Alcoholism is a complex condition characterized by an obsession to drink and an inability to control the amount of alcohol consumed. Untreated, the disease is characterized by relapse and eventually death. Psycho-socially, alcoholism is an isolating disease as these individuals strain their relationships and their own inner sense of self. Physically, alcoholism is characterized by dehydration, malnutrition, head injury, pancreas problems, liver problems, cirrhosis, increased blood pressure, increased bleeding, susceptibility to infection and coma.
Dehydration, Malnutrition and Head Injury
There are short-term and reversible symptoms of alcoholism. When drinking alcohol, individuals do not tend to drink other fluids and do not consume proper diets. Additionally, alcohol is a diuretic, and it irritates the lining of the stomach and small intestine, compounding the dehydration and malnutrition. These factors combined with the sedative and intoxicating effects of alcohol lead to slips, falls and other accidents--often resulting in head injuries or trauma. In fact, one of the most common causes of head trauma is from an accident while the individual was intoxicated.
Pancreas
Alcohol directly irritates the pancreas, causing an extremely painful condition called acute pancreatitis. If the individual continues to drink, the pancreatitis becomes chronic, and without medical intervention, the condition can potentially become life-threatening. Patients with chronic pancreatitis have problems digesting food and may suffer from inadequate insulin production, thus predisposing them to becoming diabetics.
Coma
In the late stages of alcoholism, individuals often slip into comas. Dehydration, malnutrition, intoxication, alcohol overdose and high levels of toxins in the blood circulation all contribute to the delicate neural network of the brain shutting down, resulting in comatosis. Patients who present in coma are in a dangerous condition because withdrawal from alcohol is life-threatening in itself. Someone in this condition must be supervised in a medical facility with the capability for managing the multiple problems associated with this complex and tragic condition.
Liver Problems and Disease
The liver is responsible for breaking down alcohol in the blood. Under normal conditions, the liver can handle about one drink per hour. Constant binge drinking with alcohol overwhelms the liver predisposing alcoholics to liver problems and diseases, such as hepatitis, liver enlargement and end-stage liver failure. The liver is also responsible for making proteins for muscle building, making blood clotting factors and building a healthy immune system. Alcoholics usually manifest physical signs of muscle wasting, emaciated physique, increased bleeding and infections. Liver disease due to alcoholism disrupts the normal filtering functions of the organ causing increased blood pressure. This, in turn, causes potentially fatal bleeding in various places in the circulatory system. Subsequent leakage of fluids into the abdominal cavity causes fluid retention and abdominal bloating.
