Effects of Alcohol Abuse
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The impact of alcohol abuse on your life is widespread. It can cause physical, emotional, and social problems in your life. Fortunately, treatment at PCP – The Perry Clayman Project can help you to recover from alcohol abuse and prevent further difficulties with alcohol. Asking for help can be challenging. However, don’t waste another day as a slave to alcohol. You can break free through treatment at PCP – The Perry Clayman Project.
What Is Alcohol Abuse?
Alcohol is a substance that is commonly used in our society. For most, drinking alcohol is not problematic. However, if you abuse alcohol, it has a significant negative impact on your life, both personally and professionally.
Alcohol abuse is characterised by excessive and uncontrollable consumption of alcohol. This means that you drink more than 14 units per week, which is considered a regular drinking guideline. According to the Department of Health, if you drink the regular 14 units each week, it is best to spread these drinks over at least three days, making each drinking session have fewer drinks. However, if you abuse alcohol, you may drink 14 units a week or less one or two days a week.
Additionally, if you struggle with alcohol abuse, you will have difficulty controlling your alcohol consumption. This means that you may find yourself drinking more alcohol than you intended. However, alcohol abuse also often means that you prioritise drinking over other activities like spending time with family, exercise, or other responsibilities.
Impact of Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol abuse impacts your life in many ways. It leads to physical, emotional, and social problems in your life. The impact of alcohol abuse on your life is unique to you. However, it is important to be aware of how alcohol abuse can create both short-term and long-term issues in your life in multiple ways.
Ethanol is a very small molecule found in alcohol. It is water soluble and absorbed in multiple parts of your digestive system. Initially, ethanol is slowly absorbed in your stomach. Then, it is more rapidly absorbed in your small intestine. After absorption, ethanol is freely distributed around your body.
However, after freely moving around your body, ethanol is eventually eliminated as a waste product. Other parts of alcohol are digested and used for energy to be used either in the moment or stored as fat. More than 90% of alcohol is processed and eliminated by the liver, and of that, about two to five percent of alcohol leaves your body without any change to its structure.
Physical Ramifications
Alcohol abuse, in individual situations and over time, takes a serious toll on your physical health. On singular occasions of abusing alcohol, alcohol interferes with your brain communication. This disruption of communication in the brain impacts your mood, behaviour, mental clarity, and physical coordination. The changes in the brain can also lead to cognitive decline and neurological disorders. Additionally, drinking too much impacts your immune system, making it more likely you will struggle with other health issues.
Long-term alcohol abuse also has physical ramifications. Heavy drinking takes a serious toll on your heart, increasing your risk of increased blood pressure, stroke, and arrhythmias. Additionally, long-term abuse of alcohol can cause multiple different issues with your liver and pancreas. Finally, abusing alcohol is associated with a high risk of developing multiple types of cancer, including:
- Head and neck cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Liver cancer
- Breast cance
Emotional
Alcohol abuse is commonly a result of a desire to change how you feel. Drinking alcohol can make your mood shift and impact your emotions. However, the continued abuse of alcohol has long-term consequences for your emotional health.
The long-term impacts of abusing alcohol include exacerbating feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression. These emotional changes can be a result of cravings for alcohol. However, they are also associated with the changes that occur in the brain when you abuse alcohol on a singular occasion and over time. As a result, when you get treatment, you likely will go through emotional ups and downs. However, with adequate treatment, your emotions will level out over time.
Social
Having a strong social network is important for mental and physical health. While alcohol is commonly used in social settings, alcohol abuse negatively impacts your ability to have healthy social engagement. This is due to the unhealthy environment that is created and how it impacts your relationships both personally and professionally.
When you are abusing alcohol, your actions are geared towards using alcohol. Therefore, even on social occasions, you likely find yourself drinking more than you have planned and/or more than others. As a result, your actions will not fit into the acceptable social environment. Alcohol can lead you to say things that are not appropriate for the situation and that cause strain on relationships that are important in your life.
Recovery and Prevention for Alcohol Abuse
When you are struggling with alcohol abuse, you might feel like there is no hope for healing. However, regardless of how long and how much you abuse alcohol, you can recover. Treatment for alcohol abuse at PCP – The Perry Clayman Project can help you to heal on multiple fronts. As a result, you can take the first steps towards a life where you are not tied to alcohol and can thrive without it.
Through detox, you can begin to heal your body. As a result, you take the first steps towards levelling out your mood and towards healing from the negative ramifications that alcohol abuse has had on you. Additionally, treatment helps you to understand more clearly why alcohol is such a challenge for you. There is no single reason that fits every person, and your challenges are unique to you. However, at PCP – The Perry Clayman Project, you can learn how to recover and prevent future issues with alcohol in your life.
Alcohol abuse causes many issues in your life that vary for each individual and commonly include physical, emotional, and social challenges. If you or your loved one is struggling with alcohol abuse, call PCP – The Perry Clayman Project today at 08000 380 480 to take the first steps towards a life free from alcohol abuse.