Though alcohol is one of the most popular drinks on the planet, it has negative consequences on human health. It’s well known that alcohol contains some sedative chemical ingredients that make people feel happy with the drink. This also makes it a traditional drink in many societies, but its toxicity is harmful to some important body parts like the liver, brain and the bigger part of the neuro-muscular system. Many lessons have been learnt about the impact of alcohol toxicity on the liver, especially those exposed to hepatitis or immune-related illnesses. In addition, alcohol is a major health risk factor for heart conditions. Heavy drinking affects blood components such as platelets that may clump together to form blood clots, which can lead to heart attacks or stroke. Besides, heavy drinking can also cause chronic heart disease known as cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy is a potentially deadly condition in which the heart muscle weakens and eventually fails. This involves problems of heart rhythm abnormalities known as atrial and ventricular fibrillation. In atrial fibrillation, the heart's upper chambers (atria) twitch chaotically rather than constrict rhythmically, and this can cause blood clots that can trigger stroke. Ventricular fibrillation causes turbulent twitching in the heart's main pumping chambers (ventricles). It causes rapid loss of consciousness and, in the absence of immediate treatment, sudden death occurs. Alcohol is toxic to the liver cells, and many heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis. Liver cirrhosis is usually a lethal condition in which the liver is so heavily scarred that it is unable to function. However, not every heavy alcohol drinker develops cirrhosis because there are people who drink huge volumes of alcohol and never develop or suffer from cirrhosis. There are also circumstances where some who take little develop cirrhosis and without any underlying condition. Alcohol has a negative impact on the brain system. It affects brain function and can cause a condition known as dementia. Normally as people grow older, their brain system tends to shrink and this has been proven scientifically as a normal living situation. And higher dosage of alcohol in old age speeds up the shrinkage of certain key regions of the brain, resulting in memory loss. The decrease in brain function has potentially debilitating deficits in the ability to plan, make judgments, solve problems, and perform other aspects of executive function that are of important value to our well-being. The failure of the brain to perform the mentioned functions leads to a miserable life. Good brain function is vital to life because it allows us to maximize our function as human beings. Heavy alcoholic drinks can cause chronic or permanent dizziness and body shaking in the form of seizures even in individuals without epilepsy. Many alcohol takers for a long time have been found to have a painful condition known as gout. Gout is caused by the formation of uric acid crystals in the joints. Although some cases are largely hereditary, alcohol and other dietary factors seem to contribute to the condition. Alcohol is also an aggravating factor for gout patients. There is evidence that links increase of blood pressure with alcoholism. Alcohol can disrupt the sympathetic nervous system that, among other things, controls the constriction and dilation of blood vessels in response to stress, temperature, and exertion. The effect of pressure increase can become chronic and this could give rise to some health problems such as kidney disease and stroke. Drunkards normally develop nerve problems known as alcoholic neuropathy, which can produce painful pins and needles feeling or numbness in the extremities as well as muscle weakness, incontinence, constipation, erectile dysfunction, and other problems. Alcoholic neuropathy may arise because alcohol is toxic to nerve cells and sometimes nutritional deficiencies attributable to heavy drinking might compromise nerve function. There is a clear link between pancreatitis and anemia of unknown origin in alcoholic patients. Alcohol can damage the pancreas and cause a health burden known as pancreatitis. Chronic pancreatitis interferes with the digestive process, causing severe abdominal pain and persistent diarrhea. Overdose of alcohol can cause the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells to be abnormally low. This is the condition known as anemia. People with anemia tend to have signs and symptoms of breath shortness and fatigue or tiredness.
