Health Risks of Alcohol: Excessive Consumption Can Be Bad for You

Many of us drink alcohol on occasion. This is fine. It is our right to celebrate the milestones of life and drinking alcohol is just like adding sprinkles to a cake—it gives more life for just a night. Drinking alcohol moderately is not a problem, but careful not to let the celebrations get to you and let drinking alcohol spill over into an addiction.

Alcohol addiction is a lot more common than we expect, but people often omit it out of the discussion for a preference over the discussion on drugs. Alcohol can be just as dangerous as drugs.

Teen Drug Addiction, a provider of Teen Rehabilitation in Los Angeles, California, gives you this list of medical conditions and illnesses that are closely linked to excessive alcohol consumption:

• Anemia
  Anemia is characterized by fatigue, shortness of breath, and lightheadedness. It is caused by a decrease in the oxygen-carrying red blood cells in the body.
• Cancer
  There is believed to be an increased risk of cancer in heavy drinking because the body converts alcohol into acetaldehyde, which is a potent carcinogen.
• Cardiovascular disease
  Heavy drinking may end up creating blood clots, thus leading to a heart attack or even a stroke. It can also cause a weakening in the heart muscle called cardiomyopathy.
• Cirrhosis
  Excessive alcohol consumption damages the liver severely and may end up leading to cirrhosis, which can be sometimes fatal as it is characterized by a scarring of the liver to the point of dysfunction.
• Dementia
  Heavy drinking has been found to hasten memory loss, as it can shrink key regions of the brain.
• Seizures
  Heavy drinking has been found to cause epilepsy. If you are taking anticonvulsant medication, it may also react negatively with the drinking.
• High blood pressure
  The disruption of the nervous system, causing changes in the constriction and dilation of blood, can lead to high blood pressure as caused by excessive alcohol consumption.
• Pancreatitis and gastritis
  Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to great disruptions in the digestive process, which can lead to pancreatitis and gastritis.

While it is enjoyable to drink alcohol, too much can never be any good. With Teen Drug Addiction, a Teen Treatment Center in Los Angeles, we aim to help teenagers struggling with alcohol addiction to let go of this bad habit at the earliest possible age so that, in the future, they may be able to live their lives in the highest and best quality possible.