Health experts have long been advising people to steer clear from drinking alcohol because moderate to heavy drinking over time can negatively affect the body. You’ve probably heard of the main health concerns, like cirrhosis of the liver or elevated blood pressure, but there are plenty of other health issues associated with drinking. In fact, some researchers state that over 60 diseases are linked to the consumption of alcohol.
What Damage Can Alcohol Cause to the Brain?
Long-term or chronic use of alcohol affects the brain in various ways, including:
- Damaging neurons in the brain
- Changes the brain’s neural pathways
- Limit the brain’s executive functions, like problem solving, planning, and executing.
- Increases the chances of developing neurological diseases or disorders, like epilepsy, dementia, stroke, brain cancer, and seizures.
Reversing the Damages of Alcohol in the Brain
Fortunately, researchers indicate that when a person stops drinking alcohol, the brain can at least partially repair itself. Over the course of months to years, the brain can heal some of the damaged structural areas, as evidence by brain scans in former alcoholics. Researchers state that the first six to twelve months after a person stops drinking is when the most positive change occurs in the brain. Within five to seven years, experts say the brain can potentially return to a healthy state.
Of course, changes to the brain will also depend on other factors, like whether or not the person is a smoker, what type of diet they have, genetic factors, exercise, and so on.
Alcohol and Hypertension
Researchers state that chronic drinkers are likely to experience various cardiovascular problems, including hypertension or high blood pressure. According to The American Heart Association (AHA), no amount of alcohol is beneficial to the heart. So many people have heard reports that a little bit of alcohol does the heart good, but the AHA does not support this theory. They certainly link alcohol and hypertension. They advise people with cardiovascular issues to use healthier methods to improve their health, like exercise and eating a healthier diet than drinking.
Other Cardiovascular Issues Due to Alcohol Dependence
Heavy drinking certainly can cause someone’s blood pressure to increase, as alcohol and hypertension are linked. As such, the elevated blood pressure can cause other issues. In addition, other cardiovascular issues can arise, including:
- Cardiomyopathy. Heavy drinking over time can cause the heart to become weak, and that can result in the heart not pumping blood as effective as it could. This results in people feeling overly tired, experience shortness of breath, swollen feet and legs, and irregular heartbeat.
- Arrhythmia. Heavy drinkers can experience arrhythmia, which is an irregular heartbeat.
- Increased risk of heart attack. Heavy drinkers have a higher risk of experiencing a heart attack. Those that smoke increase their risk even more.
Reversing the Damages of Alcohol on the Cardiovascular System
Health experts state that chronic drinkers who stop drinking alcohol can improve their cardiovascular health. Within the first year of sobriety, blood pressure can come down some, the risk of a heart attack decreases some, an arrhythmia may disappear, and the heart can become stronger. Still, experts state that depending on other factors, such as how long a person abused alcohol and other dietary factors, some heart issues may remain.
Health experts state that the first year of sobriety offers the most positive results, reversing the brunt of damage to the heart. After that, the healing progress does slow down. Typically, doctors recommend people change their eating habits, begin exercising regularly, learn stress management skills, etc. in order to experience a solid recovery.
Alcohol and the Liver
Health experts state that the liver is the organ known for getting rid of toxins and waste from the body. Scientists have long-known that chronic use of alcohol affects the liver in a negative way because the liver has to work so hard to metabolize alcohol. One drink may not be such an issue, but heavy drinkers put a huge burden on their livers, overworking it so that it cannot do its job effectively.
In addition, when the liver is strung out from over-working due to alcohol consumption, liver damage occurs. The liver will go from a healthy organ to one gaining more and more fatty deposits and scar tissue. When a liver gets to the point where it’s full of scar tissue, it’s not going to be able to work as it should, and that puts a person in grave danger.
This is when cirrhosis of the liver enters the stage. This is the point where the liver cannot operate as it should because there’s so much scar tissue. Eventually, cirrhosis can lead to death.
Reversing the Damage of Alcohol to the Liver
Researchers indicate that heavy drinkers who stop drinking do have the chance at reversing some or all of the damage to their liver. Those that stop drinking early have a better chance at reversing the damage. At the same time, those that have cirrhosis of the liver may not be able to reverse the condition, so early abstinence is recommended. In other words, don’t put off stopping drinking for the future. Start abstaining now.
Alcohol and Mental Health
Oftentimes, someone who abuses alcohol has an underlying emotional or mental health issue. It could be depression, bi-polar, PTSD, anxiety, or another disorder. Add drinking to the mix and the individual can experience even more issues.
It’s not always clear if it’s the mental health issue causing someone to drink perhaps in an attempt to cope, or if it’s the alcohol causing the mental health issue. There does seem to be a correlation between drinking and mental health either way.
Reversing the Damage of Alcohol on Mental Health
Quitting drinking can certainly help someone who is struggling with a mental health problem. The American Psychology Association encourages addiction specialists to treat both the alcoholism and the mental health issues at the same time (dual diagnosis). By stopping drinking, a person can gain some mental clarity and better address emotional issues going on. Can they fully recover from mental health issues? The possibility is there with continued abstinence and quality treatment over time.
Summing it Up
Can you reverse the damage of alcoholism? Are heavy drinkers who quit drinking able to heal mental or physical issues? In many cases, recovering alcoholics have been able to reverse some or all of the damage that alcohol has caused them. Certainly, there are several factors involved, and each person may have a different experience.
Still, the evidence is clear that giving up alcohol is beneficial for the mind and the body. When you couple that with a better diet, regular exercise, and perhaps some professional counseling, the amount of healing can further increase.
What if I Can’t Stop Drinking?
If you’ve tried quitting drinking before, yet you’ve not been successful, it may be time to reach out for help. There are substance use disorder professional and alcohol rehabs that are equipped to help you stop drinking once and for all. Getting on the recovery path is essential for better health all the way around. Just think about how your mental and physical health will get better once you stop putting alcohol in your body.
Tips for Quitting Drinking
There is a great life available for you on the other side of alcohol addiction just waiting for you to take the necessary steps to get there.
Here are several tips that you can use so that you can beat your alcohol addiction:
- Get treatment. It is best that you start by going to a detox center before you go to rehab, as sometimes the withdrawal symptoms can be pretty severe. It is best to be under 24-hour care so that you will be monitored and have a feeling of safety as well. Get yourself to an alcohol rehab after that so that you can receive professional help for your addiction. Whether you go to an inpatient or outpatient rehab, you’ll get the kind of service that you need to stop drinking and get on the road to recovery.
- Take care of your whole self. Just putting down the drink isn’t enough to take care of your whole self. Keep in mind that you are comprised of a mind, body, and spirit and when you take care of all these aspects of yourself, you’re more apt to beat your alcohol addiction. You can treat your whole self by getting counseling, exercising and eating right, taking up prayer and/or meditation, and surround yourself with a solid support system.
- Adhere to an individualized treatment plan. During rehab, you and your counselor will create a treatment plan. Be sure that your plan fits you, as each plan should be individually created to allow you to work toward your success. Once your treatment plan is created, be sure to follow through with the plan so that you have a better chance at staying clean.
- Attend a 12 Step group. Many recovering alcoholics that attend Alcoholics Anonymous report that the support group helps them to stay clean and grow personally and spiritually. By working the 12 steps and being surrounded by other recovering alcoholics, you are more apt to beat your addiction to alcohol.
- Educate yourself. If you put some time into learning about the disease of alcohol addiction, you’ll understand it better and be more apt to stay clean. Some alcohol rehabs have educational classes and if so, take advantage of those. The more you learn about the cunning disease, the better off you will be in your recovery.
- Commit to weekly therapy. Once you are out of rehab, commit to weekly counseling so that you can continue to work on your recovery. Some underlying issues can take quite a while to get through therapy, such as anger, resentment, and old childhood wounds. There’s no rush to get through therapy, so go as long as necessary.
Take these tips into consideration while you take a stand against alcohol addiction. You can beat it and live a life free from the trap of addiction.
