Everyone knows that too much alcohol is harmful to your health. Yet, still, people opt to drink themselves to a stupor at some point. For others, though, they can’t help it as they are deep into it and are suffering from alcohol addiction. When you drink too much, there are some health conditions that you’ll likely face. Some can be fatal if you don’t check yourself to a hospital. Below are some of the common illnesses you need to look out for when you are an alcoholic.
Liver Disease
The first and obvious disease that is related to alcoholism is liver disease. This is because alcoholism is metabolized in the liver. And your liver runs the risk of damage when it isn’t well broken down – it may take longer at times. When you have an alcoholism problem, your liver runs the highest risk of damage. Your liver’s metabolism will be altered by heavy drinking. There may be other causes, such as liver inflammation which is a long-term disease that can be caused by alcoholism too.
Cancer
By now, you’re used to hearing about how everything causes cancer, but alcohol does, in fact, increase the risk of cancer. The types of cancers you run the risk of include stomach cancer, colon cancer, rectum, breast, and mouth.
Alcohol and acetaldehyde have a higher risk of cancer than you imagine. If you smoke as well as drink, you are at a higher risk of respiratory tract cancers. You also run the risk of gastrointestinal tract cancers.
Immune Dysfunction
Your immune system is one of the sensitive parts of the body. When you suffer from alcoholism, you run the risk of straining it. When you have developed liver problems, your immune system is disadvantaged. But that’s not all, though when you drink, platelets, red and white blood cells are altered to weaker forms. There can also be a drop in the development of white blood cells in the body due to alcoholism.
Malnourishment
When you’re an alcoholic, the chances are that you don’t get a proper diet. And this may, in turn, lead to vitamin deficiencies and malnourishment. Your body will be unable to break down the nutrients properly when you drink too much. This will then impact the gastrointestinal process and affect your system. It may also cause your body to fail to produce red blood cells. As a result, this can cause iron deficiency and, later on, anemia.
Pancreatitis
Too much alcohol can also cause pancreatitis, a fancy way of saying painful inflammation in the pancreas. This is due to the premature activation of proenzymes. This happens in the pancreas when you consume something.
It may interest you to know that almost 70% of pancreatitis cases are from people who drink a lot.
It’s Time To Call It Quits
There are plenty of reasons to call it quits, and while some of those are minor, others can be fatal. We have listed a few of them above so that you know what to look out for if you are an alcoholic. If you want to quit, and programs like AA haven’t worked for you, consider something like (iamacomeback.com) to help you get back on your feet. Going cold turkey is difficult, and having a support group to help you navigate the process is normal for most people. It’s okay to need help and ask for it, you don’t need to battle alcoholism alone. If you, or anyone you know suffers from alcoholism, please read through this carefully and then decide how to act appropriately. Best of luck to you getting clean.
