The 5 Dangers of Alcohol Abuse

In fact there are far more than 5 dangers of alcohol abuse; if somebody continues to abuse alcohol for a long time it can lead to destroying not only their life, mind, and body, but also the lives of those around them. For the sake of simplicity though, here are just 5 dangers of alcohol abuse.

1. The biggest danger of alcohol excess is addiction. Some people do abuse alcohol for a short time in their life, but grow out of it without too many problems. Too many people continue to abuse alcohol for longer periods and end up developing an alcohol addiction. When somebody is addicted to alcohol it means that their body cannot function normally without the chemical in their system. The human body adapts to alcohol excess to such an extent that when we stop it causes withdrawals. Drink becomes the main focus in the addict's life and it will lead to death if the person doesn't stop.

2. Alcohol abuse can cause a lot of damage to the body. You do not have to be a homeless drunk to end up causing a lot of physical and mental damage. There are many cases of people who have only begun their drinking career destroying their health within months. It is claimed that if you are drinking more than 30 units of alcohol a week (less for women) you are doing damage to your health. Alcoholic liver disease is a terrible way to die and so are the many other ways that alcohol can lead to death. Alcohol excess can also lead to many mental health problems such as depression, and even trigger schizophrenia.

3. Alcohol abuse means that people miss out on some of the great pleasure in life. It is usual for heavy drinkers to claim that without alcohol life would be boring, but the opposite is the reality. When you abuse alcohol it is likely that you will choose activities based on the availability of alcohol; this will become more obvious as people move nearer to addiction. People who regular abuse alcohol often miss out on fun with the family and all the other activities that that don't involve drinking.

4. Alcohol abuse can lead to loss of friends and it can cause pain for family members. Few children enjoy seeing their parents drunk, and heavy drinkers tend to move away from their non-drinking friends.

5. Alcohol abuse is responsible for a lot of crime and misfortune. This covers a whole range of possibilities from drunk driving to physical and mental abuse. Those who drink heavily are not usually easy to live with and they frequently cause problems for themselves or others.

The above are just 5 dangers of alcohol abuse; there are many more. I don't mean to sound moralistic, but I spent almost two decades as a drunk and know how bad things can get. I have no problem with people drinking, and some seem to be able to function quite well even as heavy drinkers. There are dangers involved though, and people should be aware of them.