The most destructive form of alcoholism is chronic alcoholism, an emotionally, socially and physically devastating disease. Alcoholism emerges from alcohol abuse, when there’s a pattern of drinking despite negative consequences. Alcoholism and alcohol abuse are both categorized as alcohol use disorders—affecting people of all ages and stages of life. The severity of the disorder lies on a spectrum, ranging from mild to severe dependence, also known as chronic alcoholism (although even a mild disorder can spiral out of control without early treatment). Chronic ingestion of large quantities of alcohol alters many physiological and biological processes and compounds, including several blood-related (i.e., hematological) variables. The most striking indication of alcohol’s toxic effects on bone marrow cells is the appearance of numerous large vacuoles in early RBC precursor cells.

• Alcohol is a major contributing factor to liver disease, but the condition can also result from cancer and other health issues.
• The precise mechanism underlying vacuole development in blood cell precursors currently is unknown.
• It sits just under your rib cage on the right side of your abdomen.
• Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows your body’s ability to ward off infections–even up to 24 hours after getting drunk.

Recent studies indicate, however, that the gene responsible for low AC levels does not actually cause alcoholism, but may increase the risk of developing the disease. These direct and indirect effects of alcohol can result in serious medical problems for the drinker. For example, anemia2 resulting from diminished RBC production and impaired RBC metabolism and function can cause fatigue, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, and even reduced mental capacity and abnormal heartbeats.

Signs and symptoms

Only about 5 percent of patients with alcohol withdrawal progress to DTs, but about 5 percent of these patients die. Pancreatitis
Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can eventually lead to pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in the pancreas that prevents proper digestion. Severe abdominal pain and persistent diarrhea, as a result, is not fixable. At this stage, drinking becomes everything in your life, even at the expense of your livelihood, your health and your relationships.

Once stabilized, the goal is to transition from detox, to treatment, to maintenance (practicing sober living by changing your life), to transcendence—the final step in the path to recovery. What you’re technically experiencing there is a drop in your blood pressure, which causes the heart to work a little harder than usual to pump blood to the rest of your organs. That vasodilation also happens to be responsible for the flushed sensation of heat you sometimes get in your face when you drink. Research is ongoing on medications that might be able to reverse cirrhosis. Still, it’s likely going to take time and many clinical trials before any drug is found to be successful and can enter the market. It sits just under your rib cage on the right side of your abdomen.

Partial facial numbness after drinking alcohol.

Cirrhosis is usually a result of liver damage from conditions such as hepatitis B or C, or chronic alcohol use. But if caught early enough and depending on the cause, there is a chance of slowing it with treatment. And even in the most severe cases, liver transplants and new treatments provide those suffering from cirrhosis with hope.

Moreover, patients whose chronic alcohol consumption and hemochromatosis have led to liver cirrhosis are at increased risk for liver cancer. Any kind of disease or condition that harms the liver can lead to cirrhosis over time. About 2% of American adults have liver disease, and therefore are at risk of developing cirrhosis. However, those who drink too much alcohol, those who are overweight and those with viral hepatitis are at a greater risk. A wide range of other conditions and diseases can cause cirrhosis as well. As more scar tissue forms in the liver, it becomes harder for it to function.

Alcohol’s Effects on the Blood-Clotting System

Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows your body’s ability to ward off infections–even up to 24 hours after getting drunk. But when you bruise, your vessels are literally injured or broken in a sense, and blood pools around those vessels and rises to the skin. They’re often due to blocked blood flow through the portal vein. The portal vein carries blood from the intestine, pancreas and spleen to the liver.

This may improve your symptoms and help prevent further nerve damage. As the disease progresses to the middle stage, drinking continues to increase and dependency develops. Strong cravings for alcohol are typical alcohol and bruising at this stage, and drinking isn’t just for enjoyment anymore. Because the body has adapted to deal with an alcohol-rich environment, the alcoholic physically needs it to avoid the painful symptoms of withdrawal.

Moreover, the vacuoles on average disappear after 3 to 7 days of abstinence, although in some patients they persist for up to 2 weeks. Although MAO acts primarily in the brain, platelets also contain the enzyme. In fact, low MAO activity in the platelets and other tissues of certain alcoholics is the most replicated biological finding in genetic alcoholism research. The available data also suggest that low MAO activity in the platelets predicts a risk for alcoholism in relatives of a certain type of alcoholics. This alcoholism subtype is characterized by an early age of onset of alcohol-related problems, frequent social and legal consequences of drinking, and a strong genetic predisposition.

• They’re often due to blocked blood flow through the portal vein.
• Blacking out from drinking too much is a warning sign of this stage, along with lying about drinking, drinking excessively, and thinking obsessively about drinking.
• For example, stopping drinking once diagnosed with fatty liver disease may be able to reverse the condition within 2–6 weeks.
• In our blood there are tiny particles called clotting factors and platelets; their job is to form clots only when the vessel wall is damaged (when you are wounded).
• Sometimes, heavy drinking over a short period, even less than a week, can cause this.

Although the damage caused by cirrhosis is not reversible, treatment can slow the progression of the disease, alleviate symptoms, and prevent complications. In cases of early cirrhosis, it is possible to minimize damage to the liver by tackling the underlying causes. For instance, treating alcohol addiction, losing weight, and using medications to treat viral hepatitis and other conditions can limit damage to the liver. Once the liver stops functioning, an organ transplant may be an option.

Liver disease

Too much alcohol affects your speech, muscle coordination and vital centers of your brain. A heavy drinking binge may even cause a life-threatening coma or death. This is of particular concern when you’re taking certain medications that also depress the brain’s function.