Prescott, AZ – Local substance use disorder treatment facility, Wolf Creek Recovery, recently released a blog covering the side effects of alcoholism (alcohol use disorder).
The article begins by pointing out alcohol’s potential dangers despite its legality and availability. It helps people relieve stress, but while doing so, it impacts the brain. The more someone drinks, the more alcohol changes the brain, the blog shares. This is what makes alcohol use, and alcohol use disorder by extension, difficult to control. Wolf Creek explains that people who use alcohol long-term often have trouble cutting back on alcohol use due in part to withdrawal symptoms. “Furthermore, a person with AUD builds tolerance to alcohol, meaning they need larger quantities to achieve the desired results. This causes people to indulge more, and possibly even combine alcohol with other substances like cannabis or opioids. It’s a dangerous cycle, but one that can be stopped with the appropriate support,” the article says.
The blog then goes into the short-term and long-term side effects of alcohol use. “When you drink alcohol, it passes quickly into your bloodstream instead of being digested. This means that it is able to travel throughout the body, affecting vital organs. How you are affected depends on various factors, such as your age, weight, gender, and metabolism. For instance, alcohol affects women faster than men because they are typically smaller, weigh less, and have less tissue to absorb the alcohol,” Wolf Creek Recovery explains.
It then breaks down the impact of alcohol on parts of the body one by one: when alcohol affects the brain, it might cause blurred vision, slurred speech, and poor coordination. It may also impact mood. Alcohol causes an increase in stomach juices, which can lead to an increased appetite and ulcers long-term. Drinking can impact the hormones responsible for kidney function and can cause dehydration due to its diuretic effect. The liver can also be damaged if it's forced to process more alcohol than it can handle. Alcohol poisoning is also a possibility for anyone engaging in binge drinking.
Wolf Creek Recovery covers the long-term impact of alcohol use next. “Drinking excessively over a long period of time can potentially damage vital organs in your body. It also puts you at risk for dependence and alcohol use disorder, which has symptoms of its own. Alcohol use disorder ranges from mild to severe and involves cravings and urges to drink, withdrawal symptoms, tolerance, and drinking despite negative consequences,” they share. Long-term alcohol use can increase blood pressure and the chance of heart damage. It makes the brain shrink in size, impacting cognitive function. Liver disease is also a concern with chronic drinking, with fatty liver, cirrhosis, or hepatitis all as possibilities. Alcohol can also cause the pancreas to become inflamed, and impaired pancreas function can lead to diabetes. Alcohol use disorder also lowers immune system function, and increases the risk of cancer – breast, liver, esophageal, head and neck, and colorectal especially.
The blog ends by stressing the importance of support, and with a reminder that treatment is available. The article encourages anyone with alcohol use disorder to seek it.
Wolf Creek Recovery is located in Prescott, Arizona, and they treat all substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions. The staff are in recovery themselves, so they know how to meet people in need where they are. This enables them to deliver the best customized care possible, with outdoor adventure therapy and extended, long-term inpatient programs as options. For more on Wolf Creek Recovery, visit their website or contact them via phone at 1-833-732-8202.
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For more information about Wolf Creek Recovery, contact the company here:
Wolf Creek Recovery
Jonathon Ciampa
(833) 732-8202
jciampa@wolfcreekrecovery.com
600 E Gurley St # C Prescott AZ 86301
