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In This Issue » Life & Love » Alcohol: the effects

Alcohol: the effects

A real look at alcohol

Written by: O. Parsons – Posted: Thu Aug 2nd, 2007

Author

ojap001

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Alcohol, you see it everywhere. It's easily available and cheap to buy. Surely, that must mean that it's safe?

I'm going to look at how this innocent looking drink is a poison, a drug and how it causes disease. Alcohol: it's a way to relax and socialize with friends. However; often alcohol is consumed in amounts that are dangerous to the drinker. Alcohol is a substance that has a biphasic effect on the body (it has two stages). The first stage, everyone experiences. Having a drink with your friends and enjoying yourself. Many go home after this. If a person continues to drink, the serious effects take hold. Alcohol is a drug and can easily lead to addiction.

I'm going to look at the serious consequences of excessive drinking, the worst of which being cancer. The World Health Organization has classed alcohol as a 'Group 1' Carcinogen. Their report states that, "There is sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity of alcoholic beverages in humans." Other substances in Group 1 are Arsenic, Asbestos and Gamma Radiation (this shows how serious alcohol can be). Types of cancer that can be caused are; head/neck cancer, breast cancer and liver cancer. Studies are still looking at whether; leukemia, prostate and thyroid cancer are caused by excesssive alcohol intake. Another serious effect of excessive alcohol is liver disease. Alcohol causes large fatty globules to develop in the liver preventing it from functioning properly.

Other serious effects are; impaired brain development for young drinkers and damage to foetus's by excessive drinking of the pregnant mother along with alcoholic myopathy or the breaking down of muscles. The muscles experience lots of pain and swelling. Drinking over long periods can result in severe muscle weakness.

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rmcd

Friend Note

This was an absolutely horrible article. Does anybody even read
these things before they are posted on the site? The author can't
seem to follow any kind of coherent logic through the entire
piece.

As far as the drinking, who cares? Live and let live, people. If
you don't want to do it, fine. Whatever. Go eat cake or do
something else. As for me, I'm gonna go get a drink.

People like kgirl145 need to realize that everyday we wake up we
are one day closer to death. I truly hope you don't spend your
whole entire life telling other people how to live their lives,
because then you'll miss out on your own.

Posted 08/29/07

BSBLuva4ev
a

Friend Note

"too many ppl go "chug chug chug" nad then are puking all nite.
and im just like "why?"--that cant possibly be good for you."

Some people do that..but not all. I go to the bar every weekend,
usually twice..once on Friday and once on Saturday, and I don't
get back until 4-5am. I drink ALOT and I never puke. Sometimes I
have a feeling that I need to for a few minutes, but I never do.

"But realistically, a typical person who drinks isn't gonna have
their life fall apart and die of liver disease. Most people drink
at least somewhat in their lives and they aren't doomed from that
moment. I find this to be a well intentioned article, but except
in the case of truly excessive drinking, I think the negative
things with alcohol are highly over-dramatized."

Exactly. If you want to go out once or twice a week and get
plastered with your friends, there's really nothing wrong with
that as long as you're not driving. I always have a sober person
drive me back to my friend's house that I stay at when I go out to
the bar.

Oh yea, and kgirl145...calm the hell down. You're SERIOUSLY
generalizing everyone. Experienced drinkers know NOT to drive and
they know why they shouldn't..and they don't do it. It's all about
being smart. If you mix a dumb person with alcohol, guess
what..they're going to do dumb things because they are dumb.

" ya know... they are taxing ciggerettes now. its there attempt to
outlaw ciggerettes, jut as they did pot."

You want to hear something ironic? In the city I live in (Fort
Wayne, Indiana) you are not allowed to smoke inside a bar. Here,
you can't even smoke on a hospital's PROPERTY. You can't even be
in the parking lot in your own car.

Tell me the government isn't trying to control everyone.

IMO, it's only a matter of time before they add other things to
the list of things you cannot do.

" “Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction.”"

I've seen alot more people who've had their lives ruined by pot
because they chose to smoke it all day instead of go to work or
school, than I have seen lives ruined by alcohol. Another
generalization.

Then again, pot smokers are probably the only people that are
going to agree with that statement. So whatever.

"I personally think it's another government drug."

If you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you mean by that?

Posted 08/20/07

ashes2ashe
s

Friend Note

ever heard of spell check? anyways... ok article on a good topic.
i myself am a drinker. i like drinking socially with my friends
once a week or even less or more sometimes. Whoever said alcohol
was cheap has obviously not tried to buy good alcohol. Or been to
a bar outside of happy hour.

I am well aware that alcohol is just as bad to my body as many
other substance that I put in me, for instance, fat, salt and
sugar. But alcohol does have it's good qualities.. as long as you
don't abuse it and get yourself wasted every day.

Also I totally agree that you can't lump people who are stupid
enough to drive when they are drunk with every person who drinks.
Many people in my experience drink responsibly and walk home or
call a cab or have a DD or if they are at a friends house just
stay the night there.

that's my 2 sense on the issue

Posted 08/18/07

HappyNoodl
eChic

Friend Note

I'm not saying that it's terrible to have a drink once in a while
or anything, or even just the weekends, but honestly, don't get
too wrapped up. It's destructive.

Posted 08/17/07

HappyNoodl
eChic

Friend Note

“Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction.”

Alcoholism killed my grandmother last night. It demolished my
dad's side of the family.

I personally think it's another government drug.

Posted 08/17/07

Blue_parro
t

Friend Note

First of all, to whoever mentioned taxing alcohol, it's already
done in Canada. Here in Ontario, you can only buy alcohol from
designated beer/wine stores, or the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of
Ontario). The government makes a shit load off of it, I'm sure.
But hey, that money goes back into social programs, so I'm not
complaining.

Secondly, the fact that the author constantly says "I'm going to
look at.." is distracting. Don't tell us what you're going to
say. JUST SAY IT.

Thirdly, a lot of studies done on the side effects of alcohol
involve people who drink multiple drinks on a daily basis for
extended periods of time. For example, I'm looking at the
Concordia University website, and they say that anything more than
13 drinks per week is dangerous. Maybe it's just me, but I would
assume that the average person who consumes alcohol falls far
below this guideline. Therefore, saying that anyone who touches
an alcoholic beverage is going to have all these negative side
effects is incorrect.

I'm not condoning drunkeness, I'm just pointing out that this
article didn't convey the whole picture.

Posted 08/17/07

Silent_Kha
yos

Friend Note

kgirl145, just because some people drink and drive doesn't mean
everyone does. I have never once gotten behind the wheel when
drunk.

Don't lump people together like that.

As for the whole "step closer to banning alcohol", they've done
that before, didn't work out. I doubt they'll try for a second
shot.

Posted 08/17/07

kgirl145

Friend Note

stop the madness!!!!!! man! if i could have anything right now it
would be the ban of all alcohol and harmful drugs. people. doing
drugs and drinking alcohol will only bring you death. have you
ever thought that if you drink and drive you could kill other
people or your self. you will have turned your car into a weapon.
you know what i want to say to every drinker or drunk person. here
it is and i quote, "you know... you are slowly killing yourself
and dangering the lives of everyone around you!" hey... did you
know that every 48 seconds, another drunk driver makes another
person able to park in a handy caped space. ok! that is why i
think that every one should stop drinking. ok? there... now i am
done. i do think i have made my point!

Posted 08/16/07

jessntbs11
8

Friend Note

ya know... they are taxing ciggerettes now. its there attempt to
outlaw ciggerettes, jut as they did pot. now theyre goin for
tabbacco. next its gonna be alochol. there just isnt a thing
called "making your own decsions" anymore. if you wanna drink do
it. you already know what the effects are. we dont need it shove
in our faces everyday that drinking is bad. car accidents kill
dozens of ppl everyday. are they banning cars? whatever.....i need
a drink

Posted 08/16/07

curvey_kra
zie1

Friend Note

you should've wrote this article, bloody_axl

Posted 08/15/07

Anna

Friend Note

This is incredibly one sided.

Secondly, why is this article posted when it doesn't even look
like someone took the time to read over it and spot check the
editing?

"I’m going to look at how this innocent looking drink is a poison,
a drug and how it causes disease. Alcohol: it’s a way to relax and
socialize with friends. However; often alcohol is consumed in
amounts that are dangerous to the drinker. Alcohol is a substance
that has a biphasic effect on the body (it has two stages)"
First sentence is not parallel. The second sentence's use of a
colon is incorrect. The third sentence shouldn't have a semicolon
and should be combined with the second sentence if the author
wants to use a semicolon. As for the final sentence, if you want
to define "biphasic" at least put the definition next to the word.

Posted 08/15/07

Sophistica
tion

Friend Note

i don't think this article was one sided...it was pointing out the
dangers of drinking "too much".

and, it does point out some of the benefits that people are
mentioning.

Posted 08/15/07

mypunkprof
ile

Friend Note

....well i didn't bother reading this and by the way
EVERYONE...needs a liver the liver is as important as any organ in
your body,and I think the only reason there over dramitiseing this
is because. they only want to let people know this can happen so..
watch out for your self >.>

Posted 08/14/07

doodlebug

Friend Note

this article was a bit redundant. yeah, alcohol is dangerous when
abused...but so is everything else, pretty much.

eh, whatever...i'm still getting drunk tonight. who needs a liver?

Posted 08/14/07

perin_cart
er

Friend Note

this was so biased and poorly written i couldn't even get past the
first paragraph. who taught this person how to string sentences
together in a logical order?

Posted 08/14/07

Bloody_Axl

Friend Note

...is incredibly one sided.

now the liter side:

Alcohol has been used by humans for over 10,000 years. It has in
incredile amount of beneficiary sides to it if drank in
*moderation* (just like anything really....everything can be fatal
if not in moderation)

yeah we've all heard about fetus development, and brain damage,
and depression...etc.

but alcohol also is good (aswell as bad)

*firstly product such as wines and cogniacs help rebuild the human
vescular system. They allow for richer blood - which helps spread
beneficial nutrients throughout your body. It increases red blood
cell count. This is good why?
for ages this has been used to help victims of severe bleeding.
Many lives have been saved in the past by allowing the heavily
wounded victim drink a glass of red wine before every meal.

*it has beneficial cardiovascular effects. It helps put the heart
at a more steady rhythm. Also because of its effects on blood it
helps your heart to stay healthier helping to prevent things such
as:
--->Reduces your risk of developing heart disease, peripheral
vascular disease and intermittent claudication
--->Reduces your risk of dying of a heart attack
--->Reduces your risk of strokes, particularly ischemic strokes
--->Lower your risk of gallstones
--->Reduces your risk of diabetes

also about the cancer comment.....alcohol has been shown to cause
breast cancer..BUT it chances of doing so are very minimal and
about as much as your cellphone causing you brain cancer.

Also alcohol has been used in northern regions for centuries to
help cure frost bites, Sanitize operation utensils, help cure
phnemonia, help cure common cold in patients, lower temperture of
flu patients, treat wounds.

Those are only SOME examples of good alcohol use.

Drug:a habit-forming medicinal or illicit substance, esp. a
narcotic.

Also alcohol is not a drug, it can be bad for you...but so can
that chocolate cake that you might be addicted to..but you wouldnt
call that a drug?

im sick of these one sided articles...

Posted 08/14/07

PinkKitten
28

Friend Note

Yeah ok, so excessive drinking can cause health problems. But
humans have been drinking alcohol for thousands of years and
society and not collapsed. And everything we experience can lead
to cancers or other health problems- pollution, what you eat,
smoking, misuse of medicines. The article did mention, though not
in depth, the social consequences. Drunk driving of course, is
totally unacceptable, and surely some celebrities embarass
themselves in the tabloids. But realistically, a typical person
who drinks isn't gonna have their life fall apart and die of liver
disease. Most people drink at least somewhat in their lives and
they aren't doomed from that moment. I find this to be a well
intentioned article, but except in the case of truly excessive
drinking, I think the negative things with alcohol are highly
over-dramatized. And people who do start binge drinking was likely
already struggling with something, and it just shows itself
through the drinking. It's not necessarily that their problems
were all brought about because they drank.

Posted 08/14/07

ptree

Friend Note

nice article

Posted 08/14/07

jcsgurl911
1me

Friend Note

I liked this article, but I still love my Midori.

Posted 08/14/07

blondie_89
9

Friend Note

I think it's sad that people think they have to drink alot to have
a fun time or run away from their problems or for whatever their
reasons are.I know some people who just drink their life away and
nothing ever good comes out of drinking excessively,it just pushes
the people you care about away.

Posted 08/14/07

bonegurl20
7

Friend Note

It's sad. I know A LOT of people who are binge drinkers and they
don't see anything wrong with what they are doing to their bodies.
i've never been a big fan of alchohol so I never caved much into
peer pressure to drink.
I don't see the appeal in it all, I really don't.

Posted 08/13/07

cutie_pie0
31

Friend Note

I think it would have been awesome if you went into how alcohol
affects the liver. I know when I first seen how even just a couple
of drinks turn your liver fatty, I didn't want to drink anymore.
And that's not going into the cirrhosis, which is quite nasty. I
liked your idea of this article though :)

Posted 08/13/07

Xoxjessiex
oX

Friend Note

It was veryt informative! its true.. too many ppl go "chug chug
chug" nad then are puking all nite. and im just like "why?"--that
cant possibly be good for you. But, i never really had toe facts
or %ages/actual numbers to bac, it up. Someone should wrte an
article abut esperatime(sp?). its in diet drinks. Today at work a
pregnant lady ordered a diet with no caffiene- because caffiene is
bad for the baby. But esperatime is SO MUCH WORSE!

Posted 08/13/07

Silent_Kha
yos

Friend Note

Love the idea of the aritlce and the fact that you wrote it. Too
many teens think drinking is like uberly cool or something.

But, I got annoyed by the "I'm going to look at..."

It was used too many times. No offense.

Posted 08/13/07

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Alcohol: the effects

A real look at alcohol

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