Alcohol is one of the active substances that society has normalized. In other words, everyone thinks it’s okay to drink it and get a little tipsy or drunk occasionally.

Some people will even go as far as considering a nightly two glasses of wine or bottles of beer to be ok.

Because of society’s somewhat loose general apprehensions towards alcohol, it is one of the most accessible drugs to use. All you have to do is turn 21, and your alcohol intake will only be limited to how much and often you want to drink.

No wonder why in 2020, the global market size of alcoholic drinks amounted to more than $1.49 trillion.

People in general love alcohol. 

It is a substance humanity has been using for thousands of years. It has also never been a secret that having too much alcohol has adverse effects.

Everybody has some idea of what alcohol can do to you.

But with modern medical research and technology, we have begun to uncover how the substance, when abused, exactly destroys the human body. We now have the average standards of what can be harmful to you when it comes to drinking.

And so, we now can warn people what they could be up for if they drink too much or abuse alcohol.

Before we talk about the destructive effects of alcohol, let’s discuss what kind of drinking leads you there. And that is excessive drinking.

Excessive drinking can either be binge drinking, heavy drinking, or any amount of alcohol drinking by pregnant women or people aged younger than 21.

You will know if you are binge or heavy drinking depending on how many standard drinks you take in a particular amount of time.

The following are considered 1 standard drink.

• 2oz of 5% Alcohol By Volume (ABV) beer
• 8oz of 7% ABV malt liquor
• 5oz 12% ABV wine
• 1.5oz 40% ABV or 80 proof distilled spirits or hard liquor (e.g., gin, rum, vodka, whiskey)

The most common way that people abuse alcohol is binge drinking. When you go out with your friends on a Friday or open a bottle of wine at home and end up drinking more than you planned, that is the typical picture of binge drinking.

However, the scientific standard for binge drinking is, on a single occasion, 4 or more drinks for women or 5 or more drinks for men.

People who binge drink can quickly become addicted to alcohol and continue drinking more often. They can become heavy drinkers in the long run.

If a woman starts drinking 8 or more drinks a week or a man, 15 or more, then that’s heavy drinking.

All of these types of drinking can also quickly turn into worse cases of addiction where you can no longer stop drinking even if you are burdened by the worst side effects.

What happens when you abuse alcohol?

When you use alcohol excessively, you are highly prone to its immediate adverse effects. These consequences increase the risk of many devastating health conditions. 

The following results are caused mainly by binge drinking.

• Physical injuries, like vehicular motor accidents, falling, drowning, and burns.
• Becoming victim or perpetrator of violence, including sexual assault, suicide, homicide, and domestic abuse.
• Alcohol poisoning, which is a dangerous medical emergency that results from a significantly high blood alcohol level
• Risky sexual behavior that can result in unintended pregnancy or acquiring sexually transmitted diseases

Aside from these direct or short-term effects, alcohol misuse also puts you at risk of dangerous chronic diseases in the long run.

The following are long-term health risks of excessive drinking.

• Digestive problems
  • Ulcers
  • Indigestion
• Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Stroke
• Liver disease
  • Fatty liver
  • Cirrhosis of the liver
• Cancers
  • Breast cancer
  • Mouth cancer
  • Throat cancer
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Laryngeal cancer
  • Liver cancer
  • Colon cancer
  • Rectal cancer
• Weakened of the immune system and an increased risk of sickness
• Learning and memory decline
• Dementia
• Mental health problems including depression and anxiety
• Social problems
  • Family problems
  • Job-related problems
  • Unemployment

If you want to avoid any of these problems, you have to manage how you drink or, better yet, not drink at all.

But you might be reading this article knowing that someone you care about is already having drinking problems. And you want that person to avoid these problems so that they can lead a quality, satisfying life.

Suppose you or anyone you know is alcohol abusive, alcohol-dependent, alcoholic, alcohol addicted, binge drinking, or heavy drinking. In that case, you can find help that will enable you to restore your life smoothly.

Surely you have heard about alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS), which has symptoms that can be scary, like delirium tremens. Thinking about this risk is valid, and you are right to be worried especially if you have a severe case of alcoholism.

So the best way to do alcohol cessation is with help from a professional facility.

When you detox or rehab in a facility, you have the following that makes cessation easy.

• Detoxifying away from people and situations that trigger your drinking
• 24/7 medical monitoring that ensures safe cessation
• Prescriptions for lessening the pains and discomforts of withdrawal
• A complete detoxification and rehabilitation plan that includes sustainability and aftercare

If you are looking for a place where you can detox or rehab comfortably and peacefully, visit https://www.addictiondetox.com/ to learn more.