Friday 08.08.14

1) Liver Disease 

2) Memory and Learning Problems 

Prolonged alcohol use
is associated with brain shrinkage and tissue damage, and can cause
memory and learning problems. Alcoholics also demonstrate diminished
spatial abilities and attention spans, and have difficulty completing
problem-solving tasks. In severe cases, alcoholism can result in
anterograde amnesia, preventing the individual from being able to form
new memories. For light and heavy drinkers alike, encoding of new
memories is impaired during alcohol influence.

3) Vitamin Deficiency 

Excessive consumption
of alcohol results in several vitamin deficiencies. These deficiencies
are the result of alcohol’s tendency to interfere with the absorption
of vitamins by the body. Your body’s folate, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12,
thiamine and vitamin A levels are all diminished with consumption of
alcohol. Alcohol also results in loss of zinc through the urinary
tract, limits the gastrointestinal absorption of iron, and is
associated with anemia.

4) Academic Performance 

A 2005 study conducted
at the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse found that male college
students who drink, or who live with a roommate who drinks, tend to
have lower GPAs than non-drinkers and students living with
non-drinkers. Interestingly, these differences in achievement were
observed to be much smaller for female students, suggesting that males
may be more vulnerable to the negative effects of peer pressure and
alcohol use.

5) Medication Interactions 

Numerous types of
medications can have negative interactions with alcohol. According to
researchers at the University of Oklahoma, even moderate alcohol can
interfere with your body’s ability to metabolize drugs or can enhance
the effects of certain medications. Medication interactions can often
cause excessive drowsiness and can result in liver problems. Types of
drugs that interact with alcohol include antibiotics, antidepressants,
pain medications, antihistamines, barbiturates, opioids and muscle
relaxants.

6) Pancreas Problems 

Alcohol can cause
short-term impairment of the pancreatic system because alcohol
stimulates pancreatic secretion but impairs the production of
additional pancreatic enzymes. This results in digestion problems and
the inability to absorb nutrients. Chronic alcohol consumption can even
result in severe pancreatic dysfunction, such as pancreatitis.

7) Sleep Deficiencies 

While drinking alcohol
can sometimes help people fall asleep, alcohol consumption is
associated with sleep fragmentation and nighttime body arousal.
Drinking also results in less REM sleep. Once a chronic drinker stops
drinking alcohol the opposite effect is frequently observed, wherein
periods of excessive REM sleep are co-mingled with periods of marked
insomnia.

8) Saturday Night Palsy 

The
colloquially-termed “Saturday night palsy” is a type of peripheral
nerve damage that is caused when a frequent drinker falls asleep while
putting excessive pressure on the hands, feet or another limb, as
detailed in a report by Penn State University researchers published in
the journal Alcohol Health & Research World. Since alcohol
interferes with the body’s ability to communicate with the brain, the
affected limb may feel “dead” for a few days or a few weeks. In extreme
cases of intoxication, loss of blood to a limb can even lead to
amputation or death.

9) Dehydration 

In the short term,
drinking alcohol can result in diuresis, or rapid dehydration.
Consumption of alcohol results in the decreased secretion of
antidiuretic hormones that prevent dehydration; dehydration is one of
the main causes of hangover symptoms after drinking. It’s never a good
idea to drink alcohol when you’re planning on engaging in physical
activity or planning on being outside on a hot day.

10) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome 

According to the State
University of New York in Potsdam, if you drink alcohol while you are
pregnant you put your unborn baby at risk of developing fetal alcohol
syndrome. Babies who suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome experience
learning problems, deformed facial features, smaller heads and
abnormally developed joints and limbs. They also weigh less and are
shorter than other babies.”