The effects of alcohol are not always in the negative, contrary to what we might think. Unfortunately, alcohol is an addictive substance that can create chemical dependence, just like illegal and certain prescription drugs can. In some ways, the legality, affordability, and unlimited supply of alcohol make it potentially even more dangerous than hardcore drugs.

On top of all that, the body also suffers in both the short and the long term, due to the many derogatory effects of alcohol. However, in order to truly understand what everyone always warns against those harmful effects are that, read on.

Balance Disruption

Long-term alcoholics will lose some of their muscle coordination, hand-eye coordination, and balance as an effect of long-term alcohol abuse.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis, also known as thinning bones, will either be triggered earlier or worsened through alcohol abuse.

Rhabdomyolysis

Rhabdomyolysis is the official name for muscle death, which is one of the primary causes of renal failure in alcoholics.

Speech Impediments

Slurred speech and stuttering are common effects of being drunk, but if an alcoholic sounds drunk even when they are not drunk, it’s a sign that the speech impediments have become semi-permanent, if not permanent.

Frequent Memory Loss

It happens after a night of heavy drinking, but in case of a severe alcoholic, such cases of complete amnesia about the previous day or night is a regular affair, also described as blackouts.

Constant Tiredness

It’s not about the hangover anymore when you are hung over every morning. Given time, the tiring effects of a hangover become perpetual and the person actually begins to feel more tired when he/she is not under the influence.

Major Organ Damage

The heart, the kidneys, the pancreas, the lungs, the digestive system and, of course, the brain are all damaged in various degrees when alcohol in significant amounts is consumed on a regular basis over a long period of time. Some of the following are common effects seen in alcoholics due to major organ damage:

• Fatty liver, liver damage, and liver cirrhosis
• Heart disease and blocked arteries, leading to cardiac arrests
• Hallucinations, permanent memory loss, migraines, cognitive impairment and loss of physical brain mass
• Frequent lung infections due to a compromised immune system
• Indigestion, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, pain, inflammation of the bowels, etc.
• kidney disease and lethal kidney failures
• fatty pancreas and pancreatitis

Cancers

All of the major organ damage detailed above can lead to cancers of the respective areas as well, especially when alcohol consumption is continued.

Aside from that, alcohol abuse directly contributes to the development of esophageal cancer, intestinal cancer, liver cancer, throat cancer, and mouth cancer to name just a few.

What Can One Do If the Addiction has Already Taken Root?

It is easy for a mid-level alcoholic to stop drinking completely for a day or two and show people that all control is not lost. It can even last up to a week or more, but eventually, when the withdrawals start to kick in more severely, they will get back to the bottle almost inevitably.

The chemical dependence which the human brain develops after prolonged alcohol abuse is not something that can be willed away because it’s a disease in every sense of the term.

Rehabilitation is an advanced alcoholic’s best chance at regaining control of his/her life and the Sinclair Method Alcohol Treatment or ‘TSM Alcohol Treatment’ as the system is called has been found to be particularly effective for that in Europe. It is one of those very few rare methods that allow a willing alcoholic to recover at home and not be admitted in a clinic necessarily.

In the US, the Sinclair Method is not as popular as it is in Europe, but the affordable and practical nature of the treatment has recently started to gain some popularity in the States as well.

The Sinclair Method or ‘TSM Alcohol Treatment‘ offered by Ria Health allows you to get rid of alcoholism, but without having to get admitted into rehab or having to spend as much money as what inpatient rehabilitation centers charge.

The Sinclair Method Alcohol Treatment relies on the principle of moderation and limitation, rather than complete abstinence, which is actually a more practical approach for advanced alcoholics than stopping it completely and suffering the subsequent withdrawal effects full blast.

Alcohol consumption in a controlled lifestyle should not have any negative effects, but as discussed earlier, it is an addictive substance and most people don’t have the willpower nor do they feel the need to stop when it first starts getting out of hand. Especially for people who have had a history of alcohol or any other addictions, complete sobriety is highly advised to prevent the development of a new substance addiction or a relapse.