An estimated 17 million Americans have some form of alcohol disorder, according to statistics from the National Institutes of Health. While alcohol maintains some benefits in moderation, alcohol withdrawal and abuse can quickly lower your overall standard of life in various different ways.
Health
While drinking alcohol in moderate amounts has the potential to positively impact your health, heavy drinking ensures potentially deadly health consequences. Excessive alcohol use has been shown to cause neurological problems, increasing your risks of stroke and dementia. Alcoholism also impacts your cardiovascular system, increasing risks for developing heart diseases like cardiomyopathy, hypertension and heart attacks. Alcohol’s effects on the liver also increases the chances of developing cirrhosis and alcoholic hepatitis. Cancer is common among alcoholics, including cancers of the liver, mouth, esophagus, colon, liver, throat and breasts.
Relationships
While alcohol is often associated with social occasions, severe alcohol use can destroy relationships with significant others, friends or family members. Those who drink excessively are also at a higher risk for domestic violence in relationships. Alcoholism is associated with increases in risky sexual relationships, including multiple partners and unprotected sex. This behavior puts you at risk for both sexually transmitted diseases as well as unplanned pregnancies. Even with planned pregnancies, those who abuse alcohol have higher risks for premature births, still births and miscarriages.
Financial
Alcoholism impacts your financial standard of life through both the cost to upkeep the addiction and the impact on your ability to make money. While you may be able to keep employment temporarily, your ability to maintain stable employment and income diminishes over time, especially if your alcohol abuse leads to mistakes or accidents in the workplace.
Freedom
Alcoholism can change your life in an instant by taking away your freedom. Drinking excessively elevates your chances of illegal behaviors, most notably drinking and driving. Driving under the influence, especially if you end up hurting someone while behind the wheel, will land you in jail. Drunk driving cases in the Edmonton area are some of the most complex to prosecute, requiring the services of a lawyer such as The Defence Lawyer, a company with a DUI lawyers in Edmonton, or other experienced professionals.
While you may feel you have your alcohol use under control now, it’s only a matter of time before one or more of negative side effects changes your life forever. Check with your local health department for recovery and treatment options to get help with your alcoholism today.