Alcoholism is a serious problem for anyone who succumbs to it. Many people understand the basics about how being drunk all the time would make life hard. But what about the body? How much of a hit does the human body take when it’s assaulted by massive amounts of toxin every day? If nothing else, this list hopefully makes anyone with alcoholism seriously consider alcohol treatment.

The Big List of Health Problems From Alcoholism

Liver cancer, hepatitis, and cirrhosis are all diseases that can come on as a direct result of heavy drinking. The liver is on the front line of absorbing toxins from the blood. It can become damaged almost beyond repair from working overtime all the time.

Common heart problems resulting from alcoholism can include cardiomyopathy (weakened heart muscles leading to heart failure), high blood pressure, increased risk of stroke, irregular heart rhythms called arythmias. Anemia and other blood disorders can also arise from lack of proper nutrient absorption. Blood vessels near the surface of the skin become constantly dialated, giving the chronic drinker the look of flush skin all the time.

Tissue inflammation of all sorts is a side effect of heavy drinking. This can lead to pancreatitis, usually seen in people who’ve been drinking heavily for at least 5-7 years. It’s usually chronic by the time they get medical attention. Other digestive problems include peptic ulcers from long-term irritation of the stomach lining.

Heavy drinkers are at risk for weight gain from excess calories in each drink. This puts them at a greater risk for all the health issues overweight people face including diabetes. On a related note, heavy drinking for several days without enough food can cause a person to become hypoglycemic, which means they are suddenly short of necessary sugars in the body. This can bring on strange behaviors, disorientation, and even convulsions or a coma (when severe). If the person is already diabetic, their risk of hypoglycemia is greater.

Heavy drinkers may begin losing feeling in their extremities from long-term neurological damage. Alcoholics can also have a lasting impact on the development and growth of connections throughout the brain and chemical balances.

It should be noted that women are at risk to develop these problems sooner than men. Women require less alcohol over a shorter period of time to develop alcoholism. Also, any woman who drinks while she is pregnant puts her unborn baby in a great amount of danger. Many thousands of babies are born each year with fetal alcohol effects. Also, heavy alcohol use while pregnant can increase the risk of a miscarriage.

The Final Word Alcoholism and Health

In short, heavy chronic drinking raises the risk for nearly every disease in the book. That’s the bottom line. As much as heavy drinking impairs a person in the moment, it also does a lifetime of damage along the way. Alcohol rehab can turn someone’s life around. If an alcoholic doesn’t get alcohol treatment in time, it could really be too late to save their body. For lasting good health, alcohol rehab is a smart choice.