#HEALTHTALK 09: Alcohol Misuse and your Health

Alcohol (Ethanol) is basically a psychoactive substance that can be found in beverages.
It can produce euphoric feelings and can be a source of sedation.

It can affect cognitive functionality, depending on the quantity taken; so the more alcohol a person takes, the more their cognitive functions reduce.

Alcohol is a powerful chemical that can have a wide range of adverse effects on almost every part of your body, including your brain, bones and heart. These effects can be short term or long term in nature.

Short Term Effects of Alcohol Consumption 

The short term effects of alcohol consumption are outlined below. This information is based on the
assumption that you have a normal tolerance to alcohol.

Dependent drinkers with a higher tolerance to alcohol can often drink much more without noticeable effects.

1 to 2 units 
After drinking 1 to 2 units of alcohol, your heart rate begins to speed up and your blood vessels expand, giving up the warm, sociable and talkative feeling associated with moderate drinking.

4 to 6 units
After drinking 4 to 6 units of alcohol, your brain and nervous system start to be adversely effected. The part of your brain associated with judgements and decision making begins to take a hit, causing you to be more restless and uninhibited.

The alcohol also impairs the cells in your nervous system, making you to feel lightheaded, and adversely affecting
your reaction and coordination.

8 to 9 units
After drinking 8 to 9 units of alcohol, your reaction time will be much slower, your speech will begin to slur, your vision
will begin to blur, and your liver which filters alcohol out of your body will be unable to remove all of the alcohol overnight. So, it’s likely that you'll wake up with a Hangover.

10 to 12 units
After drinking 10 to 12 units of alcohol, your co-ordination will be highly impaired, placing you at serious risk of having an accident. The high level of alcohol has a depressant effect on both your mind and body, which makes you drowsy.

This amount of alcohol will begin to reach toxic [poisonous] levels. Your body attempts to quickly pass out the alcohol in your urine. This will leave you feeling badly dehydrated in the morning, which may cause a severe headache.

This excess amount of alcohol in your system can also upset your digestion, leading to symptoms of nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea and indigestion.

More than 12 units
If you drink more than 12 units of alcohol, you are at considerable risk of developing alcohol poisoning, particularly if you're drinking many units over a short period of
time.

It usually takes the liver about an hour to remove one unit of alcohol from the body.
Alcohol poisoning occurs when excessive amounts of alcohol start to interfere with the body's reflex functions such as:
• Breathing
• Heart rate
• Gag reflex, which prevents you from choking

Alcohol poisoning can cause a person to fall into a coma and may lead to their death.

Other risks:
Some of the other risks associated with alcohol misuse include:
• Accident and injury - Most visits to accident and emergency [A&E] departments are because of alcohol-related illnesses.
• Violence and antisocial behaviors - So many cases of rape and domestic violence can be linked to alcohol misuse.
• Unsafe sex - This can lead to unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
• Loss of personal possessions - Many people lose personal possessions such as their wallet, mobile phones, and also their jobs because of being drunk.
• Unplanned time off work or college - This could put your work or education at risk.

Long-term effects of alcohol

Drinking of large amounts of alcohol for many years will take its toll on many of the body's organ and may cause organ damage.

Organs known to be damaged by long-term alcohol misuse include the brain and nervous system, heart, liver and pancreas.

Heavy drinking can also increase your blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels, both of which are major risk factors for heart attacks and strokes.

Long-term alcohol misuse can weaken your immune system, making you more vulnerable to serious infections. It can also weaken your bones, placing you at a greater risk of fracturing or breaking them.

There are many long-term health risks associated with alcohol misuse. They are:
▪ High blood pressure
▪ Stroke
▪ Pancreatitis
▪ Liver disease
▪ Liver cancer
▪ Mouth cancer
▪ Head and cancer
▪ Breast cancer
▪ Bowel cancer
▪ Depression
▪ Dementia
▪ Sexual organ problems such as impotence or premature ejaculation
▪ Infertility

Guidelines for Calculating Units of Alcohol Consumption 

Previous guidelines by Drinkaware on how much alcohol men and women should consume was:
MEN: 21 units in a week
FEMALE: 14 units in a week

But, the new guideline recommends that MEN and WOMEN should not consume more than 14 units of alcohol in a week. Depending on your body's tolerance level, it may be able to handle upto 4 units in a day well.

Calculation:

Formula:
Units of alcohol = V × PS ÷ 1000

Where V is the Volume of the glass of wine,
PS is Percentage strength of the alcohol.

Example: Let's use red wine as a case study.

When you pour red wine into a normal-sized wine glass,

Volume of a normal glass of wine is = 175ml

Percentage strength of red wine is = 13%

Now, apply the above formula: V × PS

Let's apply the numbers

Units of alcohol = 175 × 13 ÷ 1000 = 2.275 units, approximately 2.3 units.

Remember, the 2.3 units is just for consuming a glass of the red wine. Imagine if someone drinks up to 15 glasses in a day.

That will be 2.3 × 15 = 34.5 units, which is very bad and can lead to intoxication and other pathologic conditions associated.

Nutritionally, the body needs alcohol to function well too, but not in excess. Fermented foods are good for the body, especially for the digestive system. But don't forget to visit the doctor when there are complications.

According to the US Center for Disease Control, excessive drinking of alcohol led to 2.5 million years of potential life lost (YPLL) each year in the United States from 2006 – 2010, shortening the lives of those who died by an average of 30 years. Also, the economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in 2010 were estimated at $249 billion, or $2.05 a drink. It is hard to imagine what the figures for Nigeria would look like.

It is necessary to be wise in your consumption of alcohol. All soft drinks already contain some quantity of alcohol that is very minute. Total abstinence from alcoholic beverages might be a better deal than control.

Chineke Chibuikem and Michael Nnabuenyi, both medical students at Danylo Halytsky  Lviv National Medical University, Ukraine, and Lilian Eze all contributed to this article.