Alcohol. How not to go beyond the dangerous line.
Currently, the problem of alcohol consumption is becoming more and more urgent and requires close attention, both from government agencies and society as a whole.
As shown by a questionnaire survey of the population of the Brest region conducted in December 2022, in which 3823 people took part, 25.4% of respondents (971 people) drink alcoholic beverages every day, several times a week or several times a month, which is dangerous in terms of high risk of developing addiction with all the problems that follow from this circumstance.
An analysis of the age composition of consumers of these products showed that most of the people who consume alcoholic beverages every day and several times a week were among the older age group (7.5%). And among those who consume these drinks several times a month, the youngest age group of respondents (18-29 years old) is in the lead – they amounted to 20.9%. They also occupy the first position in terms of the total number of people who consume these drinks every day, several times a week and several times a month (26.9%).
This situation is alarming and requires more active action to prevent alcohol consumption among all population groups, with a focus on the youth population.
The effect of alcohol on the body.
How should you treat alcohol anyway? Is he friend or foe? Of course, the enemy. Insidious, inconspicuous, very familiar and sometimes so kind and dear, which not only slowly destroys our health, but also steals our mind and our will, making us its slaves. It is perhaps even more dangerous than other narcotic and psychoactive substances due to its availability and relative cheapness. And its harmful (dangerous) effect on the body depends on several factors: on the dose of alcohol, on the frequency of use, on the characteristics of the body.
There are four main problems associated with alcohol consumption:
- influence on the psyche with a change in human behavior;
- negative impact on reproductive health;
- development of dependence syndrome (chronic alcoholism);
- toxic effect on organs and systems.
The influence of alcohol on the psyche.
The ethanol molecule is very small, it is quickly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract into the blood, and after 5-10 minutes it enters the brain cells, causing the corresponding effects.
At first, alcohol “turns on” the calming system of the brain, increasing the release of “happiness hormones” (dopamines), thanks to which a person relaxes and liberates, fears are dispelled, and troubles are pushed aside. He finally feels calm and balanced. And even happy.
With an increase in the dose of alcohol, the brain area (prefrontal) is turned off, which is responsible for self-control, perseverance and organization, for predicting the future and solving problems, for the ability to draw conclusions. At the same time, the ability to reason sensibly decreases, the tendency to act impulsively increases, and the person begins to do stupid things: he can drive a car and arrange drunken races, he can jump into the water in an unfamiliar place or try to climb onto the roof of a high-rise building. At the same time, some become viciously aggressive, they want to fight, be rude, smash and break everything that comes to hand, hurt anyone they meet or harm themselves.
As a rule, such a reaction is observed in those whose body produces few enzymes that break down alcohol. And it is precisely this form of the effect of alcohol on the brain that is more common in adolescents, since they have not yet formed the enzyme systems of the body.
Drinking and driving.
Alcohol accumulates in brain tissue. If we take its amount in the blood as 1, then in the brain cells it will be 1.75. Alcohol completely leaves the body after 24-48 hours. Therefore, if a person has consumed alcoholic beverages in the evening, he should not drive a vehicle in the morning, since alcohol at this time still continues to have its effect on brain cells, distorting the perception of speed and distance, worsening hearing and distorting colors, even if the alcohol level will be below 0.3 ppm in the blood or below 0.6 mg per 1 liter of exhaled air.
80 gr. vodka or 500 gr. beer violates the biorhythms of the body, reducing mental and physical performance for 39-48 hours. Therefore, if the driver drank in the evening, he cannot be considered sober in the morning.
Impact on sexual function and reproductive health in general.
As Shakespeare wrote, “Alcohol excites desire, but deprives the ability to act.” This is due to the toxic effect of alcohol on ovarian tissue, which leads to a decrease in the production of the male sex hormone testosterone and its destruction in the liver.
Also, alcohol abuse leads to a violation of DNA molecules in the sex cells of women and men. It is this molecule that is the carrier of information about the body and is transmitted to the unborn child, determining its external data, physical and mental health. Any damage to its structure causes fetal developmental disorders. The risk of such disorders depends on the frequency of alcohol consumption:
- mom and dad do not drink alcohol – the risk is 1%;
- moderately consume alcohol only on holidays – 7%;
- drink alcohol often (several times a month and in large quantities to the point of intoxication) – 70%.
Swiss scientists examined more than 8,000 children suffering from idiocy (extreme dementia) and found that they were all conceived during the holidays when their parents drank alcohol .
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is also very dangerous and leads to damage to the fetal DNA, as well as to various mutations and serious disorders in the formation of the central nervous system (CNS), to a decrease in protein formation and to the development of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which is characterized by:
- congenital malformations of the heart and external genital organs, dysfunction of the central nervous system,
- low birth weight, growth and developmental delay,
- special facial features: small head, narrow eyes, specific crease of the eyelids, thin upper lip.
Even a single use of alcohol by a mother during pregnancy causes the death of millions of brain cells in the baby.
The toxic effect of alcohol on the embryo is due to the fact that it enters the circulatory system of the fetus very quickly through the placenta and stays there for a long time, since the enzyme systems that can “process” alcohol are poorly developed or not yet formed at all. The period from the moment of conception to 3 months of pregnancy is considered especially dangerous, when there is an intensive laying of organs and tissue formation. The more severe the damage, the earlier in the critical period alcohol.
It should be remembered that there is no safe amount of alcohol for pregnant women. The smallest amount of alcohol can cause irreparable harm to the child, so during pregnancy it is recommended to completely avoid alcohol.
It is also dangerous for a mother to drink alcohol while breastfeeding. This can lead to damage to the child’s liver and brain, to a lag in his physical and mental development, and to the development of alcohol dependence.
Alcohol is addictive.
Alcohol dependence (alcoholism) is a chronic, rapidly progressive disease characterized by loss of control over the amount of alcohol consumed in any situation in the presence of an uncontrollable craving for alcohol, as well as the development of a hangover syndrome, when after the next “feast” a person with addiction experiences severe painful symptoms. (anxiety, tension, agitation, sleep disturbances, rise in blood pressure, rapid pulse, sweating, hand tremors, etc.), which are removed by a new portion of alcohol.
A person cannot physically control drinking. Taking a glass in hand, an alcoholic will definitely get drunk. It is pointless to appeal to his conscience, close the doors or lie down across the road. Its goal is to ensure that drinking continues at all costs. If it needs to overcome something, it will be overcome.
The greatest predisposition to alcoholism was revealed in people who have alcoholics in the first degree of kinship. The more relatives involved in drinking, the higher the risk. This is due to inherited damage to about 15 genes, including those responsible for the production of pleasure hormones (dopamines) and enzymes involved in the breakdown of alcohol in the body.
A greater predisposition to alcoholism in women is associated with a lower water content, which “dilutes” alcohol, as well as with the specificity of some female hormones.
The use of alcohol by children and adolescents leads to serious disorders of their health and psyche, very quickly forming an alcohol dependence syndrome (from 6 months to 2-4 years).
Addiction cannot be cured: it can only be stopped. Having once become an alcoholic, a person will remain an alcoholic for the rest of his life: a drinker or a non-drinker (dry alcoholic). Unfortunately, it is impossible to make a non-alcoholic out of an alcoholic so that he can again, as he once could sometimes use an alcoholic drink without serious consequences. In this sense, the disease is incurable.
There is only one way out – to give up alcohol forever, to stop addiction. A non-drinking alcoholic (dry) can again begin to live a full life, be socially adapted, happy and successful, remembering that even a small dose of any alcoholic beverage, including non-alcoholic beer, taken in a month, a year, decades abstinence, will lead to a new binge, the consequences of which cannot be predicted.
Very important for restoring one’s status and relationships with others is the help of the family and the patient’s participation in public associations, anti-alcohol clubs.
Relatives task:
- to help an alcoholic see the truth without distortion, to help him realize that he is powerless over alcohol, cannot control his life and will die if he does not accept help;
- try to love the person and hate his disease!
- preserve your health and yourself as a person: do not “put your life on the altar of his recovery”;
- learning not to react to events, to “let go of the situation”, leaving it out of control, but being close, because it simply doesn’t work, this is the same impossible task as stopping a moving train.
By changing ourselves, we change the situation around the alcoholic; by recovering ourselves, we contribute to his recovery.
An important role for the social rehabilitation of people with alcohol addiction is played by the community of Alcoholics Anonymous with the “12 Steps” program aimed at recognizing, step by step, those suffering from alcoholism their own emotional immaturity and inability to control their attitude to alcohol, on overcoming addiction, changing the style of behavior, reassessing life values.
It is very important for relatives of people with alcohol addiction to participate in the work of Al-Anon groups in order to understand the problem and get rid of unrealistic expectations. This will allow them to save their life resources and shift the attention from the drinking person to themselves and their family.
We should all understand that alcohol and a creatively active life, alcohol and a strong family, alcohol and health are incompatible concepts. Therefore, let’s learn to meet with family and friends, celebrate holidays and events without alcohol, or drink it no more than a few times a year for 100-150 grams of weak drinks in order to “pay tribute to tradition.”
And remember that alcohol is a monstrous trap for each of us, capable of destroying everything around, destroying the mind and body of its victim. Take care of yourself!
Physician for medical prevention of the Brest Regional Central Health and Public Health Center Valentina Sergeevna Mashenskaya.
