There is always a good reason to drink: parties, festive celebrations or watching a soccer game with your pals.But when one drinks excessively, it is hardly a case for celebration.Binge drinking, which refers to heavy drinking over a short period of time, can bring with it harmful effects. Consider 10 health risks of binge drinking.
1. Alcohol Poisoning
Alcohol poisoning is the most life-threatening consequence of binge drinking. When a person drinks too much, his or her body s reflexes are affected. These include breathing and the pharyngeal reflex. The pharyngeal reflex, also known as gag reflex, helps to prevent choking. If this reflex is not functioning well, one may die from choking on his or her vomit.
2. Alcohol Dependence
A person who drinks frequently, or drinks a lot may become addicted to alcohol. Some signs of alcohol dependency include a strong urge to drink; the ability to drink larger quantities of alcohol without appearing intoxicated; persistent drinking; and undergoing withdrawal symptoms when trying to stop drinking.
3. Brain Damage
This may include adverse effects on memory function, concentration, reasoning, planning and visual-spatial skills. Growth of the brain structure is affected and there are abnormalities in some areas in the brain.
4. Lower Involvement In Daily Activities
Binge drinking and subsequent hangovers contribute to the loss of productivity and/or absenteeism
5. Accidents
Drink driving accounts for a large proportion of those injured or killed in road traffic accidents. A person might drink while driving a car or using machinery. This could include being arrested for drunk driving or for physically hurting someone while drunk.
6. Death
Too much alcohol can cause death. Alcohol affects the central nervous system, slowing breathing and heart rate. It also interferes with the gag reflex, which increases the risk of choking on vomit, if the drinker passes out from too much drinking. Blood alcohol levels can continue to rise even if a person passes out.
7. Injuries And High-Risk Behaviors
Alcohol abuse is associated with high-risk behaviors such as physical assaults and risky sexual behavior.
8. Sexually Transmitted Diseases
When a person is always drunk, it is easy for them to make unwise decisions when it comes to sex. You end up sleeping with many people without protection, and end up risking your health and being prone to STI’s.
9. Liver disease
When you take too much alcohol you risk having liver diseases like liver cancer, becaues the liver has to take up so much acid.
10. Children Born With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are a group of conditions that can occur in a person whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. FASDs are completely preventable if a woman does not drink alcohol during pregnancy.
