The Adverse Health Effects of Daily Consumption of Alcohol
Nobody denies that alcohol can take a devastating toll on your health, but many feel that light to moderate amounts of drinking has little to no effect on your body. Unfortunately, as discussed in a recent Cleveland Clinic health essentials article, alcohol can harm you even in small amounts.
As reported by the Cleveland Clinic, alcohol not only harms your liver, it can also damage other organs. For instance, when you drink your body has to work on metabolizing the alcohol. It makes that process a priority, over other essential needs. Alcohol is a toxin and your body has to make removing it the main objective. Your liver gets hit hardest since the liver is the organ responsible for detoxification.
Alcohol consumption can also cause problems with your cut. A gastroenterologist for the Cleveland Clinic notes that “abusing alcohol causes bacteria to grow in your gut” which can eventually lead to liver damage.
Heavy alcohol consumption can damage your heart, weakening it, or causing an irregular heartbeat. People who drink a lot are also at higher risk for developing high blood pressure, certain types of cancer, and pancreatitis.
Shockingly, “early-stage alcoholic liver disease” also referred to as “fatty liver” results in approximately “90% of people who drink more than one and a half to two ounces of alcohol per day.” Continued alcohol consumption can lead to cirrhosis, irreversible liver damage that may lead to liver failure.
Long story short, even small amounts of alcohol can have a devastating effect on many of your internal organs. If you have developed an unhealthy relationship with alcohol or are unable to stop drinking, you should seek treatment immediately.