Hello everyone how are you doing? Seasons greetings to you all. In this festive season there is going to be a lot of eating , drinking and making merry. Nothing wrong with that good fella’s but a little bit of responsibility goes a long way. Those of us with chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure etc need to be especially careful. The bottle aptly depicts the many stages a lot of us will be experiencing this season but in line with our ongoing discourse on mental health, I’ll focus on those among us who have a problem with Alcohol. Alcohol has been around for ages. It plays several roles socially (celebrations) culturally (often a as libations for ancestral spirits) as well as medically (used in several pharmacological preparations). In moderation it can help allay inhibitions, small doses have been found to promote heart health and circulation. High levels of consumption however can have negative effects on our physical and psychological health. The question then is how much is too much. Each individual is affected differently and has varying thresholds than the other. The general advice has then been “If you feel you can’t function without a drink, seek help.”

What does alcohol do our system that makes us crave it? When ingested, alcohol passes from the stomach into the small intestine, where it is rapidly absorbed into the blood and distributed throughout the body. Because it is distributed so quickly and thoroughly the alcohol can affect the central nervous system even in small concentrations. In low concentrations, alcohol reduces inhibitions. As blood alcohol concentration increases, a person’s response to stimuli decreases markedly, speech becomes slurred, and he or she becomes unsteady and has trouble walking. With very high concentrations – a person can become comatose and die.

With the first glass persons appear normal by ordinary observation. The next stage is Euphoria –Our bottle depicts that stage as the “LOL” stage. Here we notice, sociability ( I love everyone ) , talkativeness ( getting loud), increased self-confidence, decreased inhibitions, diminution of attention, judgment and control, beginning of sensory-motor impairment and loss of efficiency in finer performance tests. At this point the party usually is “banging”.

(webMD.com) The Excitement stage follows with Emotional instability; loss of critical judgment, Impairment of perception, memory and comprehension, Decreased sensatory response; increased reaction time, Reduced visual acuity; peripheral vision and glare recovery
Sensory-motor incoordination; impaired balance and drowsiness. The eyes here in some people would appear heavy and drowsy.

Then comes Confusion, a stage where we see Disorientation, mental confusion; dizziness. Exaggerated emotional states, Disturbances of vision and of perception of color, form, motion and dimensions, Increased pain threshold (fighting with feelings of invincibility), Increased muscular in coordination; staggering gait (exotic dances); slurred speech (some people speak other languages here according to our bottle), apathy, lethargy.

The next stage is Stupor. There is General inertia; approaching loss of motor functions
Markedly decreased response to stimuli, Marked muscular in coordination; inability to stand or walk, Vomiting; incontinence, Impaired consciousness; sleep or stupor. Our buddy will from here progress to a Coma. Complete unconsciousness, Depressed or abolished reflexes, Subnormal body temperature, Incontinence, Impairment of circulation and respiration, Possible death. If death ensues it will be from respiratory arrest.

The physiological effects of alcohol on our systems are multiple because it affects every organ in our bodies. The Central nervous system -Alcohol use accelerates the loss of brain cells, contributing to cognitive deficits.

Sleep – Alcohol aggravates insomnia, restless sleep, frequent awakenings, and night terrors. Alcohol can also cause sleep apnea, a condition in which a person temporarily stops breathing during sleep. Those with alcoholism appear to be at increased risk for sleep apnea, especially if they snore.

Heart, Blood and Immune system – Chronic, heavy alcohol use increases the risk of heart disease. In addition, alcohol has anesthetic effects that may mask the pain that signals heart problems. Alcohol also has numerous adverse effects on the various types of blood cells and their functions. For example, heavy alcohol consumption can suppress blood cell production and cause the production of structurally abnormal blood cells. Alcohol also impairs the immune system. It interferes with the production and function of white blood cells, especially those that defend the body against invading bacteria.

Bones and Joints – Chronic alcohol use can cause leakage of calcium from the bones. Such leakage can cause osteoporosis, which can lead to hip and other fractures.

Digestive system – Alcohol use increases gastric secretions. Excess stomach acid can cause heartburn, ulcers, gastritis, and intestinal bleeding. Symptoms may include nausea, pain in the upper abdomen, morning sickness, and vomiting blood. Alcohol use also decreases the flow of pancreatic digestive enzymes, which can lead to acute or chronic pancreatitis.

Sexual functioning – Too much alcohol can make men impotent and delay orgasm in women. Moderate intake of alcohol can lead to lower levels of testosterone and feminization of the male body (e.g., enlarged breasts and a decrease in body hair). In addition, alcohol use can lower inhibition and increase risk taking. This impaired judgment can lead to unprotected sex and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

Personality changes – Alcohol can cause a loss of inhibition, leading to risk-taking. It can also contribute to self-destructive or impulsive urges such as personal neglect and violent behavior.

Skin – Alcohol can dehydrate the skin and impede circulation, thus robbing the skin of moisture and nutrients. It can lead to broken or distended capillaries, especially over the nose and cheeks. It also depletes the body of vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy complexion.

Lungs – Alcohol causes an increase in the fluid accumulation in the lungs and can lead to chronic lung infections. It also causes or aggravates emphysema, bronchitis, and other pulmonary diseases.

Liver and Kidneys – Excessive alcohol use can decrease liver and kidney functions and interfere with the absorption and distribution of nutrients. Regular drinking can lead to fat accumulating in liver cells, a situation that returns to normal when drinking stops. Long-term excessive drinking can cause hepatitis (inflammation and destruction of liver cells) and cirrhosis (scarring and shrinkage of the liver).

Nutrition – Although alcohol has calories, it cannot be regarded as a food product because it does not supply any nutrients. Partly as a result of this supply of calories, chronic drinkers do not feel hungry, which can lead to deficits of proteins, vitamins, and minerals.

If after all this you still feel like a drink, then take the following measures –

Alcohol is quickly absorbed in the small intestine and has a high affinity to water. Because water is found in every body tissue absorbed alcohol is rapidly carried throughout the body in the blood. It is wise to eat some starchy foods before you start drinking. Food slows down the absorption of alcohol in your system . The rate of alcohol consumption is also a factor. If you load up with the drinks faster than your body can eliminate it your blood alcohol level will rise resulting in higher intoxication.

The less you weigh the more you will be affected by a given amount of alcohol. As detailed above, alcohol has a high affinity for water. So for two individuals with similar body compositions and different weights, the larger individual will achieve lower alcohol concentrations than the smaller one if ingesting the same amount of alcohol. In general, but by no means in all cases, women tend to have a higher percentage of body fat and thus a lower percentage of body water. Therefore, in general, if a man and a woman of the same weight ingest the same amount of alcohol the woman will tend to achieve a higher alcohol concentration. This, of course, would not be true if the woman was very fit and the man was somewhat obese, but on average, this is the case. Furthermore, total body water tends to decrease with age, so an older person will also be more affected by the same amount of alcohol. Although not explained, studies appear to show that women eliminate alcohol from their bodies at a rate 10% greater than that of men.

The liver is responsible for the elimination – through metabolism – of 95% of ingested alcohol from the body. The remainder of the alcohol is eliminated through excretion of alcohol in breath, urine, sweat, feces, milk and saliva. The body uses several different metabolic pathways in its oxidation of alcohol to acetaldehyde to acetic acid to carbon dioxide and water. We are advised to keep up with fluids in between glasses of alcohol, to replenish what we loose through excretion of the alcohol. If not we are sure candidates for the hangover blues where you have a mean headache the next day, general malaise and fatigue. Avoid acetaminophen (headache medication) because in conjunction with the alcohol, this might damage the liver. Best thing is to replenish your fluids with water and orange juices and also exercise if you can. This will increase rate of metabolism and excretion of alcohol by products from your system and also increase oxygen supply to your tissue. Remember to rehydrate.

Now that you know better, you may now go ahead and eat drink and be merry – RESPONSIBLY folks, responsibly.

Cheers

Regina A Williams (RN)