How would my dad’s heavy drinking for 35 years affect him physically?
Posted by adminJul 31
I’ve just recently found out that my dad’s an alcoholic. I had no idea because he always saves his binge-drinking until around ten o’clock at night, when me and my brother are usually in our rooms, and drinks heavily till about midnight. My mum told us that he’s been drinking heavily each night since he was 18 years old, and he is 52 now. He goes through about bottle of pure vodka every night (about 500-750ml, I’m guessing), and doesn’t get violent but just sits and gets drunk silently. He sometimes says sentences that just DO NOT make sense. How has this affected him physically and how has his life expectancy been affected? And by how many years has his life expectancy been lessened?
6 comments
Comment by Amani on 07/31/2010 at 11:14 pm
that is really sad, I think you guys must do something about it… You can google the effect of drinking and you will see for yourself. It is terrible. I feel for you
Comment by Matt on 07/31/2010 at 11:23 pm
liver disease for sure, and probably heart disease.
Comment by Mya on 07/31/2010 at 11:42 pm
Long list of harmful side-effects for heavy drinking.
BRAIN: Drinking can cause neuropathy and dementia, as well as impairing balance and memory and lead to depression, anxiety and insomnia.
THROAT: Alcohol can cause irritation and damage to the oesophagusand lead to haemorrhaging, pain and difficulty swallowing.
HEART: Alcohol raises blood pressure and increases the risk of stroke and heart disease in heavy drinkers.
LIVER: Liver deterioration, the formation of fibrous scar tissue (fibrosis), alcoholic hepatitis, irreversible liver damage (cirrhosis) and jaundice of the skin and eyes are all potential effects of heavy alcohol consumption.
STOMACH: Drinkers can suffer from irritated stomach lining and stomach ulcers.
PANCREAS: Drinking can lead to inflammation of the pancreas – a potentially fatal condition.
KIDNEYS: Alcohol enlarges the kidneys, alters hormone functions and increases the risk of kidney failure.
SEXUAL HEALTH: Erectile dysfunction and infertility (reduced sperm count) can be common in men with alcohol problems. In women, drinking can lead to menstrual difficulties, decreased fertility and early menopause.
SKIN: Drinking can cause middle-age acne to develop. It also causes small blood vessels in the skin to widen, allowing more blood to flow close to the skin’s surface – producing a flushed skin colour.
NUTRITION: Excessive drinking increases the risk of malnutrition. The body suffers low intakes of protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6 and riboflavin.
CANCER Heavy drinking increases risk of gouty arthritis and increases the risk of cancer in the liver, pancreas, rectum, breast, mouth, larynx and oesophagus.
Comment by I will cook and eat Chaka on 08/01/2010 at 12:28 am
His liver is probably shot by now…i suspect he’ll start seeing issues in the next few years…but you never know, some people can drink their whole life and live into their 70′s
Comment by mikew19532004 on 08/01/2010 at 1:12 am
One of the most common ailments in sclerosis of the liver.
Other organs are effected too.
Some heavy drinkers develop a mottled complexion due the breakage of blood vessels.
Comment by Skeptic on 08/01/2010 at 1:42 am
Mya gave you a very good system break-down analysis on the effects of alcohol. Now you know how bad alcohol does to the body. It is good that your dad is not drinking all day long or being drunk all day. The effect also depends on how much he drinks a day and how drunk he is each day. I assume he’s already known the effects, if not, do some search print-out and show it to him. Tell him you want a healthy dad that lives long to see his grandchildren. Heart disease would be the first to show. Your dad should reduce his drinking slowly and then maybe to one glass a day… Your mom and you should sit down and talk with your dad. He will have to be the one who decides how to do it. Support him, not to be an alcoholic but a healthy person. Good luck.