Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse

This article lists several symptoms of Alcoholism. If you experience one or more of these symptoms and drink regularly you should ask yourself if you have a problem with drinking. It is estimated that one third of America has some sort of dependency to alcohol. So before you reach for another drink, review these symptoms of alcohol addiction.

Liver Inflammation:

The liver is an important part of the body. It helps with digestion and also keeps one’s body freed from toxins. When the liver is inflamed, the body can become malnourished, or filled with ammonia which can poison a person’s system. Alcohol addiction puts a lot of additional strain on the liver. This can cause it to shut down or cause fat to deposit inside the liver cells, causing it to shut down.

Malnutrition:

Because alcohol contains 7 calories for every gram, a person’s body determines that it doesn’t need anymore energy, thus, throwing out all of the vital nutrients that it should keep. Alcohol has no beneficial value to the body, and when there are no vitamins coming in, the body can become malnourished and cause severe health risks such as scurvy (which is a depression to the immune system), stroke or heart disease.

Weight Gain:

Ever heard of the “Beer Belly”? Well, as stated before, one gram of alcohol contains 7 calories. These calories are known as “empty” calories that give your body very little nutrients. A person with an alcohol addiction can drink many alcoholic drinks, and consume several hundred of these empty calories which results in weight gain. Weight gain will cause one to feel more lethargic and unhealthy, and also increases the likely-hood of a heart attack.

Forgetfulness and Slowness:

Alcohol impairs the part of the brain that controls memory and judgment. If too much alcohol is consumed over the course of time, the brain can become damaged, and memory loss can take place. This process is also one of the main causes of alcohol induced brain damage. The pleasure that alcohol once gave deadens brain cells and depresses them to the point of no longer working. This causes one to appear mentally challenged and sluggish.

Impaired Judgment:

The very first part of the brain to be affected by alcohol is the frontal lobe. This is the part of the brain that controls judgment and right-thinking. As soon as alcohol hits this part of the brain, neurons begin to fire slower, and nerves known as “inhibitory nerves” are depressed. These nerves can cause one to act on immediate impulses, helping one to seem brave, but at the same time, very stupid.

If these symptoms of an alcohol addiction don’t get you to rethink reaching for another drink, consider the possibility of you joining the 17,941 dead who died due to drunk driving in 2006. These are merely symptoms of alcohol addiction, not the actual consequences of it.