10 Physical Effects of Alcohol

Alcohol use produces some physical effects which may be unpleasant or altogether damaging to the health of the user. They are unpleasant because to a large extent they are capable of causing discomfort and even irreversible damage to the person.

1.Loss of appetite: Excessive use of alcohol produces the direct opposite of its mild use – it leads to loss of appetite. Those who use alcoholic beverages in high quantity (alcoholics) end up with suppressed appetite and subsequently develop malnutrition.
2.Anaemia: Alcohol also causes vitamin deficiency (especially vitamin B12 and folic acid) which play a vital role in red blood cell formation. When the body is deprived of the ingredients necessary for haemoglobin formation the individual suffers from anaemia.
3.Peripheral neuritis: Vitamin B1 plays an active role in maintaining the health of the peripheral nerves. With chronic alcoholism vitamin B1 deficiency occurs leading to inflammation of the peripheral nerves, accompanied with pain and oedema.
4.Liver damage: Alcohol especially whisky or spirit leads to hepatitis with prolonged usage and if not stopped, repeated inflammation of the liver finally results in a terminal condition of the liver known as liver cirrhosis.
5.Tremor: It also brings about an involuntary, muscular quivering of the face, tongue and hands. This may get worse as the use of alcohol continues unabated.
6.Peptic ulcer: Alcohol has been implicated in peptic ulcer. Its effect is just like the effect of the Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) because it (spirit) is able to gradually destroy the mucosal lining of the stomach and expose it to the effects of hydrochloric acid and gastric acid.
7.Cancer: Research has recently shown that alcohol could be responsible for the high incidence of cancer of the breast, mouth, pharynx, larynx, gallbladder, pancreas, bowel, kidneys, oesophagus, lungs, etc. These conditions are on the increase in Great Britain and the United States of America where the use of alcohol is very high.
8.Dehydration: Alcohol is also known to cause dehydration.
9.Abortion: It can cause abortion of the unborn baby in mothers who are heavy drinkers. It also gives rise to low birth weight babies.
10.Sexual disorder: Some form of sexual disorder is also reported among users. This disorders include impotence in males and frigidity in females.