|
|
|
|
|
|
The
Truth About Alcohol and Your Health |
|
ATTENTION:
Protect your life and your loved ones by saying "absolutly
never" to alcohol. Don't wait before it's too late to be
a good role model. Renew your life
with our in depth education and life-saving links. Practice
healthy eating and drinking habits and increase your life expectency
before its too late. Be aware your body reacts to God's most
precious gift of water as a cleanser.
(Click)
Enter the Alcohol Education Center
WAKE
UP, LIVE LONGER, LIVE BETTER! |
 |
Your
government is responsible for the entire nation to be
totally misled by alcohol as you can see from below. |
Where
was our surgeon general's warnings as you see on this
chart? |
|
|
We've
been violated
by consumer fraud marketing. |
|
|
|
Move
your mouse over the text in chart to read about the TRUTH
ABOUT ALCOHOL
 Tell
us what you think. E-mail info@citizensoutcry.org
or call 630-415-3434
|
Esophageal
Cancer
Esophageal
Varices
Liver
The liver is frequently
affected in chronic alcohol abuse. Consequences can include fatty liver disease,
an accumulation of fat droplets inside liver cells, alcohol induced hepatitis
and cirrhosis. In cirrhosis, liver cells die and scar tissue irreversibly
changes the normal architecture of the tissue.
Nervous
System
Alcohol can damage many
body tissues including the brain and nerves. Excessive intake of alcohol can
leave a person with temporary memory loss or lead to a loss of consciousness,
or
coma. Heavier drinkers may suffer with more persistent short-term
memory loss. Chronic alcoholics may devel-op double-vision, loss of balance
and pro-found memory loss. The alcoholic who suddenly stops drink-ing may
experience alcohol withdrawal delirium which can include shaking, anxiety,
hallucinations and seizures. Permanent damage from alcoholism can include
pain and loss of sensation in the arms and legs and loss of intelligence.
Cardiovascular
System
Short-term effects from a drink may include an increased pulse rate
and dilation of blood vessels throughout the body. Chronic alcohol use can
cause serious damage such as elevating your blood pressure, hastening arteriosclerosis
and causing cardiomyopathy, a damaged and weakened heart muscle. In some people,
however, heart disease can result from even moderate drinking.
Dilated
left ventricle of heart (cardiomyopathy)
Digestive
System
Alcohol can damage many of the organs of the digestive system. Irritation
of the stomach lining, gastritis, can lead to vomiting or even bleeding from
small tears in the stomach. Chronic irritation can result in gastric and duodenal
ulcers. Alcoholics may also develop acute and chronic pancreatitis. Occurring
frequently in alcoholics with cirrhosis, esophageal varices are dilated veins
in the esophagus which may rupture and hemorrhage. Caner, a major cause of
death in alcoholics, is links to alcohol consumption. It can develop in the
larynx, esophagus, stomach, and liver.
Alcohol
The form of alcohol we drink, ethyl alcohol, is made from sugar,
starch and other carbohydrates by fermentation with yeast. Once believed to
be the "elixir of life," it is now known to be a consciousness-altering
drug and a potentially lethal poison. Unfortunately, social drinking all too
often leads to alcohol abuse and dependence, the disease of alcoholism. Excessive
alcohol use can result in destroyed relationships and loss of a job. Health
consequences can include cancer, accidental death, malnutrition and damage
to the brain, nerves, liver, pancreas, stomach, heart, blood vessels, and
unborn baby.
Stomach
Cancer
Pancreatitis
Tragedies
The intoxicating effects of alcohol make one much more likely to die a premature
accidental death. In fact, 60% of fatal auto accidents, suicides and murders
are alcohol related.
Intoxication
The blood alcohol concentration, the amount of alcohol in the blood,
roughly reflects the level of impairment of mental and physical functions
(intoxication). Alcohol is also in the air we exhale. The level of alcohol
measured in breath tests closely parallels the blood alcohol concentration.
Given the same amount of alcohol, levels from person to person can vary depending
on body weight, body fat, recent meals, and tolerance. Once alcohol is in
your blood the only effective cure for intoxication is time. Most legal limits
are 80 to 100 mg/dL or 0.1%
Intoxicating
Effects
(Non-alcoholics)
Maternal
blood
Alcohol passing through placental barrier
Fetal blood vessels
Reproduction
Alcohol can cause impotence in men, interruptions in menstruation and
damage to sperm and eggs. When a pregnant woman drinks, so does her baby. Alcohol
can cause serious problems for an unborn baby that can affect its entire life.
It can be born with fetal alcohol syndrome which can cause it to be underweight,
grow slower, and have birth defects. It may have a smaller brain and suffer
with a lower I.Q. or mental retardation. Alcohol can also be passed along to
a baby through breast milk.
Alcohol
Absorption
Alcohol, absorbed through the walls of the stomach and small intestine,
is carried by the blood vessels to the liver to be metabolized. Here, alcohol
in the blood flows through the sinusoids, passes through the sinusoid walls
and enters liver cells. The liver, however, can only process about 1 ox. of
alcohol per hour. Any excess will continue to circulate throughout your entire
body until the liver is able to process more.
©1998
Anatomical Chart Co., Skokie, Illinois.
Medical illustrations by Kimberly A. Martens, in consultation with David Yu,
M.D.
