Alcohol Information


alcohol

Alcohol is the most readily available and also the most widely abused drug in the United States. Approximately 50 percentof the populattion 12 and currently drink alcohol, which is over 120 million Americans. Nearly half of current drinkers are also binge drinkers (55 million) and more than 16 million are heavy drinkers.

Looking for help for alcohol addiction? Fill out the form on this page or call 1-877-421-9659 to speak with a counselor that can help.

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Although alcohol is a legal drug and is heavily marketed in the media, it is still very damaging to our society when things such as domestic violence, promiscuous sex leading to teenage pregnancy and the spread of disease, lost workplace productivity and alcohol-related traffic fatalites are taken into account. Scientists and nonscientists alike have long recognized a two-way association between alcohol consumption and violent or aggressive behavior. Not only may alcohol consumption promote aggressiveness, but victimization may lead to excessive alcohol consumption. Violence may be defined as behavior that intentionally inflicts, or attempts to inflict, physical harm. Violence falls within the broader category of aggression, which also includes actions that are threatening, hostile, or damaging in a nonphysical way.

In addition to these problems, alcohol abuse can lead to severe liver damage. Normal liver function is essential to life. Alcohol-induced liver damage disrupts the body's metabolism, eventually impairing the function of other organs. Multiple physiological mechanisms can interact to influence the progression of alcohol-induced liver disease (ALD).

Most of the alcohol a person drinks is eventually broken down by the liver. However, some products generated during alcohol metabolism (e.g., acetaldehyde) are more toxic than alcohol itself. In addition, a group of metabolic products called free radicals can damage liver cells and promote inflammation, impairing vital functions such as energy production. The body's natural defenses against free radicals (e.g., antioxidants) can be inhibited by alcohol consumption, leading to increased liver damage.

Inflammation is the body's response to local tissue damage or infection. Inflammation prevents the spread of injury and mobilizes the defense mechanisms of the immune system. One such defense mechanism is the generation of free radicals that can destroy disease-causing microorganisms. Long-term alcohol consumption prolongs the inflammatory process, leading to excessive production of free radicals, which can destroy healthy liver tissue. Bacteria that live in the human intestine play a key role in the initiation of ALD. Alcohol consumption increases the passage of a noxious bacterial product called endotoxin through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. Upon reaching the liver, endotoxin activates specialized cells (i.e., Kupffer cells) that monitor the blood for signs of infection. These cells respond to the presence of endotoxin by releasing substances called cytokines that regulate the inflammatory process.

Abstinence is the cornerstone of ALD therapy. With abstinence, fatty liver and alcoholic hepatitis are frequently reversible, and survival is improved among patients with ALD, including those with cirrhosis.



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