|  | Conditions Treatments | Medical Conditions

Health Problems Caused by Alcoholism

Alcoholics put their body at serious risk every day that they drink. Alcoholics can suffer from a wide range of health problems,some more serious and common than others. The abuse of alcohol leaves almost no body system undamaged.

  1. Alcohol Poisoning

    • Every time a person drinks his body experiences a low level of alcohol poisoning. Severe alcohol poisoning can result in death. Alcoholics are at a greater risk for alcohol poisoning as they usually drink on a daily basis. The body can only tolerate so much alcohol without shutting down.

    Brain Damage

    • Alcohol causes damage to the brain in many different ways. Excessive use of alcohol causes damage to the pleasure receptors in the brain causing the person to feel pain when he is not drinking. If the brain becomes dehydrated when a person drinks, this can cause damage to the frontal cortex and possibly cause various areas of the brain to shrink. Korsakoff's syndrome is a form of brain damage brought on from alcohol abuse that leads to memory defects.

    Obesity

    • Obesity is a serious health problem caused by alcohol that is often overlooked. The extra calories consumed when a person drinks can cause her to rapidly gain weight. Alcoholics typically drink most of their calories causing them to suffer from obesity. Obesity puts alcoholics at a higher risk for many other health conditions such as heart disease. With both obesity and alcohol causing damage to her system, an alcoholic's body can deteriorate twice as fast.

    Liver Disease

    • Damage to the liver is common among alcoholics. Cirrhosis of the liver occurs when the healthy tissue of the liver is damaged and replaced by scar tissue, and is most common among alcoholics. An accumulation of fat can cause the liver to swell in a condition called fatty liver. Alcoholic hepatitis causes inflammation of the liver, cell death and lower abdominal pain.

    Heart Disease

    • Drinking alcohol causes a there to be an increase of fat in the circulatory system. This can lead to the same heart complications as obesity, including clogged arteries. Since alcoholics are already at risk for obesity, heart problems are common. In addition alcohol can cause cardiomyopathy, high blood pressure, enlarged heart and many other heart-related problems. The longer an alcoholic drinks the more he is at risk of causing permanent and irreparable damage to his heart.

Medical Conditions - Related Articles