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Intoxication does have real physiological effects, such as altering a drinker's perception of space and time, reducing psychomotor skills, and disrupting equilibrium. [74] But some effects and the degree of the effects that are attributed to alcohol can be due to the expectations rather than the substance itself, [75] similar to the placebo ...
Alcohol affects the nutritional state of chronic drinkers. It can decrease food consumption and lead to malabsorption. It can also create imbalances in skeletal muscle mass and cause muscle wasting. Chronic consumption of alcohol can also increase the breakdown of important proteins in the body which can affect gene expression. [157]
Alcohol breaks down in the body into a substance called acetaldehyde, which can damage your cells and stop them from repairing themselves. That creates the conditions for cancer to grow.
Other physical effects include an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, malabsorption, alcoholic liver disease, and several cancers such as breast cancer and head and neck cancer. [43] Damage to the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system can occur from sustained alcohol consumption.
The initial buzz and immediate effects of alcohol may be familiar. Here’s how the long-term consequences of excessive drinking can gradually take a toll on your health. 1.
How Does Alcohol Impact Your Health? krisanapong detraphiphat - Getty Images You may have heard warnings about the way alcohol can damage the liver, but it can also affect organs throughout your ...
Another one of alcohol's agreeable effects is body relaxation, which is possibly caused by neurons transmitting electrical signals in an alpha waves-pattern; such waves are actually observed (with the aid of EEGs) whenever the body is relaxed. [citation needed] Short-term effects of alcohol include the risk of injuries, violence, and fetal ...
The reinforcing effects of alcohol consumption are mediated by acetaldehyde generated by catalase and other oxidizing enzymes such as cytochrome P-4502E1 in the brain. [60] Although acetaldehyde has been associated with some of the adverse and toxic effects of ethanol, it appears to play a central role in the activation of the mesolimbic ...