Harry, my lab partner, is an alcoholic. He doesn’t want to admit it but he is an alcoholic. Alcohol is like his daily vitamins or something. He drinks whenever he can… even before going to class! I’m really worried about him and I want to help him overcome his alcoholism. I’m also scared that he might develop other diseases just because of his bad drinking habits. I can’t get through a day in chem without him. Please help me.
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Are you in love with you lab partner? I’m just kidding. Anyway, there are certain diseases which may be developed because of alcoholism. Some of these are Wernicke’s Encephalopathy, Korsakoff’s syndrome, cirrhosis, fetal alcohol syndrome (for babies with drinking mothers), liver diseases and even cancer. Alcoholics have difficulties in coordination, reflexes, concentration, judgment and sleeping. Other effects of alcoholism include distorted vision, memory lapses and blackouts.
I’m sorry to hear about your friend. Alcoholism is a tough monkey to get off your back. Beyond the obvious affects of alcoholism (e.g. social stigma, etc), you can develop some pretty serious illnesses.
1)Cirrhosis of liver, where liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue, can result in poor performance of the liver and ultimately affect things like blood circulation and filtration. The hepatic portal is a many blood vessel network that goes through the liver. If this is hindered in any way, the blood is redirected down vessels that cannot support that amount of blood. This can result in hemorrhoids and varicose veins in the esophagus (if these veins in the throat rupture, you will bleed out very quickly and can die)
2)Esophageal cancer has been linked to alcoholism
3) Hepatitis (or inflammation of the liver)
4) Because alcohol is just distilled sugars, diabetes and diabetes-related diseases can result
5)Heart disease
6) Alcoholic neuropathy which is basically nerve damage from too much alcohol consumption
Honestly, the list can go on. I’ve provided some links below to get you started.
What you are doing for your friend is a wonderful thing. It’s going to rough and painful. He may say and do things that are not in his character. You may get hurt. But just remember that you are there for him. Support him. Let him know that you are there for him and that if he is really serious about stopping, that he can call you whenever. The cravings can come at any time.
Some things that might help. You could give up something that you need (because it is a need for him) as well. Furthermore, set up goals. If he can get to day X without drinking, then you are taking him to the movies or buying dinner.
Anyway, I hope this all helps. Be strong. You can do some good here. I’ve added a link to Alcoholics Anonymous as well. They should have some helpful information.
Whew! Alcohol has tremendous effects on the body and many are serious and even fatal effects if done over a long period of time. Such things as brain damage. If you drink long enough and hard enough there will be a telling aspect on your brain. There is brain cell death with each intake of alcohol, but since we have billions and billions of brain cells the death of some over the long term may eventually affect you but alas it us usually a slow pace. However, there are people who eventually begin to have spontaneous subdural bleeds in their brain. These may not be noticed for years in some drinkers but eventually becomes evident in all drinkers. The Liver is the mext to fall victim to long dinking histories. However I remember a case where the victim was 27 years old and he was dead from his liver failure as much as if the disease had ran over him with a truck. None of us are getting out of this alive, but alcoholics tend to get out sooner then most of us, due to their steady alcohol intake. Again some can be found to be dying earlier then others. So many of the ranks of the alcohol addicted eventually bring in something to eat. They did not pull it from a play book only he had accessess The stomach can become inflamed and even chemially burned with an alcohol intake. So you see we have a variety of healthcare problems that can be attributed to alcohol intake. Some even experience the problem of Cardiomyopathy, where alcohol directly kills heart cells. There are other affects too. Such as when a woman who is pregnant and continues to drink alcohol. when that pregnant women gives birth to a chind who could suffer from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. It effects the child’s looks and even their intellectual funtuioning. Avascular Necrosis has a strong alcohol component. It occurs on some people without much warning, where the ball of one or both hips suddenly looses it vascular feed. (blood supply) the hip ball slowly dies and needs to be replaced. This can happen in other ways as well but again there are not as many who know that it is strongly linked to a lifetime alcohol intake. There may be even more, but my point is that alcohol has a significant affect on the body and is not as benign as many seem to think.
In addition to everything sisyphus, ronald, and arnp4u wrote, don”t forget that alcohol often causes loosening of inhibitions and a susceptibility to engaging in risky behaviors that the person would be less likely to do when sober. This can open you up to anything from the whole range of sexually transmitted diseases to diseases such as AIDS or hepatitis that you could get from taking drugs. Somebody who is prone to addiction could easily also become addicted to other substances as well as alcohol. It is not uncommon for alcohol to exacerbate the effects of other drugs (including legal, prescription drugs) or to have bad interactions. Then there are the unintended consequences of the physiological effects of alcohol consumption – anything from falling asleep or passing out on railroad tracks to walking in front of a bus to all the potential tragedies of getting behind the wheel, or even death from alcohol overdose (overly high blood alcohol). And you want to trust this person’s judgment in a chemistry lab?
no!!! the only thing you get from drinking is a headache and possibly ******* your liver up but that takes many years of heavy drinking. dont worry so much!!