Brain And Central Nervous System Alcohol example essay topic

Alcoholism is a chronic illness characterized by the habitual consumption of alcohol. Some alcoholics drink daily. Others drink less often, but the drinking becomes out of control. Alcohol use is to the degree that it interferes with physical or mental health or with normal social or work behavior. Alcoholics who do not quit drinking decrease life expectancy by 10 to 15 years. Alcohol produces both physical and psychological addiction.

It is a central nervous system depressant that reduces anxiety, inhibition, and feelings of guilt. It lowers alertness and impairs perception, judgment, and motor coordination. In high doses, it can cause loss of consciousness and even death. Chronic alcoholism damages the brain, liver, heart. Alcohol also can impair vision, impair sexual function, slow circulation, cause malnutrition, cause water retention (resulting in weight gain and bloating), lead to pancreatitis and skin disorders (such as middle-age acne), dilate blood vessels near the skin causing "brandy nose", weaken the bones and muscles, and decrease immunity.

Liver disease The liver is particularly endangered by alcoholism. Alcoholic cirrhosis is the primary cause of cirrhosis in the US. It is estimated to be responsible for 44% of deaths from cirrhosis in North America. Some experts believe this estimate is low; one Canadian study found alcohol to be the major contributor to 80% of all cirrhosis deaths. Alcoholic cirrhosis usually develops after more than a decade of heavy drinking. The amount of alcohol that can injure the liver varies greatly from person to person.

In women, as few as two to three drinks per day have been linked with cirrhosis and in men, as few as three to four drinks per day. Alcohol seems to injure the liver by blocking the normal metabolism of protein, fats, and carbohydrates. The relationship between alcohol and cirrhosis is generally as follows: o Alcohol is absorbed from the small intestine, and the blood carries it directly into the liver, where it becomes the preferred energy source. o In the liver, alcohol converts to toxic chemicals, such as acetaldehyde (AcH), which trigger the production of powerful immune factors called cytokines. These molecules in large amounts can cause inflammation and tissue injury and are proving to be major culprits in the destructive process in the liver. AcH is particularly being researched because it plays a role in most actions of alcohol, including damaging effects on the liver that may lead to cirrhosis. o The injured liver eventually is unable to breakdown fatty acids, compounds that make up fat. Over time, then, fat accumulates, further impairing the liver's ability to absorb oxygen and increasing its susceptibility to injury.

During the initial phase, the fat-laden liver becomes greatly enlarged, but it eventually shrinks as cirrhosis develops. o A diseased liver cannot convert stored glycogen into glucose, thus lowering blood sugar and producing hypoglycemia. o Inefficiently detoxifies the bloodstream and inadequately eliminates drugs, alcohol, and dead red blood cells. o Cannot manufacture bile (for fat digestion), prothrombin (for blood clotting and bruise prevention), and albumin (for maintaining healthy cells). The liver breaks down alcohol in the body, which is the main site of alcohol damage. Liver damage may occur in three irreversible stages. o Fatty Liver. Liver cells are infiltrated with abnormal fatty tissue, enlarging the liver. o Alcoholic Hepatitis. Liver cells swell, become inflamed, and die, causing blockage. (Causes between 10 and 30 percent mortality rate.) o Cirrhosis.

Fibrous scar tissue forms in place of healthy cells, obstructing the flow of blood through the liver. Various functions of the liver deteriorate with often fatal results. (Found in 10 percent of alcoholics.) THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM Large amounts of alcohol may inflame the mouth, esophagus, and stomach, possibly causing cancer in these locations, especially in drinkers who smoke. Alcohol increases the stomach's digestive enzymes, which can irritate the stomach wall, producing heartburn, nausea, gastritis, and ulcers. The stomach of a chronic drinker loses the ability to adequately move food and expel it into the duodenum, leaving some food always in the stomach, causing sluggish digestion and vomiting. Alcohol may also inflame the small and large intestines.

THE BRAIN AND CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM Alcohol profoundly disturbs the structure and function of the central nervous system, disrupting the ability to retrieve and consolidate information. Even moderate alcohol consumption affects cognitive abilities, while larger amounts interfere with the oxygen supply to the brain, a possible cause of blackout or temporary amnesia during drunkenness. Alcohol abuse destroys brain cells, producing brain deterioration and atrophy, and whether the organic brain damage and neuropsychological impairment linked to alcohol can be reversed is unknown. Alcohol also alters the brain's production of RNA (a genetic "messenger"), and serotonin, endorphins, and natural opiates whose function may be linked to the addictive process. A neurological disorder called Wernicke-Korsakoff's syndrome results from vitamin B deficiencies produced by alcoholism and the direct action of alcohol on the brain.

Symptoms of this condition include amnesia, loss of short-term memory, disorientation, hallucinations, emotional disturbances, double vision, and loss of muscle control. Other effects include mental disorders such as increased aggression, antisocial behavior, depression, and anxiety. THE HEART Moderate daily drinking may be good for the heart, but for many the risks outweigh the benefits. Alcohol abusers experience increased risk of high blood pressure, which returns to normal within weeks of abstinence. As a result, heavy drinking is an important contributor to mild to moderate hypertension, which can cause heart attack and heart disease.

Even one binge may produce arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythm) in the individuals showing no other evidence of heart disease-a syndrome known as the "holiday heart". Alcohol may cause cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle) with dilation of all four heart chambers and decreased contractility of heart muscle. Cessation of drinking aids recovery from this condition.