The effect of alcohol on the body. Negative effects of alcohol on the human body

Every adult and child knows that alcohol is harmful not only for physical but also for mental health. Death is not uncommon for drunken alcoholics who did not want to be treated or simply did not have time to turn to specialists. Even in the case when we are not talking about alcoholism, alcoholic beverages are directly harmful to human health. Every citizen who cares about his health, as well as the health of his family and loved ones, should know what are the consequences of using strong drinks for the human body and its psyche. The City Center for Medical Prevention (Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Region) tells in more detail about how alcohol affects the human body.

Scientists argue that even small doses of alcohol can cause significant harm to the health of adults and children. In addition, now there are results of clinical studies that confirm the harmful effects of alcohol on organs and systems. human body. It's no secret that a person is far from always inclined to believe the abstract assurances of doctors that alcohol is a poison. To make sure that there is no benefit in alcohol, it is necessary to understand in detail how alcohol affects the body.

Alcohol and its effect on the brain

The destructive effect on the brain is one of the most terrible consequences of exposure. alcoholic beverages per person. Much is known about the importance of the brain for the functioning of the human body, but some of the secrets of our body have not yet been solved. Despite this, it is absolutely clear that the brain is one of the most important centers that play the first role in the correct and adequate functioning of the body. The brain controls breathing, heartbeat, swallowing, and many other more or less important life functions.

Alcohol consumed on a regular basis causes irreversible changes in the brain that prevent the body from functioning properly. It is worth noting that the more and more often the patient consumes alcohol, the worse will be the consequences that provoke the use of alcohol. Those irreversible consequences that arise in constantly abusing citizens are currently a topic of research for many scientists. It should be noted separately - the changes completely depend on how often and intensively the alcoholic drinks.

Among the factors that affect the brain of a drinking person, experts list the following:

the dose of alcohol consumed and the frequency of its consumption;

the age at which the patient began to drink alcohol;

the duration of the time period when the patient intensively consumes the chosen drink;

age, sex of the patient;

the patient's occupation and current profession;

the presence of alcoholism in the family among close and distant relatives;

the presence of alcoholism in the mother, provoking congenital alcohol dependence;

overall current health level of the alcoholic.

It is known that even a small amount of alcohol can lead to such consequences:

clouding of consciousness;

gaps in memory;

inability to control the situation.

This can happen not only to children or women who are more susceptible to alcohol due to physiological reasons, but also to men who are more resistant to alcohol. It has been proven that alcohol consumed even in small doses can cause disproportionately more harm to women and children than to men who (according to statistics) drink alcohol more often and in large quantities.

The harm of alcoholic beverages for women has long been proven.

The following physiological factors cause the reaction of the female body to alcohol is stronger:

increased susceptibility of a woman's brain to alcohol;

faster development of heart pathologies;

rapid onset of cirrhosis or other liver diseases;

severe damage to the nervous system.

The combination of these factors makes women an easy target for liquor manufacturers. If we also remember that the psychological factor often becomes the reason for drinking alcohol for women, then it becomes clear how dangerous alcohol is for the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity.

Prolonged alcohol abuse is dangerous because as a result, the patient's brain cells are inevitably destroyed. This leads to disturbances and deviations in the functioning of the brain. It is known that disorders in the work of the brain arise as a result of the direct use of alcohol, and as a result of the consequences that alcohol provokes. Additional factors that affect brain function include:

the occurrence of serious liver diseases;

decrease in body resistance;

a drop in overall health as a result of drunkenness.

It is difficult to find an organ or system of the human body on which alcohol would not have a destructive effect, and the fact that the brain is one of the first to suffer from alcohol leaves no doubt.

Thiamine deficiency in patients with alcohol dependence

Thiamine is a substance necessary for the adequate functioning of the body. In the people, it is more commonly known under the name of vitamin B1. B vitamins are extremely important for the human body, and their deficiency can often cause a variety of pathological conditions. The brain is one of those organs for which an adequate supply of vitamin B1 is critical.

As a rule, in alcoholics, a deficiency of this vitamin is formed when there is poor nutrition, as well as metabolic disorders in the body, provoked by alcohol abuse.

Wernicke's syndrome is one of those diseases that often occur as a result of a lack of thiamine B1.

After the onset of Wernicke's encephalopathy, patients develop Korsakoff's psychosis in 80-90% of cases. At this stage, serious memory lapses begin to occur, as well as difficulties with remembering new data. Patients suffering from Korsakov's psychosis differ due to such signs:

excessive irritability;

constant depression;

irascibility;

having difficulty walking;

impaired coordination of movements.

Patients suffering from Wernicke-Korsakoff's disease are usually forgetful, quickly irritated, and often cannot leave the room on their own. In addition, alcoholics with Wernicke-Korsakov often cannot correctly reproduce the information that was told to them even before the onset of their illness. There are cases when patients forgot what happened to them ten minutes ago. It also often happens that an alcoholic reproduces information in fragments or voices distorted and incorrect data.

Liver disease

The liver is another of those organs that suffer from alcoholism in the first place. Many people know that the liver, kidneys, heart and brain, as a rule, are the first to feel the destructive effects of alcohol, and this is true. Serious liver disease is exactly what alcoholism leads to. In addition, excessive alcohol consumption leads to the destruction of the liver. It is no secret that it is the liver that is the organ that is forced to fight against the ingress of alcohol into the human body. The point is that it is the liver that is forced to produce substances that are directly involved in the metabolism of alcohol.

The liver, as an organ that is forced to break down alcohol, is not originally intended for this. As a result, it turns out that the liver gradually “wears out”, exhausts its resource, which results in its gradual fatty degeneration. The destroyed areas of this organ are filled not with new hepatocyte cells, but with fragments of adipose tissue. As a result, the working surface of the liver is significantly reduced. Hepatic encephalopathy is dangerous, but the fact that it can cause additional brain damage makes it even more dangerous.

The essence of the effect of a diseased liver on the brain is that the affected hepatocytes begin to secrete harmful substances in large quantities that can have a detrimental effect on brain cells. When excreted substances enter the brain through the bloodstream, this is exactly what happens: under the influence of substances from the liver, brain cells die. The consequence is that alcohol not only causes direct damage to the brain, but also has an indirect destructive effect on it due to a diseased liver.

Hepatic encephalopathy has the following symptoms:

sleep disturbances in the patient;

mood swings in an alcoholic;

deterioration of character (appearance of irritability, capriciousness, etc.);

manifestation of anxiety and depression;

disorder of the cognitive function of the patient;

deterioration in concentration;

inability to coordinate their own movements.

It is also worth knowing that a damaged liver can be a cause of death for an alcoholic. We are talking about the so-called hepatic coma, which, as a rule, becomes the cause of death for the patient.

The effect of alcohol on the human body has not only been studied for a long time, but also confirmed in practice. It is very sad, but many people do not realize the whole essence of the problem, believing that their problem of alcoholism will never touch. Quite a few articles have been written about the dangers of alcoholic beverages, many television programs have been filmed, but according to statistics, more and more people are dying from alcoholic beverages. How does the effect of alcohol on the human body? Is alcohol dangerous to health and what harm can it do? How does alcohol affect the internal organs?

The harmful effect of alcohol on the human body is excluded only if a person does not drink alcohol absolutely.

All other people who drink alcohol at least occasionally experience some or other consequences. It all depends on the frequency of drinking, on the dose of alcohol consumed, on the human immune system and its individual characteristics. This does not mean at all that an individual with strong immunity will not suffer and will not feel the consequences of alcohol. Not a single system of the human body remains indifferent to alcohol.

The effect of alcohol on the human body: which organs suffer first?

Stomach and pancreas. Alcohol primarily has a harmful effect on the human digestive system: the esophagus, pancreas and stomach. Alcohol has a destructive effect on the cells of the inner surface of all digestive organs, damaging and destroying them, leading to burns, and as a result, necrosis of their tissues. As a result, the glands that secrete gastric juice atrophy, and the cells that produce insulin die. All this leads to the fact that the processes of nutrient absorption are disturbed, inhibition of the release of digestive enzymes is observed, food stagnation is formed inside the stomach.

All this suggests that alcohol, acting on the human body, can cause digestive problems, severe abdominal pain, diabetes, pancreatitis, gastritis, and even stomach cancer.

The effect of alcohol on the cardiovascular system

Once in the human body, passing through the stomach and intestines, alcohol enters the bloodstream, where the harmful effects of alcohol on the human body continue.

Alcoholic beverages contribute to the destruction of human blood cells - red blood cells. This leads to the fact that the red blood cells are deformed and can no longer transfer oxygen from the lungs to other tissues (giving back carbon dioxide), and are also unable to perform a number of their other functions. The result of this can be one of the diseases of the cardiovascular system: arrhythmia, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease. It is worth saying that a fairly young person (35-40 years old) who consumes alcohol in moderation can also face these problems.

Dysregulation of blood sugar is one of the consequences of drinking alcohol. As a result, blood sugar can either noticeably decrease or increase, which will lead to irreversible consequences: problems with blood vessels, diabetes, disruption of the brain and nervous system.

Many young people understand alcohol as only very strong alcoholic beverages, while beer is considered quite harmless. However, it is known that the consumption of beer in large quantities has a detrimental effect on the human cardiovascular system. As a result of frequent drinking of beer, even in large quantities, the heart increases in volume, begins to contract much more often. Otherwise, such a phenomenon is called a bull's heart. As a result, all kinds of arrhythmias, an increase in blood pressure can be observed.

What harm does alcohol do to the health of the brain and nervous system?

The brain and nervous system are the most affected by alcohol. The concentration of alcohol in the brain after consumption is much higher than in any other organs. That is why the effect of alcohol on the brain and nervous system is very dangerous. Alcohol is the most toxic for the brain tissue, which is why we observe a certain state of intoxication after drinking alcohol. We are accustomed to this “normal” phenomenon, which allows us to “rest” and “relax”. But few people think that alcohol destroys the cerebral cortex, leads to numbness, and then the death of its parts.

The brain of a drinking person is markedly different from the brain of a healthy person who does not drink alcohol. Its volumes are noticeably smaller, the brain is covered with scars, wrinkled, there are edema and ulcers on its surface, you can see dilated and sometimes torn vessels formed in the places of necrosis of the cyst.

The effects of alcohol also affect the human nervous system. There may be problems with the perception of the world around us, with attentiveness and memory, mentality and thinking, mental development.

As a result, drug addiction occurs, and the personality begins to degrade.

A large dose of alcohol (1-1.5 liters) can put a person in a coma, and deaths are not uncommon.

The effect of alcohol on liver health

The liver is also absolutely defenseless against alcoholic beverages. It is in the liver that the negative effect of alcohol on the human body is enhanced. This happens as a result of the oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde, which is a very dangerous and toxic substance. The subsequent breakdown of this substance adversely affects the condition and health of the liver.

Under the influence of alcohol, liver cells also die. In place of these cells, a scar is formed that does not perform the functions of the liver, which leads to all sorts of metabolic disorders.

Cirrhosis of the liver is the most common disease resulting from excessive alcohol consumption. What is this disease? Excessive alcohol consumption leads to the fact that the liver decreases in size, shrinks, which leads to squeezing of blood vessels, increased pressure in the vessels and stagnation of blood in them. Rupture of blood vessels, which in such a situation is a regularity, leads to bleeding, which, in turn, can lead to death.

The impact of alcohol on the human reproductive system

It has been scientifically proven that alcohol negatively affects the reproductive system, both in men and women. Alcoholic drinks are especially dangerous for women, because their addiction develops much faster and stronger.

First of all, in women, the ovaries are affected, as a result of ovarian dysfunction, the menstrual cycle is disturbed. Excessive alcohol consumption can destroy female body will lead to infertility.

But the male body, in particular the reproductive system, also suffers from alcohol. First, sexual function decreases, impotence develops, and then infertility. Drunkenness in a man leads to sexual weakness and testicular atrophy.

Do not forget that under the influence of alcohol very often sexual intercourse occurs, which as a result can lead to sexually transmitted diseases. And although this is not the result direct impact alcohol on the reproductive system of men and women is still associated with sexual function.

Can alcohol be good for health?

It has been proven that alcohol consumed in small doses can even be beneficial to humans.

The undeniable benefits of red wine, which has a positive effect on the immune system, strengthening it. Red wine normalizes metabolism, is a good prevention of atherosclerosis, removes toxins from the body.

Champagne and white wine are good for a weak heart system, and mulled wine will support the body with colds and flu, bronchitis and pneumonia. Vodka can lower blood cholesterol, and beer reduces the risk of diseases of the cardiovascular system, slows down the aging process.

Alcohol, ethyl alcohol (ethanol), wine alcohol, C2 H5 OH- a colorless volatile liquid with a characteristic odor and a burning taste, mixes well with water.

Alcohol is a waste product of yeast and can be produced chemically. It is highly flammable, burns, is used as a technical fluid in shock absorbers, brakes, etc., and is a good solvent for many organic substances. It is used as a raw material in the chemical industry and also as a fuel.

Alcohol is used in medicine for the preparation of tinctures and extracts. It destroys the cell membrane and through the destroyed membrane the necessary medicinal substances are delivered faster into the cell. In the Western pharmaceutical industry, when creating pharmaceutical products, they tend to do without ethyl alcohol. Alcoholic medicines are not recommended for children.

When applied topically, alcohol causes denaturation of proteins in the cytoplasm of microorganism cells. This property is used to treat the hands of health workers, sterilize instruments, etc.

Alcohol is a cellular toxin when ingested, the body tries to neutralize it. This is what the liver does. In liver cells, hepatocytes, ethanol is converted to acetaldehyde by the action of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which, by the action of another enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase, is oxidized to acetic acid.

Acetic aldehyde is several times more toxic than ethyl alcohol. It causes a hangover, which, in fact, is a serious poisoning. In people who abuse alcohol, the body has to defend itself against excessive amounts of alcohol. They increase the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase, which processes alcohol and accumulates acetaldehyde.

The second enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase, cannot be activated. As a result, pronounced poisoning with acetaldehyde occurs.

With the systematic use of alcoholic beverages, alcohol dehydrogenase cannot cope with the decomposition of alcohol. Weaker additional enzymes come into action in the body and the concentration of acetaldehyde in the body still increases. In the future, even small doses of alcohol dramatically increase the concentration of acetaldehyde, self-control is lost and cravings for the next dose of alcohol appear instead of the quickly disintegrated one.

As early as the beginning of the twentieth century in 1915. At the XI Pirogov meeting of Russian doctors, alcohol was recognized as a narcotic poison. Doctor of Medicine A.L. Mendelssohn in the "Textbook of sobriety", published in 1913. Petersburg wrote: “Alcohol cannot be considered a food product in the usual sense of the word. This is a poison for the nervous system, classified as a narcotic substance: it, however, not only paralyzes the brain, but also has a detrimental effect on internal organs. Science is not able to indicate a harmless dose of beer, wine or vodka. Further “No one really needs them… Only complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages – reliable protection from possible alcoholism and all its consequences.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia (vol. 2, p. 116): "Alcohol is a narcotic poison."

Foreign experts attribute alcohol to drugs such as depressants.

Modern narcologists consider alcohol to be a cytoplasmic poison that has a destructive effect on all human systems and organs, and an officially permitted drug.

The health consequences of drinking alcohol can be divided into 4 groups:

Influence on the central nervous system;

– influence on reproductive organs and gene pool;

Influence on the development of cardiovascular diseases;

Other physiological effects of alcohol consumption.

The effect of alcohol on the central nervous system

Drinking alcohol causes intoxication. Alcohol intoxication is acute alcohol poisoning. It is caused by hypoxia (oxygen starvation) of the cells of the cerebral cortex.

Alcohol causes the formation of blood clots in the small vessels of the brain. Due to hypoxia of the cells of the cortex, some of them die and a cemetery of neurons is formed in the brain. The more a person drank alcohol, the more dead neurons.

Alcohol inhibits the activity of nerve cells, develops

lethargy, slowing down of speech, impaired mental activity, decreased concentration. The possibility of injury, accidents and death increases. Large doses of alcohol lead to the development of a coma, and death can occur from respiratory failure due to its suppression or from aspiration of vomit.

Scientists have found that 85% of “moderate drinkers” and 95% of alcoholics have a decrease in brain volume. After four years of drinking alcohol, the brain becomes “wrinkled” due to the death of billions of neurons. The systematic use of alcohol leads to a decrease in brain mass. In women, this degradation, associated with the loss of brain matter, occurs faster than in men.

The mental abilities of such people are reduced, the freshness and originality of thoughts are lost. Creativity disappears. The processing of current information is difficult, the replenishment of life and professional skills is disrupted. Decreased efficiency, reduced desire to work. Those who are addicted to alcohol are incapable of systematic work. Character deteriorates, morality falls.

Alcohol suppresses the function of the cerebral cortex, subcortical formations begin to control human behavior. Human behavior becomes aggressive, his base biological instincts are manifested.

It has been established that mental abilities and memory deteriorate under the influence of even the smallest doses of alcohol. Violated coordination of movements, vigilance, intelligence. Only 25 grams of vodka worsen memorization by 60 - 70%.

Full recovery of brain functions, including its capabilities of systemic analytical thinking, after drinking alcohol occurs after 18-20 days. Thus, scientific data are confirmed that if people drink alcohol twice a month, then their brain is not able to work at the level of capabilities given to them by nature. That is why alcohol consumption by politicians, statesmen, leaders who make responsible decisions and form public opinion is unacceptable. Otherwise, it will lead to inadequate guidance and decisions and may set a bad example for the entire society.

Typical forms of alcohol damage to the central nervous system:

alcohol withdrawal syndrome;

Hangover seizures (alcoholic epilepsy);

Variants of delirium tremens that occur in a state of alcohol withdrawal and are accompanied by delirium (delusions), occur at stages II-III of alcoholism, during the period of cessation of drinking, delirium appears, visual, auditory and / or tactile hallucinations, there may be chills and fever. Hallucinations are usually threatening in nature, often presented in the form of small dangerous creatures (insects, devils). Sometimes ends in death. The main danger in delirium is the risk of self-harm.

Wernicke's encephalopathy - brain damage as a result of a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), usually occurring in chronic alcoholism, visual impairment, gait and coordination disorders, disorientation - confusion;

Korsakov's psychosis - a combination of polyneuritis with severe memory impairment, which relate to the memorization of current events and the reproduction of the recent past;

Alcoholic dementia - impaired mental (cognitive) functions, loss of normal perception, thinking, counting, speech, attention;

Manifestations of cognitive dysfunction: memory loss, mental performance, impaired rational knowledge of the world and interaction with it, perception of information, impaired processing and analysis, memorization and storage.

Atypical forms of alcohol damage to the central nervous system:

Atypical variants of delirium tremens - occur after repeated psychoses, often with fantastic content - alcoholic oneiroid;

Alcoholic paranoid - delusional perception of the environment, anxiety, fear and psychomotor restlessness;

Acute and chronic alcoholic hallucinosis;

Alcoholic delirium of jealousy.

The effect of alcohol on reproductive organs and the gene pool

When drinking alcohol, it lingers in the gonads, and in women it is 35%, and in men it is 55% more than in the blood.

Studies have found that even a single intake of alcohol 250 - 300 ml reduces the blood concentration of the male sex hormone - testosterone by 4 times and, accordingly, reduces sexual function in men. Already an hour after drinking alcohol, it is found in the seed of a man and in the ovaries of a woman. When the male and female germ cells, poisoned with alcohol, merge, defective embryos are obtained.

Children conceived in the state alcohol intoxication- the main contingent of auxiliary schools. More than 90% of children with mental and physical disabilities are born to parents who started drinking at school age.

Children whose fathers had consumed alcoholic beverages for at least 4-5 years before the birth of the child showed signs of mental disability.

A break in the use of alcohol by male alcoholics at the age of 2-3 years against the background of restorative and anti-alcohol treatment creates favorable conditions (but does not guarantee) for the normal mental development of children conceived during this period.

The use of alcohol by a woman before and during pregnancy leads to toxicosis of pregnancy, miscarriages, premature births, intrauterine malformations of the child, a deficiency in fetal weight at the time of birth, and a slowdown in the rate of psychophysical development. Mentally retarded people born from drunken parents inevitably give the same offspring.

WHO experts believe that in Russia alone, due to drunkenness and alcoholism, more than 30% of the population currently has mental defects. At the same time, 13% of children out of their total number lag behind the average level in intellectual development, and 25% cannot master the program of a general education school.

The effect of alcohol on the development of cardiovascular disease

Alcohol is one of the leading risk factors for morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease. Alcohol is in second place in the risk of the causes of the prevalence of arterial hypertension.

An elderly person with cardiovascular problems may die suddenly from taking a relatively small amount of alcohol. There are three external factors that provoke sudden cardiac death: alcohol intake, physical activity, psycho-emotional stress. If these factors coincide in time, the likelihood of sudden death increases.

Alcohol contributes to the formation of blood clots in the arteries, the development of cerebral strokes, myocardial infarction.

Chronic alcohol intoxication reduces the life expectancy of men with diseases of the cardiovascular system by an average of 17 years.

Thus, there is a direct relationship between mortality from cardiovascular diseases and alcohol consumption.

In recent decades, publications have appeared on the protective effect of low doses of alcohol in cardiovascular diseases in the elderly, in particular in coronary heart disease.

According to research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in the United States, the director of this institute commented: “Although moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of developing coronary heart disease, science is not convinced that alcohol is the cause of this development. risk. The risk reduction may be due to as yet unidentified factors associated with alcohol use in combination with factors that reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, such as lifestyle, diet or physical activity, or with substances in alcoholic beverages.”

Current research is inconsistent, and is limited to the age groups of men over 45 and menopausal women.

It would be most reasonable and correct from the position of prevention of cardiovascular lesions not to drink alcohol, since the harm from alcohol far outweighs the benefits.

Other Physiological Consequences of Drinking Alcohol

Alcohol is the cause of acute and chronic gastritis, acute and chronic pancreatitis, fatty liver, acute and chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, chronic renal failure, anemia.

Alcohol contributes to the development of gastric and duodenal ulcers, acute pneumonia, aggravates the course of hepatitis B and C, and suppresses the immune system.

Drinkers are more likely to develop pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and other lung diseases.

According to WHO experts, alcohol can cause more than 60 diseases and disorders in humans.

Effects of alcohol on children and adolescents

Children are very sensitive to alcohol. A case of death of a child who was under 1 year old is described, due to the application of a vodka compress to his chest three times during the day when coughing. There was a case of the death of a five-year-old child who drank 10 g of alcohol as a result of an oversight. The younger the body, the more detrimental to him the effect of alcohol.

Children and adolescents very quickly become addictive and have a positive attitude towards alcohol. Children at the same time imitate adults, parents. They may consume alcoholic beverages in secret and may experience alcohol poisoning. At the same time, they may experience loss of consciousness, impaired pulmonary and cardiovascular activity.

If a family often arranges alcoholic feasts, then the children of this family later associate holidays and weekends with drinking alcohol.

In adolescence, the attraction to alcohol is formed 8 times faster than in adults. Their behavior is disturbed, aggressiveness is manifested, a hangover syndrome is formed. And all this is 1-3 years after the onset of systematic drinking. The sons of persons suffering from alcoholism are 4 times more likely to become alcoholics, compared with the sons of those who did not have alcoholism.

Features of the influence of alcohol depending on the type of drinks

Alcoholic drinks are mixtures of water and alcohol with the addition of other substances that give drinks a certain taste and smell.
Everyone begins to drink alcohol with characteristic drinks - beer, wine, vodka.

Beer

"Energetic drinks" - contain shock doses of caffeine and up to 4 - 9% alcohol.

Small doses of alcohol

Recently, there has been a lot of research and reasoning about the benefits of small doses of alcohol. They write that "light and moderate" alcohol consumption can have a protective effect in coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, cholesterol gallstones, atherosclerosis, "prolongs life", "stimulates mental activity." At present, everyone understands the comprehensive harm of alcohol for both the individual and society as a whole. However, leaders of the alcohol business, having great financial resources, promote the benefits of small doses of alcohol and pay for "studies" that point to the benefits of alcohol.

Alcohol abuse can cause serious harm to health, including a negative impact on the cardiovascular system. In addition, it should be remembered and understood that alcohol is not a remedy for recovery. It cannot be taken with certain medicines, as this may lead to side effects. Alcohol in moderate doses with coronary artery disease is allowed, but only if there are no contraindications.

Remember that a single large dose of alcohol can cause death or the occurrence of cerebral strokes. Drinking alcohol is not recommended if the patient has elevated blood triglycerides or is on an anti-obesity diet.

What drink do you prefer?

Scientists have not been able to find out if there is a difference in the positive effects of certain alcoholic beverages. Data on the greatest benefits of red wine came from studies of mortality rates in different countries. So, in France - the capital of winemakers - the number of deaths from coronary artery disease is half that in the United States. The benefits of red wine are due to the presence in its composition of a large number of substances with antioxidant properties. They allow to restrain the development of atherosclerosis.

In 2007 a study by Australian scientists led by L. Harris "Alcohol consumption and mortality from cardiovascular diseases in the light of possible errors in the classification of subjects" was completed. The paper concludes that in men there is no statistically significant "protective" effect of alcohol, while in women it was observed, but only for red wine. In this case, the protective effect of red wine in the women's group was caused not by alcohol, but by the antioxidants contained in red wine.

For preventive purposes, red wine can be replaced with grape juice, wine vinegar, fresh fruits and vegetables. They contain more antioxidants and without the admixture of the poison ethanol.

The following arguments indicate the dangers of "small doses" of alcohol.

1. The use of alcohol by adults with the "therapeutic" purpose of alcohol, even in small doses, is an undesirable provocative example for children. Children do not need alcohol, in any quantities.

2. Regular use of small doses breaks, changes consciousness, the logic of thinking is broken, and thinking should be clear.

3. The "permissible" dose of alcohol varies depending on the study country by 2-3 times. It is difficult to calculate a safe dose for a particular person, it changes in different periods of life, even for one person. People fall asleep gradually and imperceptibly. Drinking alcohol in small doses is the path to drinking alcohol in large doses.

4. If there is benefit from small doses of alcohol, then why is it not possible to teach people to use teaspoons of it? Because the main purpose of drinking alcohol is not to get health benefits, but to get intoxicated, to change consciousness, to get alcoholic "pleasure".

5. Alcohol consumption tends to increase doses, which means that the threshold safe use most likely to be transferred.

6. Promotion of the regular use of small doses of alcohol is provocative from the point of view of national security: if this idea is introduced into the minds of the residents of our CIS countries, then the question of “to drink or not to drink” alcohol will be resolved in favor of sobriety.

What regular alcohol consumption leads to is clearly seen in the examples of countries with its traditional use: France, where they drink only dry and high-quality wines, Germany, where they love beer very much, are increasingly filled with people from more sober civilizations: Turks, Arabs, Chinese, people from countries of the Middle East and North Africa.

Thus, recommendations to consume alcohol in small doses, in particular in the form of beer, wine or “energy drinks”, are provocative, have commercial interest and political meaning and are aimed at destroying the health of individuals, families and the state.

"Cultural" drinking

In our time, there is an introduction to the "culture of drinking" from an early age in families. Children are connected to home feasts with the use of alcohol. Children are given diluted wine so that they think it is a "seasoning" for dishes. And it is used "culturally". After all, this is what the French and Italians do.

In modern Russia and other CIS countries, there are too few families where wine is just a seasoning for dishes. Adults in these cases cannot be a positive example for children. Many generations living in the CIS countries did not drink wine and completely managed without instilling a “culture of drinking” in their minor children. In childhood, alcohol is quite dangerous for health. In addition, the earlier a child begins to take alcohol, the more likely he is to become an alcoholic.

Even the great Avicenna allowed the appointment of small doses of red wine for indigestion, but he warned that wine should not be given to children.

In Western countries, medicines for children are not made on an alcohol basis.

In medicinal tinctures, alcohol is strictly dosed, and they are prescribed in limited doses in drops.

Alcohol capital and business want to violate the natural sobriety of children so that children do not create a stereotype that you can just be sober. After all, the earlier the introduction to alcohol is started, the more income from this.

Drunkenness and alcoholism

Domestic drunkenness- this is not yet a disease, it is a tribute to the traditions existing in our society, these are “drinking” attitudes in individual groups, among colleagues, friends or relatives, this is a way of life.

Domestic drunkenness does not require narcological treatment, a person of his own free will can stop alcohol consumption at any time or significantly reduce it, without experiencing any unpleasant sensations from abstinence. Domestic drunkenness can continue throughout a person's life, the amount of alcohol consumed can remain unchanged or increase to certain limits. But everyday drinking can turn into alcoholism.

Many drinkers believe that they are not alcoholics. In their view, an alcoholic is a degraded person, with a blue nose, unwashed, unshaven, uncut, with trembling hands, who has lost his human appearance and dignity, as a rule, has lost his job, often his family, drinking with random drinking companions, lying around anywhere. There are such alcoholics, and they are in the advanced stages of the disease.

But there are other alcoholics who drink and this does not yet affect their health, work, family relationships. While they are all right, there is no hangover, binges, alcoholic personality changes, social degradation, but they already have alcoholism.

Alcoholism This is already a disease that needs treatment. Unlike domestic drunkenness, a patient with alcoholism cannot independently stop drinking alcohol and cannot arbitrarily regulate its amount.


In the body of a patient with alcoholism, such changes occur in which the body rebels, demanding the intake of alcohol. This does not happen with domestic drunkenness.

Alcoholism is a progressive disease, and if its first symptoms appear, it will steadily develop, new clinical manifestations of it, personality degradation and all the consequences of an alcoholic disease will appear.

Stages of alcoholism

Alcoholic disease has 3 stages.
The first stage of alcoholism is preceded by the stage of "cultural" drinking from one to ten years. People who are predisposed to alcoholism go through this stage quite quickly in a few months. Then comes the stage of uncultured drinking, and this is the first stage of alcoholism.

First stage

Alcoholic disease is treated exclusively by long-term sobriety and nothing else.

Often, alcohol is absolutely contraindicated for healthy people, who, after small doses of alcohol, become violent, aggressive, insane. They don't remember what they did or what happened to them. This condition qualifies as pathological intoxication. Due to unmotivated aggressiveness and altered consciousness, such people commit illegal acts and criminal offenses. Unlike ordinary intoxication caused by large doses of alcohol, pathological intoxication is caused by a small amount of alcohol. And if it happened once, it can always happen again. These people should always stay sober.

Relationship between drunkenness and blood alcohol content(V.I. Prozorovsky, A.F. Rubtsov, I.S. Karandaev, 1967)
Blood alcohol content Functional assessment
Less than 0.3 g/l No effect of alcohol
0.3 – 0.5 g/l Negligible effect
0.5 – 1.5 g/l Slight intoxication
1.5 – 2.5 g/l Moderate intoxication
2.5 - 3 g / l Strong intoxication
3.0 – 5.0 g/l Severe poisoning, possible
death
Over 5 g/l Fatal poisoning

Acute ethanol poisoning

The strength of ethanol depends on the dose, tolerance to alcohol (liver function), the degree of individual production of enzymes that neutralize alcohol (alcohol dehydrogenase, aldehyde dehydrogenase).

As a result of the action on the cerebral cortex, intoxication occurs with characteristic alcoholic excitation. When ethanol poisoning develops nausea, vomiting and dehydration (alcohol dehydrates the body).

In large doses, an anesthetic effect occurs. The inhibitory effect on the central nervous system is caused by stimulation of GABA receptors (gamma-aminobutyric acid). GABA is the main neurotransmitter involved in the processes of central inhibition.

Sensory sensations are difficult, attention decreases, memory weakens. There are defects in thinking, judgments, orientation and self-control are disturbed, a critical attitude towards oneself and surrounding events is lost. Often there is an overestimation of one's own capabilities. Reflex reactions are slow and inaccurate. Often there is talkativeness, euphoria, pain sensitivity decreases (analgesia).

Spinal reflexes are reduced, coordination of movements is disturbed. When taking large doses of alcohol, excitation is replaced by depression and sleep sets in. In severe poisoning, a stuporous or coma is observed: the skin is pale, moist, breathing is rare, the exhaled air has the smell of ethanol, the pulse is frequent, the body temperature is lowered.

Emergency care for acute alcohol poisoning includes the following activities:

1. Gastric lavage to clean washings.

2. Water load with forced diuresis with diuretics.

3. In case of respiratory failure of central origin - artificial ventilation of the lungs.

4. Alkalizing therapy with 4% sodium bicarbonate solution intravenously.

5. Symptomatic therapy according to indications

In the presence of an alcoholic coma, the patient is sequentially injected with naloxone at a dose of 0.01 mg / kg in 10 ml of a 40% glucose solution, and then 1 ml of 6% thiamine bromide is also injected there. There comes an awakening effect in case of poisoning with alcohol, drugs and sleeping pills. Activated charcoal for poisoning ethyl alcohol not effective, it does not absorb alcohol.

Planned treatment of alcoholism is carried out by psychiatrists - narcologists in drug treatment rooms and hospitals.

Treatment of alcoholism includes two main stages:
1. Relief of acute alcoholic disorders.
2. Anti-relapse therapy.

Relief of acute alcoholic disorders, prevents and eliminates the withdrawal syndrome and its complications - hangover convulsive seizures and alcoholic delirium.

For this, analogues of ethanol are used - benzodiazepines: diazepam, chlordiazepoxide (elenium), lorazepam. Barbiturates and anticonvulsants are also used. These drugs are prescribed by psychiatrists - narcologists to eliminate withdrawal symptoms, prevent seizures and delirium tremens.

Vitamins are also prescribed: thiamine (vitamin B1), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) and nicotinic acid (vitamin PP). To restore the electrolyte balance of potassium and magnesium ions and eliminate dehydration, intravenous drip infusions are performed (glucose, gemodez, panangin).

Anti-relapse (maintenance) therapy It is aimed at reducing the severity of alcoholic excesses, preventing binges and mitigating the adverse effects of alcohol abuse.

It is carried out with the following drugs: disulfiram, naltrexone, acamprosate. These drugs inhibit acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, an enzyme that converts the poisonous acetaldehyde into acetic acid. At the same time, acetaldehyde syndrome or disulfiramalcohol reaction (DAR) develops:

- increased blood pressure;
- tachycardia;
- heartbeat;
- throbbing pain in the head;
- blurred vision;
- nausea and vomiting;

Shortness of breath and feeling short of breath;
- redness of the skin;
- fear of death, prompting an alcoholic to stop drinking alcohol.

A successful and innovative dosage form of disulfiram are water-soluble (effervescent) tablets called Antabuse. The tablets are tasteless and odorless and can be added to food and drink by the patient's relatives. Each intake of a soluble tablet will ensure the supply of the drug to the patient's body and implies the timely development of a therapeutic effect.

The treatment of alcoholism will be effective when the patient has a good motivation for treatment, that is:
- he must recognize himself as a sick person suffering from alcoholism;
- He must be willing to be treated alcohol addiction;
- he must have the intention in the future not to drink alcohol at all in any form.

One of the old methods of treating alcoholism is "Hemming". The patient is sutured under the skin or an intravenous drug is injected (Torpedo, Esperal, NIT, SIT, MST, etc.). When alcohol enters the body, these drugs begin to produce toxic substances that cause nausea, vomiting, fear of death and form a negative attitude towards alcohol in a person. At the same time, if a person takes a large dose of alcohol, then there is a violation heart rate, angina attacks, myocardial infarction and cerebral edema may develop.

The preparations used for filing are harmless if the person is in a state of sobriety. But they do not remove the primary craving for alcohol. It turns out that you want to drink, but it's scary - there is a fear of death. This method is painful for many, but for some patients it can be quite effective.

"Coding" This is emotional stress therapy. A “code” is laid in the subconscious mind that prohibits the use of alcohol. This method was developed by the Ukrainian doctor - narcologist A. Dovzhenko, with whom the term "coding from alcoholism" is associated.

Through emotional and stressful influence, a program of the possible occurrence of life-threatening severe health disorders is introduced into the patient's consciousness when even small doses of alcohol are consumed. This method is effective for people susceptible to hypnosis.

In a state of hypnosis, a person is instilled with indifference and aversion to alcohol, the appearance bad consequences in case of its use. The doctor conducting such treatment necessarily checks the patient for sensitivity to hypnosis. For patients who are not very susceptible to hypnosis, additional techniques are carried out, for example, when pronouncing the hypnosis formula, the phrase “if you drink at least a little, you will die” is said and at the same time the doctor presses on the eyeballs. The same goes for coding.

Hardware treatment is carried out using special medical equipment that affects the human brain. As a result of this effect, healthy brain functions are restored, the activity of the centers of attraction to alcohol is neutralized. This removes the primary craving for alcohol, and a person without
"breaking" enters a sober life. The most famous method of electrical brain stimulation TES is a therapy developed by scientists Russian Academy Sciences under the guidance of Professor V.P. Lebedev, is used in 17 countries of the world.

Psychotherapy- This is a soft psychotherapeutic work to maintain the emotional-volitional sphere of the patient. Psychotherapy can be used as an independent method and in combination with other methods. For effective recovery from alcoholism, the patient's family must be involved in the treatment process. The participation of family members in the treatment process increases the effectiveness of treatment, up to lifelong abstinence from alcohol.

In maintaining resistance to alcohol, group psychotherapy, in particular participation in the work of Alcoholics Anonymous groups, is effective.

Reflexology- can be effectively used in the treatment of alcoholism. Doctors - reflexologists with the help of needles, magnets and other reflexotherapeutic techniques harmonize the energy system of the human body, which is unbalanced in various diseases, including alcoholism. And the elimination of excess desire in alcoholism, as in any other addiction (tobacco, drug, food, gaming), allows you to effectively get rid of alcohol addiction and be completely indifferent to alcohol.

Endorphins are "internal hormones of happiness", the production of which is sharply reduced in a patient with alcoholism. It is because of the deficiency of one's own endorphins that numerous manifestations of alcohol dependence arise: pathological craving for alcohol, depression, guilt, and withdrawal syndrome develops.

Reflexologists successfully treat these conditions by "forcing" the patient's body to produce endorphins in the right quantities. These methods are based on the reaction of the body in response to the corrective, therapeutic effect of needles or magnets received from the external and internal environment, carried out with the participation of the nervous system.

Reflexology can be used as an independent method in the treatment of alcoholism, as well as combined with other therapeutic methods, for example, when withdrawing from hard drinking, you can use points that calm the nervous system and thereby reduce the drug load on the body of a patient with alcoholism, significantly increasing their effectiveness.

The treatment of alcoholism by reflexotherapy is effective and ensures a sober life of a person in the future. According to numerous reviews of patients who have undergone a course of treatment for alcoholism by reflexotherapy, the vast majority of patients have good long-term results in the treatment of alcoholism. Patients treated with reflexology enjoy their sober life, they always, even after many years, notice a powerful healing effect that they experienced after treatment. The craving for alcohol disappears, indifference to it appears.

“There is alcohol, but it is not needed, not interesting and even disgusting” - this is how those who had alcohol addiction after the treatment that I conduct treat alcohol. I carry out the treatment with magnets, which I install on certain points on the hands and feet, and fix them with a band-aid for several hours. Already after 1 - 2 sessions, alcohol becomes unnecessary, indifference to alcohol appears, alcohol passes away. The full course of treatment is 8-10 sessions. The efficiency of the method is up to 90%. These people continue to lead a sober healthy lifestyle without alcohol.

In order to recover and get rid of alcohol addiction, one must be willing to recover from alcoholism, and have the intention not to drink alcohol at all in the future. A positive result is a must.

Conclusions about alcohol and the consequences of its use:

1. Alcohol is a poison in any form, including in small doses. Separate beneficial features alcoholic products cannot exceed their harm and recommend their use for medicinal or food purposes.

2. Alcohol causes mental and physical dependence, leads to disability and premature death.

3. Alcohol causes moral and mental degradation, destroys families, leads to crimes.

4. Alcohol leads to the birth of defective offspring and the degeneration of individuals, social groups and entire nations.

5. Promotion of drinking regularly "small doses" of alcohol is harmful to people, is not correct in its essence, since alcohol is harmful even in small doses.

6. Promotion of early introduction to the "culture" of drinking in the family is harmful and dangerous for the younger generation, as it helps to educate future alcohol consumers, this is necessary for producers and sellers of alcohol to increase the production and sale of alcohol.

After drinking, alcohol is concentrated in the brain (the concentration of alcohol in the brain is 1.75 times higher than in the blood). Concentrated, alcohol affects the brain in the most remarkable way:

• lowers the excitability of nerve cells, the person calms down;
• causes a good mood, euphoria (a little lower, in paragraph number 4, it will be written exactly how alcohol does all this).

So, under the influence of alcohol, a person relax and start having fun! Hehe!!- That's what people drink for. Of course, drinking alcohol has many negative consequences (see below), but still:

• small doses of alcohol are the most accessible and easily used remedy that relieves nervous overload, fatigue and stiffness during communication;
• medical studies are regularly published on the positive effect of moderate doses of alcohol on the cardiovascular system, the prevention of senile dementia, impotence, etc.

The harmful effects of alcohol on the body

1) Alcohol is a cell-killing poison(therefore, for example, a cut or abrasion can be treated with alcohol, and the microbes will die). Ethanol is concentrated in the liver and brain (if we take the alcohol content in the blood as a unit, then in the liver it will be 1.5, and in the brain 1.75) - therefore, the cells in these organs are killed first of all. The concentration of ethanol sufficient to kill brain cells is created after taking more than 20 ml of alcohol in men and more than 10 ml in women. (Accordingly, if you drink no more than 20 ml, then the relaxing effect of alcohol will be achieved, but the cells of the brain and liver will not begin to die yet - this is how people talk about the possibility of “moderate alcohol consumption”, more on this closer to the end of the article).

2) Alcohol is a mutagen.

• Mutant cells of one's own body in an adult organism are usually destroyed by the immune system (and if for some reason it fails, then cancer occurs, in alcoholics - cancer oral cavity, esophagus, stomach and liver).
• Mutations in germ cells do not manifest themselves in any way in the person who developed these cells, but they appear in his children.
  • Spermatozoa in the testes in men develop within 75 days, so if you are planning to conceive someone - before that, completely refrain from alcohol for 2.5 months, and everything will be fine.
  • Such a measure will not help women: they have eggs from birth, so if a woman is 20 years old, then her eggs are 20 years old, and all the mutagenic effects that have occurred over these 20 years accumulate in the eggs.

3) Alcohol disrupts the development of the fetus. These disorders are not associated with mutations, but with the incorrect interaction of the cells of the developing fetus. The brain suffers the most: the children of alcoholics are usually mentally retarded. In addition, deformities are also possible: underdevelopment of the limbs, damage to the heart, kidneys, etc.

4) Alcohol is a drug. After consumption, it concentrates in the brain and there it acts on 2 groups of neurotransmitters.

• Activates gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors, one of the most important inhibitory mediators of the human nervous system. The excitability of cells decreases, the person calms down.
• It enhances the synthesis of our own opiates: endorphins (hormones of pleasure), as well as dopamine, a mediator that excites pleasure centers. The person is euphoric.

The systematic consumption of alcohol changes the metabolism in the body:

• Ethanol is becoming a regular source of energy, since it is much easier for the body to get energy from alcohol than from food. But amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins cannot be obtained from alcoholic beverages, so alcoholics develop dystrophy and beriberi.
• Artificial stimulation causes the body to produce less of its own opiates and GABA. Without opiates, a person experiences dissatisfaction, which is relieved by taking alcohol. This leads to the development of a syndrome of mental dependence, and then.

Guidelines for moderate drinking

If you drink 20 ml of alcohol, then we will get a slight relaxing effect, while the concentration of ethanol dangerous for brain and liver cells will not yet arise.

20 ml of alcohol is 50 ml of vodka / cognac, or 150 ml of wine, or 330 ml of beer (for women - 2 times less, sorry).

The daily dose should in no case be more, and at least two days a week it is necessary to completely abandon alcohol.

There are circumstances in which even one or two drinks can be dangerous:

• when driving or working with mechanisms (since alcohol does what it is used for - it relaxes a person, while already from one serving of alcohol the reaction rate decreases by 10 times);
• during pregnancy or breastfeeding (because alcohol enters the child's body and can cause developmental disorders in him);
• while taking certain medications that can chemically react with ethanol;
• with medical contraindications;
• if the person is unable to control their drinking.

Objections to the thesis about the harmlessness and even usefulness of small doses of alcohol

Objection #1
Alcohol is poison. Scientists and doctors who claim that alcohol can be beneficial in small doses are either funded by alcohol producers or wrong. An example of a mistake: scientists and doctors study old people and see that those who can afford half a glass at dinner get sick less. Medical scientists conclude that moderate alcohol consumption is good for health. But the connection here may well be reversed! Men and women in their seventies who regularly drink a glass of wine can drink moderately precisely because they are in good physical shape, do not suffer from serious illnesses and, accordingly, do not take strong drugs that are incompatible with alcohol. And the very fact that this person is in principle capable of being moderate could lead to the preservation of health to such an advanced age.