Hope for Tomorrow Warns of Alcoholism Side Effects

Point Pleasant, WV – Local addiction treatment facility, Hope for Tomorrow, recently released a blog on alcoholism side effects. It details the effects of alcohol use disorder on the body and brain, with an additional focus on the central nervous system and liver. The blog also informs readers of the long-term and short-term effects of alcohol use disorder.

The blog first goes into the impact of alcohol use on the central nervous system. Hope for Tomorrow explains that alcohol spreads throughout the body, and then easily breaks the blood-brain barrier to enter the brain. Once there, alcohol interferes with the activity of the neurotransmitters GABA, glutamate, and dopamine. “GABA helps naturally calm your body, while glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter that helps with memory and energizing your brain cells. Alcohol increases GABA activity in your brain, while inhibiting glutamate activity. This produces symptoms of intoxication, such as relaxation, lack of coordination, poor balance, slurred speech, and memory lapses,” they explain. The article also describes alcohol’s influence on dopamine. It produces extra dopamine, and as the brain re-absorbs it, intoxication fades, frequently leaving behind a desire to feel the pleasure of alcohol’s increased dopamine again.

The blog also says alcohol’s influence on GABA is what causes alcohol tolerance. Hope for Tomorrow also shares that alcohol can cause brain shrinkage long-term, but they stress that an alcohol-free brain is capable of healing.

The following part of the blog is dedicated to alcohol’s relationship with the liver, and the damage it can cause. Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) can occur with excessive, and usually, prolonged, alcohol use, and Hope for Tomorrow explains the stages. Alcohol-related fatty liver disease causes a fat buildup and enlarging of the liver, but is reversible when alcohol consumption is stopped. Alcohol-related hepatitis is more dangerous, and consists of liver cells becoming damaged due to inflammation. Alcohol-related cirrhosis severely impairs liver function, and is irreversible and potentially deadly.

Next, Hope for Tomorrow explores the short-term effects of alcohol use disorder. It first defines heavy drinking for clarity: more than four drinks in a day, or 14 in a week for men, and more than three drinks in a day, or seven per week for women. Even one drink can cause an increased heart rate, irritated digestive tract, and dehydration, the blog shares. “In the moment, when you’re drinking, you’ll eventually feel intoxicated. With intoxication comes lowered inhibitions, relaxation, lapses in concentration, and poor coordination. As you drink more, you’ll experience slurred speech, confusion, dizziness, memory lapses, and even nausea, vomiting, and passing out in severe cases,” Hope for Tomorrow explains.

The blog also warns of the dangers of alcohol poisoning. It shares the symptoms of alcohol poisoning to look out for, and urges anyone who sees them to seek medical help immediately: vomiting, seizures, breathing irregularities, hypothermia, trouble staying conscious, and blue, gray, or pale skin. It also says to make sure someone accompanies the person with suspected alcohol poisoning, and gather as many details on the situation as possible to share with medical personnel when they arrive.

Hope for Tomorrow also shares the long-term effects of alcohol use disorder. It reminds the audience that prolonged alcohol use can cause brain shrinkage and liver damage, but adds vitamin deficiencies, heightened cancer risk, immune system suppression, and weakened bones to the list.

It also points out the impact alcohol use disorder has on lifestyles, including withdrawal from beloved activities and people, and a declined work and school performance. “You might not be able to fulfill your responsibilities like you once could, and your alcohol use disorder could put a strain on your relationships. It may seem like you’ve lost control of your life due to alcohol use disorder,” the article states.

When the blog closes, it offers hope to match the facility’s name. It reminds the reader that alcohol use disorder is a treatable health condition, and encourages anyone experiencing it to seek treatment.

Hope for Tomorrow is an addiction recovery center with locations in Point Pleasant and Beckley, West Virginia. They offer treatment to everyone, including pregnant women, veterans, and those with additional medical conditions. They also offer dual-diagnosis treatment, and are equipped to help people experiencing a mental health crisis. Hope for Tomorrow offers continued care to those leaving their residential program, and prides themselves on offering patients support throughout their lives even after treatment. For more information, visit their website or call them at 877-679-8162.