Excessive use of Alcohol in today’s world
By Aliyu Khalifa Adamu
Alcohol is the most widely used social drug in the world today. It is a depressant drug that slows down the messages travelling between the brain and body.
The health effects of alcohol consumption can vary depending on your age, size, weight, current health and other risk factors. Binge drinking is a problem among younger age groups, but anyone who drinks heavily on a frequent basis, or drinks too much in one session is at risk of both immediate and long-term alcohol-related harm. The risk of injury and disease increases the more you drink.
Different types of alcoholic drinks contain different amounts of pure alcohol. If you’re somebody who chooses to drink alcohol, this can make it tricky to keep track of how much you’re actually drinking.
In fact, one serving is usually more than one ‘standard drink’.
A standard drink contains 10g of alcohol. However, the size of a standard drink can vary according to the type of alcohol. It can also vary between brands or labels.
Alcohol gets into the bloodstream through the stomach and small intestine. If you have food in your stomach, it will slow down the rate the alcohol is absorbed, but it will not stop you from becoming drunk. Eventually, all the alcohol you have had will reach your bloodstream.
Most of the alcohol in the body (about 91%) is broken down by the liver. A small amount also leaves the body in urine, sweat and the breath.
Since the liver can only break down about 1 standard drink an hour, sobering up takes time. Cold showers, exercise, black coffee, fresh air or vomiting will not speed up the process.
in many ways. Some effects are immediate and last only a while; others accumulate over time and may significantly affect your physical and mental health and quality of life.
How much harm alcohol causes your body depends on how much you drink, your pattern of drinking, and even the quality of the alcohol you drink. Your body size and composition, age, drinking experience, genetics, nutritional status, metabolism, and social factors all play a part as well.
Historically, it has been believed that consuming on average more than two standard drinks a day is what can cause many long-term health problems and other harms. Nowadays, current research states that any level of alcohol consumption can pose an increased risk of chronic disease development.
Aliyu Khalifa Adamu, is a student of Mass Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria
Kudos 👍👍 good write up