Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a very common addiction and highly detrimental to the organism. It is characterized by excessive consumptionand without alcoholic beverages control causing the individual to lose some senses and is hampered in his routine. Cancause addiction, in addition to bringing psychological and physiological diseases.

Among the diseases and major losses caused by alcoholism include: field of vision loss, loss and delay liver functions,amnesia in the period of intoxication, as well as modifications in several hormones. The treatment is sometimes difficult,because many patients don't see themselves with the illness and don't engage in your healing.

Intense desire or compulsion to drink alcoholic beverages.

Tolerance: need for increasingly larger doses of alcohol to achieve the same effect obtained with doses lower thanpreviously.

Abstinence: typical syndrome and of limited duration that occurs when alcohol use is stopped or reduced drastically, leading to agitation, mental confusion, tremors, cold sweats, among other symptoms. Within this same principle, the individual canspend also ingest alcoholic beverages to ease their withdrawal symptoms.

Increase in employee time, consume or recover from the effects of the substance; progressive abandonment of other pleasures or interests due to alcohol consumption.

Desire to reduce or control the consumption of alcohol with repeated failures.

Persistence in alcohol consumption even in situations where the consumption is contraindicated or in spite of evidence ofdamages, such as, liver damage caused by excessive alcohol consumption, depressed mood or disruption of cognitive function (memory and judgment) related to alcohol consumption.

What is Alcoholism?

Alcoholism is the individual's dependence to alcohol, considered disease by the World Health Organization. The constant use, uncontrolled and alcoholic beverages progressive can seriously impede the proper functioning of the body, leading toirreversible consequences.

The alcohol dependent person, in addition to harming his own life, ends up affecting your family, friends and co-workers.

What is alcohol abuse?

Alcohol abuse is different from alcoholism because it does not include an uncontrollable desire to drink, loss of control orphysical dependence. And still the abuse of alcohol has less likely to include tolerance than alcoholism (the need to increasethe amounts of alcohol to get "high").

Possible complications

Effects of alcohol

Alcohol found in beverages, ethanol is a substance resulting from the fermentation of natural elements. Alcohol spiritscomes from the fermentation of sugar cane, and the beer fermenting barley, for example. When ingested, ethanol isdigested in the stomach and absorbed in the intestine. The bloodstream molecules are carried to the brain.

Gastritis, when it occurs in the stomach

Alcoholic hepatitis, the liver

Pancreatitis, pancreatic

Neuritis, nervous.

In the long term, alcohol impairs all organs, especially the liver, which is responsible for the destruction of toxic substancesingested or produced by the body during digestion. In this way, with a large dose of alcohol in the blood, the liver suffersan overload for metabolizá it. Alcohol in the body cause inflammation, which can be:

The dangers of alcohol

Despite being accepted by society, alcohol offers a series of dangers both for those who consume about for people whoare nearby.

What is alcohol poisoning?

While many people think funny drinking until you drop, this is serious: the alcohol poisoning is the result of excesses andcan kill. Understand in this text what it is and what to do in cases of alcohol poisoning.

It is important that you understand the process of alcohol in the body. The liver is the organ responsible for metabolizingthe ingestion of alcoholic beverage. On average, it takes an hour for each dose, and can vary this time according to weight, height, body type and gender (women take longer). If there are rapid and continuous intake of alcoholic beverages, theliver can't handle metabolize the alcohol. Here, then, is matter of time to indulge in alcohol poisoning.

In alcohol poisoning, the person loses consciousness, taking consciousness slower and having trouble breathing. Therefore,respiratory arrest may occur and/or cardiac arrest. Another dangerous consequence is the suffocation by vomiting, because,to defend, the organism itself causes vomiting and, per person to be unconscious, she may aspirate the liquid and even stop in the lungs.

To avoid death or sequels, it is important that the person be quickly bailed out. In the inpatient for intense hydration to the liver makes it back for their operation, the use of glucose to normalize blood sugar drop and monitoring the clinical pictureof the patient (blood pressure, heartbeat, etc).

How to help?

The first step is to call the SAMU via phone or local ambulance 192.

While waiting, let the person lying on your side. This avoids the asphyxiation by vomit.

Don't make the person ingesting any food or medication. Wait for medical attention.

Loosen the clothes and let the victim comfortable.

If the victim has a cardiac arrest, apply artificial respiration and CPR until the arrival of the rescuers.