One of the saddest consequences of excessive drinking is that it kills about 88,000 people per year in the United States. In 2006 alone, there were over one million visits to the emergency rooms due to alcohol related accidents and health issues. Excessive alcohol consumption is a lifestyle behavior that contributes to more deaths than other lifestyle behaviors.
Excessive alcohol use leads to a veracity of illnesses and personal injuries. Health problems include liver damage. Common ailments are cirrhosis and hepatitis. Cirrhosis is one of the top 15 causes of death in the US. Excessive alcohol use can lead to a various cardiovascular diseases such as cardiomyopathy and arterial fibrillation. Excessive drinking can also worsen any pre-existing heart and liver conditions. Heavy drinkers also have an increased risk of cancers of the mouth, esophagus and colon.
Alcohol poisoning is another health risk. It causes respiratory problems, unconscious or coma. In extreme cases, death occurs from excessive levels of alcohol in the body. Long-term drinking can lead to neurological deficiencies and psychological conditions such as anxiety and depression. With some people, the emotional problems lead to suicide attempts.
When a person drinks too much, his judgment is impaired and this may lead to reckless behaviors or activities that cause injuries or even death. Many injuries involve falls. One of the worst behaviors with excessive drinking is driving a car while intoxicated. This action results in more traffic accidents that cause harm to the driver, passengers, pedestrians or other drivers. Accidents while on the water also occur more frequently when people are drinking. Many accidents with firearms also happen when people are drinking in excess.
Drinking too much also has a profound effect on the family. Family violence is more likely if a person has had too much to drink. In many cases, the children are more likely to be physically or emotionally abused although domestic partners are also abused. With some heavy drinkers, child neglect is the result.
Drinking in excess has an impact at many levels. Reducing alcohol consumption is the best way to reduce its toll on the family and society.
