Alcoholism
Disease And Alcoholism Physical Symptoms
by
David Buster
Alcoholism disease and alcoholism physical symptoms should be understood
if there's concern about alcohol abuse. Alcoholism disease can be defined
as a drug addiction where alcohol consumption is at a level that interferes
with the person's physical and mental health and negatively impacts
family, social or work responsibilities. Because alcohol consumption
can involve many organs in the body, long-term heavy drinking puts a
person at risk for developing serious health conditions and illnesses.
While each of the health conditions listed below can exist for reasons
unrelated to alcoholism disease, certain conditions and alcoholism physical
symptoms may be indications that alcohol abuse exists and is affecting
the health of the person. Here are examples of health conditions and
related alcoholism physical symptoms that may indicate alcoholism disease:
* Liver Inflammation - alcoholism physical symptoms for liver inflammation
include abnormal yellowing of the skin, eyeballs and urine, fever and
abdominal pain. Since alcohol destroys liver cells and the ability of
the liver to regenerate new cells, long term abuse of alcohol can lead
to cirrhosis of the liver. * Cirrhosis of the Liver - symptoms of cirrhosis
or scarring of the liver tissue can be tiredness or even exhaustion,
nausea, loss of sex drive and appetite loss leading to weight loss.
* Malnutrition - a common alcoholism physical symptom is malnutrition.
While the symptoms will vary with the specific malnutrition-related
disorder, general symptoms include dizziness, tireness, unexplained
weight loss and reduced immune system function. * High Blood Pressure
- high blood pressure symptoms include dizziness, headache, blurred
vision and nausea. And the American Heart Association advises that excessive
alcohol consumption can raise levels of triglycerides in the blood and
related increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. * Pancreaitis -
long term heavy drinking can result in the development of inflammation
of the pancreas which is called 'pancreatitis'. The pancreas are needed
for food digestion, and pancreaitis symptoms include severe abdominal
pain and weight loss. * Erectile Dysfunction - alcoholism disease will
likely affect a man in the bedroom. Heavy drinking can cause sexual
dysfunction, meaning the man may have difficulty getting an erection.
And the likelihood of alcohol-related erectile dysfunction occurring
increases as a man gets older. * Insomnia - the connection between sleep
problems and disturbances and alcohol abuse has been proven by numerous
studies. Alcohol in the body can interfere with getting to sleep and
with enjoying deep, restful sleep. In fact, insomnia may continue for
weeks or months after alcohol abstinance. Additional long term alcoholism
disease health effects include damage to the brain, nerve damage, bleeding
in the esophagus and depression. Alcohol consumption can increase the
breast cancer risk in women undergoing hormone replacement therapy,
according to the National Cancer Institute. Alcoholic beverages are
considered cancer-causing by the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Important note - all of the conditions listed above may be due to reasons
other than alcoholism disease and must not be considered conditions
that should be self-diagnosed. Most of these conditions can be life-threatening
and should only be diagnosed by qualified health care professionals.
Besides alcoholism physical symptoms, learn more about the alcoholism
warning signs, alcoholism stages and proven resources available online
that can help. It is never too late to begin recovery from alcoholism
disease and alcohol addiction.