of the uncomfortable symptoms of this condition include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fast heart rate
• Fever
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal pain

If you have already experienced this condition, you can get help from an addiction treatment center to stop drinking and get into a sober lifestyle. The sooner you do that, the less likely you are to experience further complications from pancreatitis.

As you can see, alcohol does negatively impact the body in numerous ways. If you or someone you know is a heavy drinker or can’t control your alcohol consumption, don’t hesitate to reach out for help and treatment today.

Effects of Alcohol Abuse

There are many side effects of drinking excessively. The effects that a person experiences will depend on how much alcohol they consume, their tolerance to alcohol, whether they are a regular drinker and on some other factors, too. Some of the common effects of alcohol abuse are:

• Vision issues
• Coordination issues
• Slurred speech
• Extreme mood swings
• Memory loss
• Slowed breathing

Some people might experience many of these side effects. However, people who have been drinking a lot of alcohol for a long time may not have hardly any, if none, of these side effects.

Unfortunately, though, even if you don’t have these side effects, the alcohol is still damaging your organs. Even short-term drinking can have detrimental effects. Not to mention, there are lower inhibitions when someone consumes alcohol which means they might take part in criminal activities such as driving under the influence without a second thought.

There are some long-term effects of alcohol abuse that you may want to know about, as well. Some of these effects include:

• Liver disease
• Cardiovascular disease
• Cancer
• Respiratory issues
• Ulcers
• Nerve damage

The long-term effects of alcohol abuse can impact various areas of one’s life, too. If you are an alcoholic, some parts of your life that may be affected include finances, family, friends, school, personal hygiene, cleaning tasks and work.

If you are already experiencing any of the short-term or long-term effects of alcohol, that doesn’t mean you can’t get help. In fact, our team here at RBS Rehab wants to hear from you. We know that it can be tough to step up and ask for help to stop drinking and to get into recovery. However, that is half the battle and you can do it.

Choosing to get sober and overcome an addiction to alcohol is a big decision. It starts with admitting that you need help. Then, you would need to participate in some kind of alcohol rehabilitation program. If you are looking for a treatment program for yourself or someone in your life, reach out to our Recovery by the Sea team today.

Various Addiction Treatment Services

Just like with the many treatment options, there are a variety of alcohol addiction treatment services, as well. Your treatment plan, when going into a rehab center program, will depend on the results from your assessment. Over time, the treatment plan can change to include more or fewer services. In the meantime, learning about the service options can help to prepare you for the recovery process. Some of the most common alcohol addiction treatment services include:

• Family counseling
• Individual therapy
• Education workshops
• Mindfulness meditation
• Wellness education
• Adventure therapy
• 12-step facilitation therapy
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Group therapy
• Trauma Recovery/EMDR therapy
• Yoga
• Music therapy

If you are ready to work through addictive-related behaviors and habits, so you can finally overcome the alcohol addiction that has been tearing through your life, let our Recovery by the Sea team know today. We can get you started on the road to recovery right away.

Overcome Alcoholism Today

Do you or someone you know abuse alcohol? Maybe you haven’t realized that you have an alcohol addiction until now. However, it is never too late to start getting sober and into recovery. Here at RBS Rehab, we want to help anyone who is willing to get help for their alcohol addiction. Contact us today to stop letting alcohol tear apart your body and mind. We can get you into an alcohol addiction treatment program