The psychological effects of alcohol can transform a person from a well-mannered citizen to a fun-loving extrovert, to a bumbling idiot, or in the worst case to a downright menace to society but the physical effects of alcohol can be worse. Just ten minutes after you start drinking, alcohol will begin to affect you physically. While the alcohol-induced journey usually begins with pleasant feelings and laughter, it can end very differently.
Let’s start with lowered inhibitions. Having a drink or two brings about euphoric feelings. You become more animated than usual and may find yourself stumbling a bit (or oblivious that you’re stumbling at all). In this state, you’re also more likely to participate in activities that you wouldn’t do normally.
A few more drinks and you’re likely to experience slurred speech and weak coordination from reduced muscle control. More drinks and your memory becomes hazy. This happens because alcohol lowers mental control mechanisms. As the alcohol content in your blood rises, long periods of time are forgotten, and blacking out can occur.
At this point, a couple more drinks and you begin to feel sick. These sick feelings can come from the dizziness caused by a lack of balance. Nausea also occurs when the body starts to fight back and, for protection, tries to get rid of the alcohol by throwing up.
Headaches and hangovers begin to set in a few hours after heavy drinking ends. This is from the hydration loss that comes with drinking booze. Extreme amounts of alcohol (i.e. blood alcohol concentration of 0.40 and above) and you can go into a stupor. In this state, confusion is so high you cannot function. Even more liquor and the physical effects of alcohol include falling into a coma, having paralysis in the respiratory system, or in the worst case … you cease to exist.
Gastritis
Gastritis is a nasty stomach ailment that usually stems from heavy drinking. When alcohol-related, this condition occurs because the consumption of too much alcohol irritates the lining of the stomach. Frequent irritation of the stomach through continual drinking binges ends up eventually causing swelling of the stomach, ulceration and can even lead to internal bleeding. Gastrointestinal issues could develop as one, some or all of the following symptoms: pain, burning, vomiting, gas, bloating, and little desire to eat.
A social drinker is not likely to suffer from this, though some medications like ibuprofen and aspirin can help cause it (so you should heed caution when using these pain killers to relieve hangover symptoms). If you have succumbed to any of these symptoms because of drinking, the only true cure is to cut booze out completely. If a person drinks a lot and has stomach issues then they could be suffering from this condition. Even though some or all of these problems will clear up once they quit drinking (and the stomach walls will heal over time) it would still behoove this person to see a doctor.
If the need to stop drinking cannot be met, poor health will persist, and support for substance abuse may be needed. If you are worried about Gastritis, you can learn more about the condition by clicking here.
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia takes place when blood sugar levels are so low, your blood does not provide proper energy for the body to function. Much like a lot of sugar can give you a temporary high, low blood sugar levels make you feel lethargic. A study has shown that alcohol can cause hypoglycemia. Each time you drink, your body is focused 100% on breaking down the alcohol. During this time it is impossible for your liver to create consistent amounts of blood sugar. This doesn’t occur every time you drink but is likely to happen if there’s nothing in your stomach and you opt to drink a lot. Pregnant women and folks recently recovering from heart, liver, or kidney issues are extremely susceptible to this condition.
Low blood sugar can be very dangerous because it can cause fainting. Signs that this may occur include hunger, sweating without reason, nervousness, exhaustion, feeling light-headed, and having a hard time talking. Therefore, if you think you are going to be drinking heavily it is not a bad idea to snack or eat a small meal before boozing. Focus on foods high in fiber and try to stray from sugary foods. Regular exercise is also a great combatant as it’s hard to take down a healthy body and exercise helps regulate your internal systems. The best defense from the physical effects of alcohol is to simply not drink at all.