Great economic and emotional losses due to alcohol

• May 1, 2024

For Dr. Rafael Velasco Fernández, President of the Center for Studies on Alcohol and Alcoholism and a member of the Mexican Culture Seminar, the alcoholic is a person unable to control their drinking, regardless of whether this harms their health, their employment, your mind and even your family.

At the beginning, the alcoholic can appear to have a high tolerance to alcohol, consuming large amounts, showing less harmful effects than the normal population. However, it begins to take on increasing importance in personal relationships, work, reputation and even physical health. The patient loses control over alcohol and is unable to prevent it or moderate its consumption.

The physical dependence of alcohol

Physical dependence manifests when alcohol consumption is interrupted, causing very clear symptoms of withdrawal accompanied by the diseases associated with their intake.

The direct effects of alcohol on the nervous system are: depression, anxiety, tension and inhibitions. If you get to consume in excessive amounts, alcohol can cause severe poisoning and even poisoning.

Irritation of the gastrointestinal tract may also appear with erosions in the walls of the stomach due to nausea and vomiting.

It is common that there are nutritional deficiencies in alcoholics of long evolution, because the vitamins are not assimilated by the body. Not to mention the problems in the liver (liver cirrhosis) and those of the cardiovascular system that is affected by heart disease.

It can also appear a sexual alteration causing dysfunction in the erection of the penis in men and a disappearance of menstruation in women.

The consumption of alcohol during pregnancy can cause problems in the development of the fetus, producing the so-called fetal alcohol syndrome.

The psychological and social dependence

Psychological factors include: the need for comfort for anxiety, conflicts in personal relationships, low personal esteem, depression, etc.

Social factors: ease of alcohol consumption, social acceptance of alcohol consumption, stress lifestyles, peer pressure, etc.