ALCOHOL ABUSE, SUICIDE IN INSTALLMENT!

Medical research has proven that the taking of alcohol into the body in any form or quantity impairs the judgment, normal restraint, and the performance of skilled movements. This means that it matters not whether it be beer, wine, or hard liquor because every alcoholic begins his/her downward path with a 'moderate' drink. When we buy liquor, we are just financially supporting an industry because every business is dependent upon the sufferance [ permission] of the public. Alcohol fools people. They think it has done one thing for them when in reality it has accomplished quite the opposite. Drinking some of it, a person imagines that he has become strong, when he is becoming weakened; he thinks he is becoming warmer, when his body is actually becoming colder. It appears that he is being energized by the alcohol, when in reality his coordination, nutrition and strength are being lessened. He thinks that the alcohol is stimulating him, when actually it is depressing his entire physical system. If the body is frequently subjected to an overload of alcohol, many parts are affected, and the poisonous effects are cumulative.

To understand how alcohol affects our body, we need to know something about the cells and organic systems of the human body. These cells and organs do not regularly work at full capacity. They have what some term a “functional reserve,” available for use when your body is put under extra stress. Thus, one of your kidneys can be completely removed without its interfering with a normal life. Even with about 90 percent of a normal liver removed, or a considerable portion of the brain taken out, a person can continue to perform the normal activities of life. By abusing alcohol, we can violate the “functional reserve” and put our body under considerable stress without even being aware of what is going on inside. When a cell is put under stress, it enlarges. If the stress is too great for too long, the cell will eventually burst and die. But if the stress is removed in time, the cell may gradually recover its normal size and function. It is only when you have used up the reserve, when too many cells have been damaged or killed, that you will be forced to admit that you are sick and have gone too far over too long a period of time. For many somewhat heavy drinkers, there is no major health collapse. But there may be a number of alcohol-related sicknesses that the person does not realize result from his drinking habits. His death may appear to be due to some common sickness. Yet, death may come perhaps 10 years before that of others his own age in the community.

Alcohol does some things that the liquor ads never mention: It destroys brain cells, fatty tissue, and body heat balance. It seriously damages the nervous system. It lessens disease resistance (especially pneumonia), hearing, nerve sensitivities, good judgment, and vision. It deadens one's sense of fatigue. It slows physical reactions. It scars liver tissue. It ruins the brain. The former alcoholic knows that his only safeguard is total abstinence for the rest of his life. He must stay away entirely from liquor in every form. Even to take one gulp will awaken a demon of craving within him. There is only one answer: leave it totally alone. Alcoholism usually begins with a social drink or two with friends. Sometimes it begins with a "business drink" or two, with a boss or client. It is easy to start, not so easy to stop. The pressures are there to conform, but it takes a man to say "No, I choose not to; thank you." To solve the ever increasing problem of alcohol abuse, we need to accept as a community and individually that we have a problem. No one ever stopped smoking or drinking until he came to the point of admitting that he had a problem and dared not continue any longer. Ten to twenty-five teaspoons of pure alcohol will cause obvious drunkenness. A bottle of 4% beer (360 c.c.) contains 4 teaspoons of alcohol. Four ounces (120 c.c.) of wine (14% alcohol) contains 4 teaspoons of alcohol. Three ounces of fortified wine (21% alcohol) contains 5 teaspoons of alcohol. Eight teaspoons (32 c.c.) of whisky contains 4 teaspoons of alcohol. Statistics indicate that one person in every seven that begins drinking ends up as a confirmed alcoholic.

As blood passes through the liver, enzymes break down alcohol into harmless byproducts, which are eliminated from the body six to eight hours later. But the rate at which alcohol accumulates in the body may be faster than the rate at which the body eliminates it, resulting in rising alcohol levels in the blood. Consequently, alcohol remains in the body, producing intoxicating effects hours after the last drink was swallowed. Small amounts of alcohol may relieve tension or fatigue, increase appetite, or produce an anesthetic affect that numbs pain. Larger quantities inhibit or depress higher thought processes, bolstering self-confidence and reducing inhibition, anxiety, and guilt. As a person becomes intoxicated, painful or embarrassing situations appear less threatening and, as drinking progresses, speech may become loud and slurred. Impaired judgment may lead to incautious behavior, and physical reflexes and muscular coordination may become noticeably affected. If drinking continues, complete loss of physical control follows, ending in stupor, and possibly death. Nonetheless, death will hunt us all either way so it is important to note how alcohol will prematurely end your life physiologically. The following highlights will enlighten us on these vices;

LIVER: This organ is one of the body's principal detoxifiers, neutralizing fumes that we breathe, chemicals from our food and water and from medicine. Drinking too much alcohol not only interferes with that vital work; it adds to the load of chemicals in the body. Furthermore, it reduces the liver's ability to contribute to the formation of red blood cells, coagulating factors and defense mechanisms against bacteria. Liver damage may result in loss of energy, varicose veins, swelling of the ankles, hormone imbalance, sexual impotence and jaundice, to mention a few.

Normally soft, the liver becomes enlarged and hardens when abused. If drinking stops soon enough, it can return to its normal size. But if heavy drinking has already destroyed a good portion of its cells, it may have shrunk and permanently hardened. Alcohol in alcoholics normally develops a disease known as cirrhosis of the liver. Many small areas of it (liver) are destroyed and replaced by scar tissue. As the destruction of liver cells continues, the liver tries to make new ones, but scar tissue keeps building up where the dead cells once were. These scar nodules give the liver an appearance of being "hob-nailed."

The damage and scarring reduces proper blood circulation through the liver which happens to be the largest organ inside the body. Impaired circulation to the liver equally affects the stomach, intestines, and spleen, and those organs also suffer.

The back pressure, of blood held back from entering the liver, begins to cause blood plasma to flow out from the peritoneal veins into the abdominal cavity behind the liver. There it accumulates, sometimes in such large quantities that it must be drawn off repeatedly in order to relieve the alcoholic of severe distention and discomfort.

We call this nightmare cirrhosis of the liver. It is progressive, and generally ends in death. Yet it could be entirely avoided. Drinking-liquor is the indirect cause of the problem. And stopping the alcohol is the only real way to solve it.

ESOPHAGUS: If the liver is seriously inflamed, pressure on the veins in the digestive tract increases and those located where the esophagus enters the stomach become dilated and thin walled. These easily bleed, sometimes profusely.

STOMACH: While small quantities of alcohol stimulate the secretion of gastric juices, large quantities and strong concentrations of it inhibit their secretion. The stomach becomes inflamed. The surface of the stomach that secretes digestive juices deteriorates and stomach muscles break down. As a result, food does not get sufficiently mixed or chemically broken down. Malnutrition develops, often because the body is not receiving the full benefit from what is eaten, and also because one who drinks excessively satisfies his appetite with alcohol but deprives it of the more necessary food elements.

PANCREAS: The pancreas supplies enzymes to break down food material, as well as insulin to regulate the blood-sugar level. But alcohol excess causes enzymes to attack and kill large portions of the pancreas. As a result, insulin production is reduced, causing mild diabetes, and because of lack of digestive enzymes food is not absorbed properly. An associated danger is that one becomes dependent on drugs (analgesics) because of the pain caused.

HEART AND BLOOD CIRCULATION: Hypertension (high blood pressure) and abnormalities of heart rhythm also develop with excessive drinking. As the heart cells enlarge, the whole heart becomes bigger. The heart valves then fail to function properly, its muscle action weakens and blood circulation is impaired. The entire body is deprived of proper nourishment, and toxins accumulate. The individual so afflicted becomes disposed to heart attacks and strokes. Drinking alcohol also produces warm, flushed skin. The drinker feels warmer because more blood is flowing through the skin vessels. But the blood is being drawn from inside the body, which becomes gradually cooler. Body temperature keeps falling. Some people think that drinking liquor will "warm" them up in cold weather. But this is not really true. Furthermore, Alcohol, when it enters the blood stream and is carried to the liver, it begins being slowly converted into carbon dioxide and water. This oxidation is quite slow, amounting to about 2 teaspoons of alcohol an hour. If it were food, it would be equal to the body using up two cubes of sugar each hour and that is really slow.

Alcohol is not a food, and cannot be stored in the body. Also it remains in the same form until converted into oxygen and water, so it provides no nourishment of any kind. It aids in neither growth nor repair. It is a useless fluid in the body, as far as help is concerned; it is a dangerous fluid in the body, when all the damage that it does is considered.

It neither builds up nor energizes any part of the body. Instead it depresses the system and causes a vicious addiction that is difficult to break.

Drinking alcohol greatly hinders proper nutrition for the body. Chronic alcoholics are always quite malnourished. This is due to decreased food intake (because they lose their appetite for food), decreased absorption and utilization of the food eaten (because of changes in the liver and digestive tract), and increased food requirements (because liquor-drinking increases body requirements for calories and certain vitamins, especially those of the B complex).

Two malnutrition diseases that alcoholics are most likely to develop are these: Beriberi, with its characteristic damage to the nerves controlling the legs and arms or damage to the general circulation, with weakness and enlargement of the heart. Pellagra, with a sore tongue; rash over the hands, ankles and neck; abdominal pain, diarrhea, and serious mental changes.

LUNGS: Chronic bronchitis and pneumonia are common among alcohol abusers. Tuberculosis is a common complication, thought to be due to poor nutrition and a greater susceptibility to lung infections. One study showed that at least 50 percent of those with tuberculosis were alcoholics. Alcohol lowers resistance to disease (especially pneumonia) and medical reports have dealt with this fact in detail.

KIDNEYS: The overconsumption of alcohol causes the blood vessels in the kidneys to dilate. The amount of urine discharged becomes excessive, depriving the body of needed fluids.

BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM: Excesses of alcohol are particularly damaging to the nervous system. The brain, like other organs, has a large “functional reserve,” so many cells may be destroyed without the appearance of disturbing symptoms. But, unlike what happens to other organs, the damage here may be permanent. Brain scanners have shown that, not only alcoholics, but social drinkers who have more than they ought to, experience an actual shrinkage of the brain.

Alcohol's effect on the nervous system may become manifest in loss of memory. A person may remember drinking, but the next morning he cannot recall how he got home or where he parked his car. Shakiness and lack of muscle coordination, not merely for a few hours, but on a prolonged basis give further evidence that the nervous system is being impaired.

Some people boast about their ability to “hold their liquor.” They may drink heavily but appear to be sober. What has really happened? It is not necessarily that the drinker can consume more with less damage. Rather, he has developed only a seeming tolerance for the alcohol and as a result is consuming more before his brain and the nervous system sound a warning. At the same time, if the liver has been damaged due to excessive drinking, the body's ability to handle the alcohol has actually diminished. Continued drinking under these circumstances results in increased damage to his entire system. It is nothing to brag about.

The brain and the nervous system also control breathing. So there is severe danger in drinking bouts. When the blood-alcohol level goes too high, vital functions of the body may cease.

Because of the effect of excess alcohol on the brain, the personality of the one who drinks too heavily is adversely affected. This does not await the time when his health has deteriorated to the extent that he seeks medical help. Long before that a man may mistreat his wife physically and he may lose several jobs because of unreliable or irrational behavior.

Knowing what happens inside a person's body when he drinks too much, and what others see happening to his personality, ought to make any sensible person stop and take a serious look at his own drinking habits. Why wait until our “functional reserve” is all gone before we try to turn back? Every time you take a drink you die a little. Up to now we might have thought of ourselves as moderate drinkers, and therefore safe. But, for one thing, the idea that we are safe is a flat lie.. Taking even the kindliest definition of 'moderation,' we are doing ourselves progressive physical harm. . Although the body has great regenerative powers, the cells of the brain and nervous system, once destroyed, are lost forever and we know these are the cells affected, first and most potently, by ethyl alcohol. We can get away of course with a wooden limb after an accident due to alcohol intoxication but medical intervention cannot offer us a wooden brain or nervous system hence the need to contemplate on stopping liquor. Habitual drinking will cause lasting impairment to brain, nervous system and liver. More and more, physicians are revising their easy-going attitude toward 'moderate' imbibing. Every time we over-imbibe, science believes, a certain amount of brain damage results. Even one drink affects the uppermost level of the brain, which is the center of restraint, inhibitions and judgment.

One renowned physician Dr. Howard A. Kelly, Surgeon, John Hopkins University once said, “There is no disease in the world for which alcohol is a cure. . It does undeniably cause thousands of cases of disease. . Its use is ruinous to the kidneys, liver, heart, and smaller blood vessels, and gives rise to that most common fatality, high blood pressure." So much devastation is caused by alcohol in our community, on the roads and in homes, that this is hardly a bold or surprising statement. Indeed, even if the bible were silent on the subject, the object lessons of devastation from a thousand years of history are still crystal clear. Today experts characterize alcohol-use disorders as a form of illness, and one so widespread that it constitutes a major public health problem. According to WHO, alcohol dependence and other alcohol-use disorders undermine global health, accounting for 3.5 percent of the total cases of disease worldwide. This figure equals the hazards posed by unsafe sex and surpasses two other formidable health foes, tobacco and illicit drugs. Intoxication threatens not only the individual who drinks but also the surrounding community. Therefore Amigos drink responsibly and remember that every dog has its limits on how much orders it can take from its master even when that leader is venomous. Be a leader and master of your body today and overcome voluntary installment sips of suicide.

JONES H. MUNANG'ANDU (author)

Motivational speaker, health commentator &
Health practitioner
Email; [email protected]
Skype id; jones muna

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