Alcohol's Health Effects: Drinking and Your Health

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Alcohol's Health Effects Drinking and Your Health From Buddy T, your Guide to Alcoholism Drinking alcohol, especially heavy drinking over a long period of time, can affect the health of the drinker in many ways. Every system in the body can be negatively affected by alcohol. Over the next seven days we will look at how drinking can cause many different medical problems. Drinking and Your Health Alcohol Weakens the Body's Defenses Chronic drinkers may appear to be healthy, but if they do become ill or injured, they may find it more difficult to heal. Long-term alcohol consumption can harm the body's ability to respond to stressors like illness or injury. Too much alcohol can cause you to get sick by weakening your body's defenses. Alcohol and Trauma Alcohol intoxication is associated with 40 to 50 percent of traffic fatalities; 25 to 35 percent of nonfatal motor vehicle injuries; up to 64 percent of fires and burns; 48 percent of hypothermia and frostbite cases; and about 20 percent of completed suicides. Heavy Drinking Dangers Research studies have emphasized the serious health effects of long-term heavy drinking, from an increased risk for having accidents to developing liver cancer. Alcohol and Other Conditions Alcohol and Blood Pressure Even modest amounts of alcohol consumption can cause blood pressure to increase, especially in older adults, according to two recent studies. Even very low alcohol consumption can be a health risk for many -- almost one in every four Americans. Alcohol and Stress The stress response is a complex process; the association between drinking and stress is more complicated still. Because both drinking behavior and an individual's response to stress are determined by multiple genetic and environmental factors, studying the link between alcohol consumption and stress may further our understanding of drinking behavior. Diabetes and Alcohol Having diabetes does not neccesarily mean you have to avoid alcohol, but two can be a fatal combination. Find out what you need to know about drinking and diabetes. This email is written by: Buddy T Alcoholism Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Missing a lesson? Click here. About U. is our collection of free online courses designed to help you learn a new skill, solve a problem, get something done, or just learn more about your world. Sign up now, and we will email you lessons on a daily or weekly basis. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the About.com 'Alcohol's Health Effects' email. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement