Physical Effects of Alcoholism

Introduction

Alcoholic drinks are the most commonly used beverages across the world. Alcohol usage and abuse have been linked to various health problems in both men and women. Even though alcohol is largely consumed by the male population, the numbers of women who consume alcohol have been increasing in recent years, a trend that has been attributed to changing cultural values and beliefs, increased stress levels, as well as increasing gender equality (Raine, 2018). Alcohol has various physical effects on the human body, with the effects varying between male and female consumers.

The Physical Effects of Alcoholism

Alcohol consumption has been linked by health experts to more than a hundred health issues and diseases (McDowell & Spitz, 2015). These include hepatitis, fetal alcohol syndrome, heart disease, gastritis, epilepsy, liver disease, pancreatitis, mouth cancer, depression, stroke, diabetes, breast cancer, prostate cancer, dementia, anemia, gout, seizures, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, memory loss, restless leg syndrome, balance problems, slowed reaction times, loss of hearing, restlessness, and blurred vision. Alcohol Use Disorder is a term that is used to describe the disorder that affects people who drink heavily or those who engage in binge drinking. Alcohol abuse (binge drinking), in the short-term, results in poor balance and coordination, dehydration, nausea, hangover, vomiting, poor decision-making, and memory loss.

Long-term binge drinking results in serious health problems including alcoholism or physical dependence on alcohol, brain damage, alcohol-induced liver damage, cardiovascular disease, and erectile or sexual dysfunction in men (McDowell & Spitz, 2015). Excessive alcohol consumption increases an individual’s blood alcohol content (BAC), a measure of the amount of alcohol in the human body. Dramatic increases in the BAC, as a result of binge drinking, causes alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning manifests in various ways, the most common symptoms being low body temperature, seizures, irregular or slow breathing, and paleness. While these physical health effects are observed in both men and women, the rates and magnitudes of the effects are different in men and women, as discussed below.

Gender-related Differences

There are a number of reasons why men and women are affected by alcohol differently. The female body contains more fat and less water content than the male body. Fat usually retains alcohol while water dilutes it. Therefore, the organs of the female body are exposed to higher alcohol concentrations for longer time periods when women consume alcohol (NIAAA, 1999). In addition, compared to men, women have lesser alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) levels, the enzyme that breaks down alcohol before it gets to the bloodstream (Erol & Karpyak, 2015). This means that the BAC levels for women will be higher than those of men after drinking equal amounts of alcohol. This explains why women will have short-term symptoms of alcohol poisoning faster than men. However, research has shown that women eliminate alcohol from the bloodstream faster than men as a result of a higher volume of liver per unit lean body mass (NIAAA, 1999). This explains why men suffer more long-term effects of alcohol abuse than women.

Conclusion

Alcohol causes many physical health problems and diseases. Research has shown that binge drinking or excessive alcohol consumption is associated with health problems such as liver damage, loss of memory, balance problems, and alcohol poisoning. Women and men are both negatively affected by alcohol. However, the effects vary between men and women as a result of the existing differences in their body composition and rate of metabolism.

References

Erol, A., & Karpyak, V. M. (2015). Sex and gender-related differences in alcohol use and its consequences: Contemporary knowledge and future research considerations. Drug and alcohol dependence, 156, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.08.023

McDowell, D., & Spitz, H. I. (2015). Substance Abuse: From Principles to Practice. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315831244

NIAAA. (1999, December). Are Women More Vulnerable to Alcohol’s Effects? Alcohol Alert No. 46-1999. Retrieved September 16, 2019, from https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa46.htm

Raine, P. (2018). Women’s Perspectives on Drugs and Alcohol: The Vicious Circle. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Womens-Perspectives-on-Drugs-and-Alcohol-The-Vicious-Circle/Raine/p/book/9781138733312