If you’re looking for alcoholism treatment in Asheville, Asheville Recovery Center has got you covered. We offer a variety of different treatment programs, including but not limited to inpatient treatment programs, outpatient treatment programs, intensive outpatient treatment programs, and detoxification. To learn more about the programs we offer and how we can help you get and stay sober, give us a call anytime.
There are many health complications associated with the consumption of alcohol, even if you only have a few drinks every once and a while. Because alcohol is essentially poison, we need to moderate how frequently we drink in order to keep ourselves safe from these potential complications.
Unfortunately, when you struggle with alcoholism and consume a high amount of alcohol on a regular basis, you put yourself at a much greater risk of developing some diseases, such as heart disease and cancer. On top of that, you can also cause damage to your body by drinking, such as brain damage, liver disease, or accidental injury. Let’s take a deep dive into these health complications and learn how exactly alcohol can cause them.
Liver Disease
Because alcohol is metabolized in the liver, it’s the most at-risk for disease and damage when a person drinks in high quantities. When alcohol is metabolized, it’s turned into acetaldehyde, a toxic substance. The more you drink will greatly impact the damage done. If you drink in high quantities on a regular basis, you’re much more likely to develop liver disease when compared to moderate drinkers.
When you drink frequently, you alter the liver’s ability to metabolize fat, causing extra fat to build up in the liver. Chronic drinking can also cause long-term inflammation of the liver or hepatitis, causing scar tissue. When the liver is unable to function properly, it can lead to organ failure or even damage. The problem with liver damage is that symptoms often don’t appear until it’s too late, signaling that irreparable damage has already been done.
Cancer
This may seem out there, but it’s true. Long-term and chronic drinking can actually increase your risk of developing certain cancers later in life. Alcoholism increases the risk of mouth, esophagus, stomach, liver, colon, rectum, breast, and larynx cancers. If you use other drugs or smoke cigarettes on top of drinking frequently, you’ll be at even higher risk for developing certain types of cancers.
To avoid getting cancer later in life because of mistakes you made when you were younger, seek treatment to get your drinking habits in check. It’s not worth risking your health, and there are many people here to help you get and stay sober for the sake of your health and the people that love you.
These illnesses and diseases can be motivating, as people often don’t realize how much damage drinking can actually do. Knowing this information can be enough to help people quit entirely, or rethink their decisions. Would you rather stop drinking or have cancer? It’s a question you need to consider if you’re down a drinking rabbit hole right now.
Brain Damage
Alcohol has a huge impact on the brain and its functions, especially in young drinkers whose brains aren’t fully developed yet. When you get drunk, alcohol causes blurred vision, slurred speech, and slower reaction times. These side effects occur because of how alcohol interacts with the brain. Alcohol affects the GABA receptors and central nervous system. Just like benzodiazepines, alcohol affects cognitive function, mood, reactions, and more. While these changes to the brain are often considered temporary while someone is drinking, chronic drinking can cause permanent damage to these areas.
For example, chronic drinking can cause neurological changes to the GABA receptors, making it hard to people to make decisions properly or realize the risks of certain situations. This can get people into danger. Damage to the central nervous system can result in trouble with information processing and problem-solving skills, making it harder to learn and grow as a person.
Because of all of this damage, heavy drinking increases the pace at which the brain develops, and can put alcoholics at a much higher risk of developing early dementia.
Heart Disease
When talking about the risks of alcohol consumption, heart disease is the most frequently mentioned, for good reason. Chronic drinking can result in multiple different cardiovascular conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart failure, or stroke. Because your blood pressure can change so drastically (from high to low) while drinking, the risk of an ischemic stroke increases, along with the increase of angina or heart attack. Drinking just isn’t worth the stress and chance of death, in our opinion. Instead of worrying about dying from a stroke or heart attack, you should worry about getting clean and sober with the help of a treatment center.
Accidental Injury
As we’ve previously stated, drinking can decrease one’s ability to make proper decisions. Alcoholics may be more likely to drive drunk or engage in behavior they otherwise wouldn’t. By making poor decisions and getting into dangerous situations, you put yourself at a much higher risk of accidental injury, whether from a car accident, fall, or other situation. There are many ways one can put themselves at risk while drinking and the best way to prevent these accidents is to reduce exposure.
If you find yourself frequently in dangerous situations that you keep almost surviving or you keep narrowly avoiding accidents, it’s time to evaluate your drinking habits and ask yourself if alcohol is worth harming yourself or someone else in the process.
Seek Alcoholism Treatment in Asheville
If you or someone you love is struggling with alcoholism, it’s time to seek alcoholism treatment in Asheville before it’s too late. Alcohol can do serious damage to your body, but severe, permanent damage can be avoided if you seek treatment in a timely manner. To learn more about the programs we offer and how we can help you, call us today. We’re eager to answer any questions you may have and help you on your road to recovery.
