Effects of Alcohol on My Brother

¶ … Alcohol

Although it is not illegal, unless one is under age of course, alcohol is, nevertheless, a drug that effects all parts of the body. Moreover, alcohol can have devastating effects on the lives of those involved. Therefore, alcohol effects both one's personal body and one's personal relationships.

There is hardly an area of the one's body or area of one's personal life that alcohol, particularly alcohol abuse does not effect. Not only can it have irreversible consequences on the body, but because it causes impaired judgement, alcohol destroys personal relationships as well.

Alcohol directly affects the brain cells, causing slurred speech, staggering, blurred vision and difficulty in forming and expressing thoughts (Effects pp). It can cause irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, and can poison the liver (Effects pp). Alcohol can irritate the digestive system, cause vomiting, and ulcers (Effects pp). It can stop the kidneys from maintaining a proper balance of body fluids and minerals, and can widen blood vessels causing headaches and loss of body heat (Effects pp). Moreover, alcohol can reduce the body's ability to produce blood cells resulting in anemia and/or infections, and can cause muscle weakness, including the heart muscle (Effects pp).

Although one may begin to drink alcohol due to peer pressure, this often leads to consumption to relieve stress. Gradually he tends to become more and more dependent on alcohol believing that it is the cure-all for all problems (Alcoholism pp). During these early stages, problem drinkers begin to make excuses for their drinking behavior, and involved in accidents and prone to unintentional injuries (Alcoholism pp). Moreover, alcohol consumption also contributes to many violent crimes (Alcoholism pp). During the middle stages of dependence, the drinker cannot stop after one drink and may refuse to acknowledge any drinking problem, yet show signs such as absence from work or school and strained family, social and business relationships (Alcoholism pp). During the late stage of alcoholism, the drinker rapidly deteriorates mentally, physically, and emotionally (Alcoholism pp). His life revolves around alcohol and he experiences reverse tolerance to it (Alcoholism pp). In this stage, drinkers often become isolated from society, and alcoholism, malnutrition, liver, brain damage, cancer, lung disease, and heart disease are common (Alcoholism pp). Moreover, when the drinker is denied alcohol, he suffers severe withdrawal symptoms such as uncontrollable shaking, nightmares, seizures, insomnia, fear of animals or people and sometimes death (Alcoholism pp).