How Alcohol Affects The Internal Organs
Whitfield 1
Reaction Paper #1
Effects of Alcohol on the Internal Organs
PSCY 4205
Ashleigh Whitfield
2/17/15
Whitfield 2
Many adults drink alcohol in the form of beer, wine, or liquor. People drink alcohol to relax, celebrate, and socialize. Alcohol affects people in different ways, and people have different relationships with alcohol. Many people can enjoy a glass of wine with food, or drink moderate amounts of alcohol in social settings, without any problems. Having one or fewer drinks per day for women and two or fewer drinks per day for men is defined as moderate drinking. Drinking alcohol too much or too often, or being unable to control alcohol consumption, can cause or indicate alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence.
People who abuse alcohol for an extended time and alcoholics may develop health complications that affect the liver, digestive system, circulatory system, kidneys and central nervous system.
When people drink alcohol, it travels through the body in their bloodstream. Alcohol reaches every organ and distributes throughout the water in our bodies. Organs such as the brain, which contain a lot of water and need an ample blood supply to work, are particularly affected by alcohol. Other organs, including the liver, the heart, the pancreas, and the kidneys, are also affected by alcohol within minutes after it enters the bloodstream ( Medical Consequences of Drug Abuse, 2012).
The liver weighs about 3 pounds and is the largest solid organ in the body (Alcohol-Related Liver
Disease, 2015). Cirrhosis is a slowly progressing disease in which healthy liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue, eventually preventing the liver from functioning properly (Alcohol-Related Liver Disease, 2015).
The scar tissue blocks the flow of blood through the liver and slows the processing of nutrients, hormones, drugs, and naturally produced toxins (Alcohol-Related Liver Disease, 2015). It also slows the production of proteins and other substances made by the liver.
Most
Reaction Paper #1
Effects of Alcohol on the Internal Organs
PSCY 4205
Ashleigh Whitfield
2/17/15
Whitfield 2
Many adults drink alcohol in the form of beer, wine, or liquor. People drink alcohol to relax, celebrate, and socialize. Alcohol affects people in different ways, and people have different relationships with alcohol. Many people can enjoy a glass of wine with food, or drink moderate amounts of alcohol in social settings, without any problems. Having one or fewer drinks per day for women and two or fewer drinks per day for men is defined as moderate drinking. Drinking alcohol too much or too often, or being unable to control alcohol consumption, can cause or indicate alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence.
People who abuse alcohol for an extended time and alcoholics may develop health complications that affect the liver, digestive system, circulatory system, kidneys and central nervous system.
When people drink alcohol, it travels through the body in their bloodstream. Alcohol reaches every organ and distributes throughout the water in our bodies. Organs such as the brain, which contain a lot of water and need an ample blood supply to work, are particularly affected by alcohol. Other organs, including the liver, the heart, the pancreas, and the kidneys, are also affected by alcohol within minutes after it enters the bloodstream ( Medical Consequences of Drug Abuse, 2012).
The liver weighs about 3 pounds and is the largest solid organ in the body (Alcohol-Related Liver
Disease, 2015). Cirrhosis is a slowly progressing disease in which healthy liver tissue is replaced with scar tissue, eventually preventing the liver from functioning properly (Alcohol-Related Liver Disease, 2015).
The scar tissue blocks the flow of blood through the liver and slows the processing of nutrients, hormones, drugs, and naturally produced toxins (Alcohol-Related Liver Disease, 2015). It also slows the production of proteins and other substances made by the liver.
Most