Alcohol: A social lubricant or destroyer of lives?

NAMIBIA has been described as one of the most-affected countries when it comes to alcohol abuse. This is borne out by the abundance of shebeens, even in residential areas of most towns in Namibia.

During President Geingob’s recent town hall meetings, uncontrolled shebeens and alcohol consumption were some of the thorny issues discussed by communities in all the regions.

As we approach the festive season, which is when alcohol abuse reaches its annual peak, we decided to take this opportunity to tackle this topic so as to send a special message to the holidaygoers.

It is an established fact that alcohol consumption can cause major health problems. Researchers have linked alcohol consumption to more than 60 diseases. According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), excessive alcohol use leads to approximately 88 000 deaths in the US annually.

The main concerns here are not the short-term effects of alcohol (such as a hangover or a bad night’s sleep). It is the long-term health effects that are experienced mostly when it is already too late, that we want to highlight.

Here is how alcohol can affect your body.

Alcohol can quickly reach many parts of the body, including your brain and nervous system. The tell-tale signs that someone had too much to drink include: Slurred speech, lack of coordination, changes in mood and behaviour, inability to think clearly, loss of balance, etc.

Generally speaking, as people age, their brains shrink, on average, at a rate of 1,9% per decade. But heavy drinkers speed up the shrinking which results in significant memory loss, called dementia.

In some cases a single episode of heavy drinking can cause trouble to your heart like :

poisoning of the heart muscles

irregular heart beat

high blood pressure

stroke

heart attack

heart failure

The more you drink, the higher your chances of developing chronic heart problems that eventually lead to death.

Alcohol is toxic to the liver cells and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammation. This is mainly because the liver is the organ responsible for breaking down alcohol, so that it can be excreted from the body. Many heavy drinkers develop a well-known liver disease called cirrhosis, a condition in which the liver is so heavily scarred that it is unable to function. Alcohol can also cause fatty liver and is a contributor to liver cancer.

Alcohol causes a disease called pancreatitis. This is a very dangerous condition and it is one of the common causes of death in persons who abuse alcohol. Even when a person survives an episode of pancreatitis, it can lead to the development of diabetes mellitus, as the pancreas is responsible for sugar metabolism.

Alcohol weakens the immune system and the body cannot fight germs effectively. Excessive alcohol consumption also reduces one’s appetite, further weakening the body.

Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of developing certain cancers i.e. cancer of the :

throat

liver

breast

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