Negative Effects of Alcohol on Athletes
If you’re an athlete of any sort, then you might be interested about the negative effects that alcohol can have on your physical fitness amongst other things. If you’re involved in sports and so on, you can obviously have a drink or two every now and again without doing too much damage to your fitness, but any more of this could have a negative impact on how good of an athlete that you are. Alcohol is actually the most used drug among athletes, which is fine but it’s important that you know your limits so that you can keep up with other athletes who are usually extremely fit and healthy. All athletes want to be as fit as possible, and unfortunately alcohol is something that you want to stay away from if you want to be successful in any kind of sport.
As most people know, exercise is essential if you want to get the most from your body. Most athletes spend hours each day training, exercising etc. Without exercise, there is no way that you’d be able to compete to the best of your ability, and this is the same if you’re trying to exercise after drinking alcohol.
There are several short term and long term negative effects of alcohol in relation to exercise. Short term negative effects include: Poor balance compared to normal, finding it more difficult to jump high, hand to eye coordination isn’t as good, reaction times worsen etc. However, there are also plenty of long term negative effects that alcohol can have on your exercising including: It’ll be easier for you to tear muscles (not what you want if you want to be a successful athlete), hormones will be affected which will have a huge impact on your exercise and finally alcohol can change the way that your heart reacts to exercise (and not in a good way!).
There are also other negative effects of alcohol for athletes too though. One thing that you need to be able to do if you’re an athlete is learning new things such as strategies to win games etc. For the majority of people this isn’t hard with a bit of practice, but alcohol can make it hard for a person to learn new things and even harder to remember what they’ve just spent time learning!
After you consume a decent amount of alcohol it can also lead to you not getting enough sleep which is essential if you want your brain to remember information such as strategies for your next game.
As an athlete, you should know how important it is that you stay away from most (if not all!) fats. Alcohol is one substance which has pretty much no nutritional value to your body; it’s basically “empty calories”. There are tiny amounts of minerals and vitamins but there’s so little that it’s basically nothing. Your body sees alcohol as just a fat, which is obviously not good if you don’t want to put on weight from fatty acids. So, if you want to keep those muscles we’d recommend that you don’t touch a drop of alcohol unless you only have a few drinks every now and again.
Alcohol and Heart Health
There are numerous reports of alcohol and its damaging effects to the body. You may have heard about how some alcohol can help your heart in some cases, but this isn’t always the case. You have probably heard about how a couple of glasses of red wine can do wonders for your heart. But as with anything, going overboard can be detrimental for your health.
While alcohol is usually touted as being not as dangerous as other drugs, you have to think about the huge number of deaths that there are each and every year due to alcohol. Most people are shocked when they find out how many people die from alcohol. In 2001 alone, more than 75,000 people in America died because of alcohol related deaths, and this figure is probably lower than what it actually should be since some heart attacks may not have been counted to this figure. However, a good argument why alcohol is responsible for so many deaths in comparison to other drugs is because it’s so readily available and it’s legal in just about every country in the world.
Positive effects of Alcohol on your Heart
Firstly, let’s talk about how alcohol can actually be a good thing for your heart:
• The majority of alcoholic drinks contain a substance called resveratrol which produces substantial amounts of antioxidants. These help fight off heart disease by protecting your arteries and so on.
• Some substances found in wine and spirits have been found to maintain the tone and health of arteries.
• As many people will know,
But can alcohol actually reduce the chances of suffering a heart attack?
Due to bad diets, lack of exercise and other bad habits the arteries around the heart can become clogged up and over time it will force the heart to be work harder than it should. This in turn increases high blood pressure and will severely increase the chances of suffering a heart attack.
It might sound a bit out of the ordinary but if you can consume a small amount of alcohol it can actually be a good thing, rather than a bad thing. It acts as a substance that thins the blood meaning the blood is allowed to pass through the arteries much easier. There aren’t too many negative effects of alcohol if you don’t drink too much of it, but most people aren’t smart enough to only drink a certain amount of alcohol on nights out!
Negative Effects of Alcohol on your Heart
Drinking a lot of alcohol over a short period of time (known as binge drinking) will have a huge impact on a persons central nervous system. Memory loss, brain damage and depression are some of the negative effects of alcohol that you can expect to go through if you binge drink on a regular basis. Here are some of the ways that alcohol can increase the chances of you suffering from a heart attack:
• If you’re worried about having heart problems it’s very important that you try to keep control of your weight. It’s been proven that the heavier you are, the more stress that there will be on your heart. As we all know alcohol is full of “empty calories” (no nutritional value in them whatsoever) so you should try to stay away from alcohol as much as possible.
• Alcohol also adds more fats to your blood which are called triglycerides which can significantly increase the chances of a person having a heart attack since these fats are linked to many heart diseases.
• There are many foods and drinks that aren’t good for you that can weaken your heart, and unfortunately for people that enjoy alcohol – alcohol is one of them. If you drink alcohol regularly the strength of your hear will be reduced after a while and this could lead to heart failure.
So how much alcohol is too much alcohol?
The standard way of measuring alcohol consumption is in units. A unit is the equivalent of 500ml/one glass s of wine. Gender is also an important factor in measuring units. Men can intake around 21 units of alcohol a week. For women this figure is a little bit lower at around 14 units. This means the average males should not be consuming more than 3 or 4 drinks on a night out; and obviously a lot of men and women go over the limit, which is why alcohol is one of the most problematic yet most widely used substances in the world.
How Alcohol Can Damage You and Your Mental Health
Alcoholism is becoming a serious problem within modern society, and unfortunately this problem doesn’t just cause temporary health issues, but can have a long lasting effect on your mental health too. There is nothing wrong with drinking alcohol when it is done in moderation, however excessive amounts of this substance can and may lead to this addiction – which will have a negative effect on your life, and will even affect the lives of loved ones and friends.
This article will help you identify the negative effects of alcohol, and just how alcohol can damage your mental health.
Alcoholism And Your Body
Many people in the world abuse their bodies, whether it is by eating too much, being overweight, not keeping fit or smoking, however those people who are suffering from alcoholism are at a high risk of damaging many internal organs – particularly the liver, kidneys and even the brain.
Damage to the liver and kidneys can bring about many other health related problems, and depending on the severity of the problem, can also lead to death. Prolonged alcohol abuse will shorten the life span of a person and affect their quality of life when they are older.
Studies have also shown, that those who have suffered from the negative effects of alcohol for a number of years, are at a much higher risk of suffering from brain related disorders later on in life, and these people will usually exhibit signs of lack of concentration and loss of memory on a regular basis.
Alcohol And Your Mental Health
The physical negative effects of alcohol are severe enough, however there are also many mental health issues which arise as a result of excessive alcohol intake, and this can completely change a person’s personality.
The short term effects of consuming alcoholic beverages are very common – a change in personality occurs, usually resulting in increased confidence and jovial behavior, which most of the time can be harmless – however some people can also become angry and aggressive.
The long term negative effects of alcohol are much more serious, and these can generally lead to people becoming depressed. The mental state of depression is not one of which can easily be overcome, and unfortunately the continuous intake of alcohol makes this state much worse. Alcoholics will drink to numb their feelings; however this sometimes will make it worse, and can lead to suicidal behaviors.
Many people suffering from alcoholism feel the world is against them, and it is very hard to interact with them socially, or persuade them to seek professional help. You will tend to notice that alcoholics will alienate themselves from loved ones and friends, and any relationships they may have will slowly deteriorate.
They will also find it difficult to hold a job for long periods of time, and may eventually become unemployed and give up on life. When this occurs, they see alcohol as their only friend, and nothing else in the world matters.
However, with support from friends and family, and also the advice and assistance of professionals in the field of alcoholism, it is very possible to help people get their lives back on track, and to prevent further damage to their physical and mental health. If you believe yourself, or someone close to you is suffering from alcoholism or the negative effects of alcohol, make sure you seek advice on how to prevent the situation from worsening.
What Alcohol Can Do To Your Appearance
As we all know, there are a wide range of negative effects of alcohol. However, some of the negative effects get talked about more and therefore are more well-known in comparison to certain negative effects of alcohol. One of the negative effects of alcohol that isn’t talked about much is how it can change your appearance (in a bad way by the way!). Most people know that alcohol generally makes you look older, but what are some of the symptoms that alcohol is taking its toll on you? Here are some of the things that you should look out for:
Weight Gain – This is one of the easiest things to see if you’re trying to look for how alcohol is changing your appearance since it’s a lot easier to notice than most other symptoms that alcohol is having effects on your body. We’re not going to go in to detail about how alcohol makes you put on weight since we already asked the question does alcohol make you gain weight?. A person’s weight is one of the main features of their appearance so it’s really important that you don’t drink too much alcohol so you stay at the right weight.
Broken Veins – Although it’s natural to get broken veins, usually you only get these if you’re at a certain age. When you see a young person with broken veins it’s more than likely due to that person drinking a lot of alcohol. The easiest way to see if someone is suffering from broken veins is by looking at their face since this is usually where they occur the most, along the cheeks and nose. The reason why a person gets broken veins from drinking alcohol is because alcohol expands your blood vessels and so on, and if you drink on a regular basis the blood vessel will eventually burst which can be seen on a person’s skin if it happens close to the surface of their skin. It’s definitely not something that anyone wants to happen to them, so make sure that you don’t drink too much alcohol so that you won’t have to worry about this.
Bad Skin – If you want to take care of your skin you really should stay away from alcohol. As some of you already know, when you drink alcohol your body loses a lot of water from it which means that your body will become dehydrated. This means that less water will be available for your skin which isn’t good news since your skin badly needs a lot of water in order to stay healthy. Dry skin is a big problem for people who drink excessively.
Bloodshot Eyes – Believe it or not, you won’t just get bloodshot eyes for just the night that you’re drinking or the day after. One of the negative effects of alcohol is that you’ll have bloodshot eyes for a long period of time if you continue to drink a lot of alcohol. The reason why this happens is similar to the way that a person gets broken veins as we explained above, the vessels in your eyes will simply burst due to too much alcohol and therefore you’ll have bloodshot eyes for a lot longer than a day or so.
Can Alcohol Cause Blood Pressure Problems?
When people think about the negative effects of alcohol they usually think about how alcohol can cause damage to your liver, brain and so on, very few people think about how it can cause issues in relation to your blood pressure even though this can cause a lot of problems to people. If you drink alcohol on a regular basis, you might want to have a long think about whether it’s actually worth it when it could give you high blood pressure. The scariest thing about this is that so many people suffer from high blood pressure without even knowing it! Around 25% of Americans have high blood pressure and although nobody knows exactly how many people know that they have high blood pressure, I bet that the figure is a lot lower than 25%!
Obviously there are people who suffer from having high blood pressure without drinking any alcohol whatsoever, which is unfortunate. Having high blood pressure isn’t something that anyone should want and that’s why it’s so important to make sure that you don’t increase your chances of developing a blood pressure related problem. Firstly, you should take note that alcohol plays a big role in adding to the amount of people that have high blood pressure. This is why people who drink alcohol regularly usually have blood pressure problems. As we all know, alcohol can effect the kidneys quite badly if the person drinks a lot. Once the kidneys are damaged to a certain extent this will lead to more pressure being put on your arteries which isn’t good news if you have any kind of a blood pressure problem. (Or you don’t want to suffer from high blood pressure which most of us don’t!)
Another part of the body which alcohol can effect is the liver. We’ve all heard of how the liver is essential to clean out a person’s blood i.e. to get rid of all of the bad toxins. However, when the liver gets severely damaged from drinking so much alcohol, the liver will simply not be able to function as it should. Believe it or not, the liver is needed to keep a person’s blood pressure at a normal level so if the liver gets in any way damaged it won’t be able to control your blood pressure as it once did. As well as this, while the liver is spending time trying to get rid of the excess alcohol that’s in your bloodstream, it won’t have any time to clear fat from the blood. This will result in too much fat being in the person’s bloodstream which can block the person’s arteries and then lead to high blood pressure.
So, the short answer to the question of “Can alcohol cause blood pressure problems” is: Yes. Although it won’t cause you any problems if you consume alcohol responsibly, it can cause massive problems for a person if they drink too much alcohol. That’s why you’ve got to remember that it’s fine to drink alcohol now and again, but try your best not to be drinking too often or else you could face some of the negative effects of alcohol including blood pressure issues.
Negative Effects Of Alcohol – 1 Drink at a Time
When you’re out on a night out the last thing that’s on your mind probably will be what each drink that you consume will do to you. After all, you’re out to enjoy yourself with some of your friends or family, aren’t you? This may be what you think, but unfortunately this isn’t what alcohol is all about. You might think that alcohol makes you have a better night out but this isn’t the case. Now that you’re reading this, you might as well read on and see how each drink that you consume will affect you. You probably know some of the negative effects of alcohol already, but do you actually know how many drinks will make you experience each of those negative effects of alcohol? The answer will more than likely be no. Firstly, let me explain that recent studies have shown that men are supposed to consume 5 drinks or less while women should consume 4 drinks or less – maximum. As well as this, if you drink a few times each week for a number of weeks, you are labelled as a binge drinker! Sounds scary, doesn’t it? Anyway, have a look below to see what each alcoholic drink will do to you:
Drink 1 – A lot of people don’t particularly like their first alcoholic drink when they are out, and one of the reasons why this is could be because you won’t really feel any of the negative effects of alcohol. (even though nearly everyone see these effects as “good” effects on a night out!) Your first drink will probably make you feel a bit more relaxed though.
Drink 2 – After a couple of drinks, the majority of people will experience a little “high”. If you don’t know what this means, it’s basically a feeling that you get which makes you feel like you’re in a much better mood overall and more happy with yourself. The alcohol relaxes your whole body while therefore makes you feel more relaxed. This is the stage where most people are happiest, but sadly a lot of people find it difficult to stop here and they continue to drink which in causes them to start feeling the negative effects of alcohol.
Drink 3 – At this stage, the person will start to change in comparison as to what they normally act like. It’s possible that they’ll start saying things that they would never even think about saying to others, which can cause a lot of trouble at the time. Vision starts to get impaired after the third drink which can also cause some hassle to the person that’s drinking as well as the people that are around them.
Drink 4 and 5 – This is where the term “binge drinking” comes in to play. If you aren’t sure what this term means, binge drinking is more than less when a person decides that he or she will continue to drink more alcohol with the desire of getting very drunk. If you ever binge drink, it could be a sign that you have an addictive personality, in which case I’d recommend that you see a professional to try to sort it out before it goes too far. Also, at this stage the whole body starts to slow down because of the amount of alcohol that’s in the bloodstream, for example: a person’s reaction times will be significantly reduced after drinking this much alcohol. This is why most governments all around the world have banned drink driving as they have realized the potential problems that the negative effects of alcohol can cause on people around the world.
Drink 6 and 7 – This is one of the most serious stages that a person can be at. If a person drinks this much alcohol, they’ll go through nearly every one of the negative effects of alcohol which isn’t a nice thing to go through. So many people start vomiting at this stage, which isn’t many people’s ideas of having a “good time” which is what people usually want before heading out for a few drinks in their local pub or nightclub. Vomiting is a sign that the body needs to get rid of some of the alcohol in order for it to function correctly, it’s like a natural life saver in a way.
Drink 8+ - This is an extremely dangerous stage to be in. Even at 8 drinks a person can go through severe alcohol poisoning, so imaging how bad you’d be if you continued to drink more than this! There will be a large percentage of people who will need medical attention once they reach this stage, so it’s very serious. Once someone consumes in or around 10 drinks of alcohol, it can become even more serious – death. It’s not too uncommon for people to die due to drinking huge amounts of alcohol, so make sure that you know when to stop before it’s too late.
Now that you know the difference that an extra drink or two can have on you, I hope that you’ll be smart enough to stop when you need to stop so that you’ll go through as little of these negative effects of alcohol as possible. Always try to keep in mind this article so that you’ll never ruin your night out when you go out for a couple of drinks with your friends or family.
A Students Opinion On The Effects Of Alcohol
"University - producing the most educated alcoholics since 1892" perhaps encapsulates the standard university experience of individual student development in an appropriate fashion - alcohol is usually the cohesive aspect of the "great times" that students have as relief from studies. As an undergraduate student myself I can say that I too cherish the "great times" that consist of meeting up with friends, having drinks in one of our residences and proceeding to complete the nights in bars or discos sensually decimated. But at the same time with this period of opportunities offered by university to a young student such as myself I am quite conscientious of not only my academic performance, but also my athletics and exercise as I lift weights three times a week and practice Mixed Martial Arts. Not only would I ought to not neglect basic student precautions, but would do well to embrace athletic ethics. In this brief piece I express my general grievances concerning alcohol tendencies speaking from my student experiences.
It is the risk posed to my physical training that concerns me the most as only though sheer irresponsibility and recklessness could I allow the impaired coordination resulting from drunkenness and painful hangover episodes impede on my academic performance. One need not be so irresponsible in order to inhibit athletic potential on the other hand. The principle negative effect of alcohol identified in this regard would arguably be the accumulation of weight. It would definitely be counterproductive to not only let it impact speed and personal aesthetic but moreover the endurance I need to achieve my goals.
However as a young student with a fairly high metabolism and provided I am not consuming too much fat, that particular matter does not concern me so long as I don't deficit in exercise. The mechanisms which underpin this counterbalance as I understand it are particularly susceptible to the influences of alcohol on bodily reflexes. For instance, protein is not properly absorbed as amino synthesis is disrupted, the body is unable to hydrate the muscles as alcohol takes its toll on the liver to which water intake is thus directed, testosterone levels are depleted, and glycogen metabolism is slowed down. Especially when recuperation and healthy protein absorption is very important to progress in weight lifting I certainly would not want to disrupt amino synthesis, and testosterone is important for energy and recovery.
It is because of such specifically alcohol-related problems that I am especially careful to consider regulating my alcohol consumption to only two pints a week on average in a manner that I would not normally apply to confectionery and other fatty products that like alcohol contributed to fat, of course. Furthermore I omit liquor - which I usually drink when not confronted with such circumstances - from such a regimen as it is even worse with not just its higher content of alcohol but also its effect on the muscles.
And of course I cannot forget as a student there is the basic matter of making sure my academic output isn't handicapped by such leisurely indulgences. Especially when my study timetable takes up almost the entire week, I'm sure to drink water every night after drinking in order to avoid morning hangovers, as I cannot afford to spend the day wallowing in pain. Above all, drinking nights are best spent on Friday and Saturday nights, when the weekends are designated for relief from duties that would otherwise be neglected.
For all my grievances and in spite of the fact I have cited different sources to put them into context, I cannot claim to cite concrete scientific proof especially as I am not a medical student and certainly no doctor. It is particularly difficult while deprived of such scholarly or technical expertise to properly comprehend the real consequences given how inconsistent the myriad of such articles found through the likes of the internet and libraries usually are. Such inconsistencies owning to the experiences of the author after all attest to the endless possibilities involved in the constant testing and hypothesising of theories that constitutes the discipline of science. But I can confidently express that it is perhaps in the face of such uncertainty that it would be prudent to stay safe rather than sorry.
It is important for me to work hard and persevere in my endeavors, and I will not be able to do so should I choose to forgo the cautions that I'm confronted with. I'm all too aware of the results of irresponsible alcohol handling that have manifested time and time again throughout history, and do not desire to succumb to the same vices.
How The Physical Effects Of Alcohol Get Worse
So, like most people you probably enjoy drinking alcohol from time to time. It's a good way for you to make yourself enjoy the night more, right? Well, this isn't actually true. There are so many negative effects of alcohol to us humans, and if you knew about them all, you'd probably think twice before going to your local bar for a few drinks. I'm going to mention some of the physical effects of drinking too much alcohol, but you should always remember that there are many other negative effects like how it impacts on the persons family, friends and even their job. As you probably know already, the more alcohol that is consumed, the more negative effects you will get from it, so here's how it all starts and how it gradually worsens :
- Behavior - It usually only takes in or around ten minutes before we can notice a behavioral change in a person from consuming alcohol. It may be something small at the start that you notice, but towards the end of the night it will be more noticeable. There's a few things that people do when their behavior changes such as saying things that they wouldn't usually say, taking drugs that they would never go near and so on.
- Muscle Control - The next effect of alcohol after behavior changes is the change in a persons muscle control. This basically means that the person consuming the alcohol suddenly isn't able to do basic things such as walk straight, talk normally etc. As with other effects, the more alcohol the person drinks, the more the person loses their own muscle control.
- Memory Loss - You often hear about people making jokes about how they simply can't remember certain things that happened the previous night. Although some people may find this funny, in reality, it's really not. This is a sign that there was so much alcohol in that persons blood that it resulted in them not being able to remember events that happened.
- Coma - So, you may have thought that the negative effects of alcohol in relation to memory loss was funny the following day? Well, count yourself lucky that you didn't reach the final step, a coma. This really isn't something you should put yourself at risk to, as many people die each year from being in a coma. In the previous physical effects of alcohol, none were really bad enough to potentially kill you, but in this case the odds aren't in your favor.
So, next time you are drinking alcohol, remember that you can enjoy it without putting your own life at risk. After reading about these negative effects of alcohol, hopefully it'll stop you from drinking so much on your next night out.
Negative Effects Of Alcohol On Your Brain
There are many diverse effects of alcohol, many of which are negative effects of alcohol. The brain is very important to humans, it controls nearly everything that we do - speech, walking, talking etc. People constantly talk about the negative effects of alcohol on the liver, but isn't the brain just as important, or even more important? Everyone has different opinions on that but personally I believe that it's more important. Nobody can argue that alcohol can change the way a person acts, most of us know that by now. So what does alcohol do to your brain?
Each and every one of us have billions of nerve cells which are scientifically called neurons. All of these nerve cells communicate with each other when you want to do something such as moving your arm. When you drink alcohol, it actually changes how these neurons normally behave and as a result it changes the way you feel such as feeling dizzy. The front of your brain known as the frontal lobe allows you to make decisions about situations that you are in, however after drinking a certain amount of alcohol(which varies person to person) it severely affects what you think is right or wrong.
There are also other parts of the brain that are altered after consuming alcohol. The temporal lobe is the part of the brain which controls emotions such as happiness and sadness. This is the reason why some people suddenly become more happy after a few drinks or even more sad or angry. Every person reacts in a different way and this is why it's important to understand that alcohol isn't a good idea for some people.
Believe it or not, our brains continue developing for a long time, usually until we reach our mid twenties. It's common to expect our brain to stop developing when we reach the age of eighteen but this is a misconception. Because of our brain developing for such a long period of time, drinking alcohol can lead to long term effects of the person. This is why it's so essential to tell your children of the negative effects of alcohol can have on their life, not just in the short term but also in the long term. While you may think the only problem of drinking alcohol is a not so nice hangover the following day, in the long term it can have significant effects on your body such as memory loss.
The problem with alcohol is that to the person drinking it, they don't notice any negative effects on them. It may take them several years to actually realize what this drug is doing to them. Sadly, by the time that the person finds out what alcohol is doing to them, it can often be at a stage where it's too late to recover from the previous years of drinking.
Negative Effects Of Alcohol On Your Body
Excessive consumption of alcohol will have a negative effect on the person who is drinking it. Both mentally and physically there can be detrimental effects that build up over time and slowly destroy a person’s health and personal life. There are so many negative effects of alcohol that it's really not worth the effort of drinking as well as all the money that it costs in the long run.
Take a look at some of the different aspects that can be affected:
- The Liver:
Chronic heavy drinking will cause both inflammation of liver cells leading to their destruction, as well as long term cirrhosis of the liver. This irreversible scarring prevents the liver from functioning as it should and will eventually lead to jaundice, accumulation of liver fat and can lead to illness and death as a direct result of the effects of alcohol.
- Lungs & Heart:
Excessive alcohol consumption will lead to difficulty breathing and will also decrease the resistance to potential infection. The heart will suffer from increased blood pressure, cardiomyopathy (weakened muscles in the heart), and irregular heartbeats. The heart is the most important part of the body so it's really not smart to damage it whatever age you are, it doesn't make a difference if you are young or old.
- The Rest of the Body:
All of your body will be effected in a negative way should you continue to drink heavily. Your stomach muscles and lining will be more susceptible to infection, ulcers and prevent all the different organs from performing their duties effectively. Muscles and bones will also weaken over time.
- Mental Effects:
Alcohol is a depressant and causes a heavy drinker to become drowsy for much of the time. They will also become seriously impaired over a long period of time. In the short term drinkers will experience mild euphoria, a loss of inhibition and a dulling of the senses. Over time you can become depresses, dependant on alcohol and lose your motor skills as the damage takes hold.
Heavy alcohol consumption over a long period of time will have a detrimental effect on the user as there are so many negative effects of alcohol including some of the main ones outlined above, but there are also hundreds more. Of course it is possible to enjoy alcohol in a managed way by drinking sensibly and within your limits at all time. Just be wary that excessive drinking over time will destroy both your body and mind.