Alcohol Awareness Month – Part 3 – How Alcohol Harms Your Body

The PAC Program, the trusted alcohol rehabilitation center in Prescott for young men only, proudly honors and participates in Alcohol Awareness Month. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) has chosen April as the campaign-month each year to bring attention to the problems of binge drinking and alcohol addiction. In our last two blog entries – Part 1 and Part 2 of this ongoing series – we began our discussion of Alcohol Awareness Month and how alcoholism afflicts men more often than women. In this entry, we bring attention to the actual bodily harm caused by frequent alcohol consumption and binge drinking.

Health Complications & Illnesses Caused by Heavy Drinking
Ethyl alcohol – also called drinking alcohol – is not processed well by our bodies. It is technically processed as if it was a deadly poison since the liver must “filter” it away. The immediate consequence of the “poison” is intoxication, the dizziness, and silliness many people actually enjoy. The long-term consequences, however, are far more dangerous and dire. If you drink frequently or have a sensitivity to alcohol, then you could develop a serious health condition in one or more of many of your major organs.

Some of the most devastating health conditions caused by heavy drinking are:

Cirrhosis: The destruction of your liver through repeated and permanent scarring of the tissue. Liver fail can be a result, as well as high blood toxicity.
Hypertension: Alcohol addiction can cause consistently high blood pressure, putting your heart under serious strain. Hypertension can eventually lead to heart failure and death.
Stroke: Heart and blood complications will also greatly increase your risk of stroke, a life-threatening condition caused by a clotted or leaking blood vessel.
Osteoporosis: The weakening of the bones by rendering them brittle and susceptible to breaking.
Brain damage: Excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a brain disorder with symptoms include amnesia and vision loss.
Cancer: There is also scientific reason to believe certain types of cancer, like breast cancer, are more likely to develop due to binge drinking and alcoholism.
Please keep in mind this aforementioned list of health conditions caused by alcohol abuse is quite brief. There are numerous other serious health conditions caused by alcohol addiction, including problems that can develop in the throat, intestines, and so forth. Mental health issues can also develop or be worsened by alcohol abuse.

Where Young Men Can Fight Alcohol Addiction
The PAC Program is a long-term alcohol treatment center that focuses on assisting men between the ages of 18 and 30 to overcome alcohol addiction. This determined approach allows us to better guide our guests down the path to recovery, usually within a six- or nine-month program. We would love to get the chance to discuss treatments and therapies that could work for you.