Alcohol

A socially accepted drug

By:
Fatima Asim, Fariha Sultan, Sanila Shaikh,
Duaa Fatima Ghori.
 Alcohol
• Alcohol is a legal sedative drug which changes the way
we feel . Pure alcohol is colorless, odorless and
inflammable fluid. Also, alcohol as a drug contains NO
nutrients for the body.
Short term Effects of using Alcohol:
Alcohol is known to be a powerful depressant, it dulls the brain and gives the
sensation of well being . With intake of alcohol, there is a fall off in performance in
energy requiring skills, it also takes away persons inhibition and the person may take
personal and social liberties as their own which they might regret when effect of
Alcohol worn off. Alcohol consumption also dilates the blood vessels near the surface
of skin giving the sensation of warmth. Additionally, high concentration of alcohol in
blood stream may lead to intoxication i.e. slurred speech, blurred vision and poor
muscular coordination plus, the consumers reaction time may slow down which
impairs his judgement. For example, drivers are unable to apply brake on time when
alcohol consumed and accident may occur.
 Long term effects of using Alcohol:

• With few days alcohol increases tolerance level and a person needs more and more of a
drug to achieve the same effect thus, they depend on it. Withdrawal of this drug causes
nausea, vomiting, stomach upset and anxiety as symptoms. With the excessive use the
brain becomes anaesthetized and unconsciousness occur. It also causes gastric ulcer
which is why production of HCl increases .
• Additionally, alcohol dependence may also cause cirrhosis of liver and replace muscular
tissues with fibrous tissues. It may also paralyze the medulla oblongata due to which
breathing stops and death may occur.
• The consumer might also neglect their family and friends and may also exhibit violent
behavior towards their family.
• Moreover, the consumer may turn to crime in order to obtain money for his drug
purchase.
Effects of Alcohol on circulatory system:
• Large amounts of alcohol can affect how the heart works. If the heart isn’t
pumping blood throughout the body effectively, other organs may suffer from
lack of oxygen or nutrients. If the person drinking has clogged blood vessels, the
heart has to work even harder.

• Have you ever noticed a person with red eyes and red, blotchy skin? These can be
signs of cell damage, caused when small blood vessels plug up, starving the
tissues of oxygen. Blood vessels also can break in the stomach and esophagus,
leading to bleeding and even death.
 Effect of Alcohol on Digestive system:
* Alcohol increases the risk that people will develop mouth cancer – it is the second most common cause of
this condition after tobacco smoking. It also causes some people to develop gum disease.
* Heartburn is frequently caused by excessive alcohol intake. It does this by relaxing the sphincter that is
there to control the acidic contents of the stomach from passing into the esophagus. If this fluid makes it past
the sphincter it can be highly irritating to the esophagus, and this is what causes heartburn.
* Alcohol abuse can damage the lining of the stomach. This can lead to problems including inflammation of
the stomach – gastritis
• * Alcohol abuse can increase the risk of people developing small intestine cancers.
• * It can cause malabsorbtion so that the individual is not absorbing all the nutrients from food they need.
• * It may cause leaky gut syndrome where unwanted toxins are able to leak through the intestine into the
rest of the body. These toxins then cause problems and lead to ill-health.
• * It can exacerbate irritable bowel syndrome
• * Alcohol can cause both diarrhea and constipation
• * Excessive alcohol intake can lead to an inflammation of the pancreas. This is known as pancreatitis and it
can lead to life-threatening complications. It can also interfere with the ability of the digestive system to
function effectively..
 Effect of Alcohol on
Pregnancy:

A woman who drinks alcohol while she is pregnant may harm her developing baby (fetus). Alcohol can pass from the mother's blood into
the baby's blood. It can damage and affect the growth of the baby's cells. Brain and spinal cord cells are most likely to have damage.
The term fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) describes the range of alcohol effects on a child. The problems range from mild to
severe. Alcohol can cause a child to have physical or mental problems that may last all of his or her life.
The effects of alcohol can include:
Distinctive facial features. A child may have a small head, flat face, and narrow eye openings, for instance. This gets more obvious by age
2 or 3 years.
Growth problems. Children who were exposed to alcohol before they were born may be smaller than other children of the same age.
Learning and behavior problems.
Birth defects.
Problems bonding or feeding as a newborn.
Heavy alcohol use during pregnancy can also lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, or a baby being born early.