Having the occasional drink or two after work might seem normal to you. However, depending on how stressful your day was, you may feel the temptation to drink a few more. Eventually, you might find yourself having three to four drinks each night. Unfortunately, if you continue at this rate you’ll begin suffering the long term effects of alcohol abuse. You might not think you have a problem, but regardless, drinking begins causing physical and psychological deterioration. Taking the time to familiarize yourself with these effects will help you decide that ending alcohol abuse is crucial to your overall wellness.

 

Weakened Immune System

Chronic, excessive drinking lowers your body’s ability to fend off disease, viruses, and infections you’d otherwise be unaffected by. For example, many long term alcohol users appear to be constantly sick with a cold or pneumonia. Infectious diseases, specifically, are most likely to develop from long term alcohol consumption. Additionally, people who drink heavily often experience organ damage, such as liver disease, because the immune system begins destroying its own tissues.

 

Liver Disease

The liver is the organ responsible for filtering your blood which keeps harmful toxins from circulating throughout your system. As alcohol addiction progresses, there’s a lot of strain and stress on this vital organ. Consequently, diseases develop which severely affect the liver’s functionality. For example, these include fatty liver, cirrhosis, and alcoholic hepatitis. Eventually, you could develop cancer or need an organ transplant. Thus, it’s extremely important to end alcohol use as soon as possible.

 

Brain Development Deterioration

Not only does heavy alcohol use cause physical damage, the psychological complications can be just as devastating. These are especially severe if you begin drinking at a young age. The long term effects of alcohol on the brain include shrinkage, alcohol dementia, and cognitive chemistry distortion. Without treatment, you could end up struggling with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders.

 

Cardiovascular Disease

Overall, alcohol affects your blood pressure. Therefore, chronic drinking often leads to high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. These can be potentially fatal. However, if you work hard to end your problematic, addictive behavior, you could prevent these serious health risks from occurring.

 

Alcohol-Related Death

Alcohol use causes lowered inhibitions, impaired coordination, and poor judgment. Unfortunately, many alcohol-related deaths happen when an individual decides to drive while intoxicated, suffers a fatal fall from a significant height, or decides to do something dangerous they wouldn’t otherwise do while sober. Not to mention, when drunkenly operating a motor vehicle, you’re putting other people’s lives in danger which contributes to the alcohol-related death toll. Be safe. Be smart. Choose addiction treatment.

 

Overcoming the Long Term Effects of Alcohol with Steps to Recovery

If you feel concern after familiarizing yourself with these long term effects of drinking, you need alcohol rehab immediately. Fortunately, the addiction experts at Steps to Recovery in Levittown, Pennsylvania understand alcoholism and work diligently to prevent the devastating, life-threatening risks of excessive drinking. With our nurturing staff’s help, you’ll regain lasting sobriety and begin working toward better health. Our comprehensive programs and treatment methodology include:

If you’re looking for rehab in PA, your search ends here. Your alcohol addiction will devastate your health. Become a better, happier, healthier sober you by calling 267.719.8528 today.