The circulatory system is critically important when it comes to the function of every organ in the human body. The heart muscle pumps blood through the body to deliver oxygen, blood, and nutrients to the organs so they are able to function correctly. This makes it incredibly important to maintain good heart health.
Unfortunately, consuming a lot of alcohol can have a significant effect on your heart health. It can lead to health complications and heart issues, such as increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and other impacts that can cause serious damage to this vital organ. Over time, the use of alcohol can increase a person’s risk of suffering heart attacks, strokes, congenital heart failure, and weakened heart muscle.
For this reason, it is important that you protect your circulatory system from the damaging impact of alcohol use in order to lower your risk of problems with your heart. Recognizing the impact that alcohol can have on your heart and how you can avoid this type of suffering with alcohol detox is critically important.
How Can Alcohol Affect Your Heart Health?
A person who consumes an excessive amount of alcohol is at risk of developing serious heart disease. Without going to alcohol detox, a person is at risk of suffering potentially life-threatening illnesses.
When a person consumes an alcoholic beverage, it enters into their bloodstream through the small intestine and the stomach. The alcohol then travels through all of the organs in the body, including the heart muscle. Not only can alcohol have a serious impact on heart health short term, but there are lasting effects that can be truly devastating.
Even though moderate drinking may seem like a safer option than consuming a heavy amount of alcohol, any amount of drinking has the potential to cause serious problems.
How Alcohol Affects the Heart Short Term
The effects of alcohol on heart health are instantaneous. As a person is actively consuming alcohol, it is already impacting how the heart functions. In many cases, people can experience spikes in their blood pressure while consuming alcohol. One single drink has the ability to temporarily increase blood pressure and cause discomfort.
A person may also experience an increased heart rate as they consume alcohol. As a person consumes more and more alcohol, they run the risk of suffering tachycardia. This makes it critically important to go to alcohol detox in order to avoid the short-term consequences. Unfortunately, frequent bouts of tachycardia can result in blood clots and even long-term complications.
How Alcohol Affects the Heart Long Term
When a person engages in heavy drinking or consumes alcohol frequently, it can impact their overall health. Unfortunately, chronic alcohol use can damage the heart significantly.
When a person continues to consume a lot of alcohol without going to alcohol detox, they can severely weaken the heart muscle. In fact, alcoholic cardiomyopathy is known to cause approximately 10% of all dilated cardiomyopathy cases.
When cardiomyopathy goes unaddressed for a long time, it can lead to heart failure, leaving people with the inability to have their heart pump enough blood throughout their body in order to support all of their organs. In addition, frequent alcohol consumption can lead to congestive heart failure in other ways.
Unfortunately, consuming a lot of alcohol can also increase the risk of a person suffering a stroke. When a person does not have adequate blood supply to their brain tissues, it can deprive them of oxygen. The deprivation of oxygen can result in cell death in the brain and a potentially life-threatening stroke. Regrettably, consuming a lot of alcohol without seeking help at an alcohol detox can lead to both ischemic strokes and hemorrhagic strokes. Each type of stroke has the potential to be life-threatening and result in long-term consequences.
Finally, consuming alcohol frequently and in excess can lead to a full-on heart attack. People who regularly consume alcohol can experience significant narrowing in the arteries, which can block blood flow. Unfortunately, when cholesterol, plaque, and fat accumulate in the bloodstream, the results can be life-threatening.
How to Protect Your Heart From Alcohol Damage
One sure way to protect your heart from damage caused by alcohol consumption is to avoid drinking altogether. If there is ever a situation where you are involved in drinking, it is best for you to limit the number of drinks that you consume to one or two per day. To help decrease your intake or avoid alcohol, there are several strategies that you can embark on. These include:
- Avoiding events or any activities that center around alcohol use.
- Bring nonalcoholic beverages to any outings or events that you attend.
- Explain your recovery goals to your loved ones so that they are able to support your sobriety.
- Create a plan to decrease the amount of alcohol that you consume, and begin with small goals.
- Engage in fun activities or hobbies as safe alternatives to drinking.
If you are struggling to overcome an alcohol addiction, it is important to understand that you are not alone. Help is available for you. Seeking guidance from an alcohol detox facility can provide you with the tools and skills that you need to overcome your addiction and protect your heart.
Recognizing the Signs of Addiction
Struggling with an addiction to alcohol can be incredibly challenging, especially if you have not gone through alcohol detox. Unfortunately, many people do not recognize that they have a problem until it is too late. There are several signs that you can look for in order to determine if you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol addiction. These signs include:
- You tend to drink more than you intend to.
- You spend much of your day drinking or purchasing alcoholic beverages.
- You have problems completing tasks at work, home, or school.
- You consume alcohol even in dangerous situations.
- You experience intense and frequent cravings for alcohol.
If you believe that you have an alcohol addiction, it is best to seek help from an alcohol detox as soon as possible.
Call Our Alcohol Detox in Muscle Shoals, AL, Now
Our trained medical professionals at Genesis Medical Detox are here to help you overcome your addiction to alcohol, so you can protect your heart health and live a happier and healthier life. Reach out to our team today to see how our alcohol detox can help.
