The Effects Of Alcoholism on Mental Health

Introduction

Mental health is so important, yet we see people everyday that take their mental health for granted. One of the many things that can have a drastic impact on a person's mental health is the abuse of alcohol. There are short and long-term effects related to alcoholism.

Short-Term Effects of Alcoholism

When considering alcohol and its effects on mental health you must keep in mind that alcohol is a depressant. The fact is, when you consume alcohol it enters your blood stream fairly quickly and when the alcohol travels to your brain it can cause a person to become very sleepy. This is a result of the alcohol causing a rise in the levels of an important neurotransmitter in our brain called gamma-amino butyric acid.

Alcoholism can have effects on a long term or short-term basis and most often, those effects aren't of a positive nature. Lets first look at the short term effects that can be caused by alcoholism. These effects can come about in many different shapes and forms. Some of the notable short term effects of alcoholism are as follows:

• Euphoria
• Lethargy
• Confusion
• Stupor
• Coma
• Unresponsiveness
• Black-outs
• Ataxia
• Dehydration
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Flushing of skin
• Decreased heart rate
• Temporary urinary incontinence
• Impaired judgment
• Impaired senses
• Emotional effects
• Blurred vision

Different effects may be displayed by alcoholics depending on the amount of alcohol consumed and are based on the concentration of alcohol in an people blood. Those effects are most likely temporary and will subside once the person becomes sober but that does not mean the person will not suffer long term effects on their mental health due to alcoholism.

Long-Term Effects of Alcoholism

Although alcohol in small infrequent doses can have some positive effects we have to consider the long term effects of alcoholism. Alcoholism is when someone is dependent on alcohol on a routine basis. This means the alcoholic is generally a heavy drinker and they may drink daily. Not all alcoholics drink everyday but routinely it seems that is something that happens more often than not.

It is quite frightening to think that alcoholics can face death due to many secondary disorders or illnesses cause by the excess consumption of alcohol. Mental health in alcoholism is something that is jeopardized by the alcoholic because they sometimes lose control and cannot seem to overcome their addiction to the alcohol. The alcoholic may not realize they are jeopardizing their physical health with their addiction, so they are battling not only the alcoholism but sometimes they find themselves really battling illnesses or disorders such as:

• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Cardiomyopathy
• Peripheral Arterial Disease
• Anemia
• Brain lesions
• Tremors
• Pancreatitis
• Kidney stones
• Cancer
• Diabetes

There are other illnesses and conditions that can transpire due to alcoholism. Some are more serious than others but regardless of the condition that may come about, they can all cause a great deal of discomfort and suffering.

Alcoholism can ultimately lead to the death of the alcoholic and it is important for anyone suffering from alcoholism to seek intervention as soon as possible. Alcoholism is a sad disease and has negative effects not only on the alcoholic themselves, but also on the people who love and care for them.

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