What is alcoholism

Alcoholism is very harmful to the body, so we recommend that everyone pay attention to it. Alcoholism can affect the function of the kidneys and liver, so we should correct it in time. Drinking in moderation is good for your health, but to measure whether it is alcoholism, everyone needs to know a standard. Drinking more than 5 cups of alcohol a day means excessive drinking, which can cause us to feel dizzy and drunk.

Drinking Standard

Drinking alcohol in excess of moderate or social drinking standards. Heavy drinking is often defined as drinking above a certain daily amount (eg, 3 standard drinks per day) or an individual drinking session (eg, 5 standard drinks per session, at least once per week). Same as: heavy drinking. See: excessive drinking; standard drink.

Alcoholism covers both "alcohol abuse" and "alcohol dependence". Generally speaking, if a person uses alcohol excessively and cannot control himself, resulting in cognitive, behavioral, physical, social function or interpersonal relationship disorders or impacts, and he does it knowingly and cannot restrain himself, he has reached the level of "alcohol abuse". If it deteriorates further, drinking is regarded as more important than anything else, and a lot of time or energy must be spent on drinking or quitting drinking, or alcohol must be consumed to feel comfortable (psychological dependence), or alcohol intake must be increased to achieve the desired effect (tolerance), or alcohol withdrawal syndrome occurs, it reaches the level of "alcohol dependence".

Metabolism

The metabolism of alcohol in the human body mainly relies on two enzymes: one is alcohol dehydrogenase and the other is acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. Alcohol dehydrogenase can remove two hydrogen atoms from alcohol molecules, breaking down ethanol into acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase can remove the two hydrogen atoms in acetaldehyde, breaking down acetaldehyde into carbon dioxide and water. If the human body has these two enzymes, it can break down alcohol more quickly, and the central nervous system will be less affected by alcohol. Therefore, even after drinking a certain amount of alcohol, it will be fine. Alcohol dehydrogenase exists in the average human body, and the amount is basically equal. But there are many people who lack acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. The lack of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase prevents alcohol from being completely broken down into water and carbon dioxide. Instead, acetaldehyde continues to remain in the body, causing symptoms of drunkenness such as nausea, coma and discomfort after drinking. Therefore, the people mentioned above who are not good at drinking and whose alcohol tolerance is below a reasonable standard are those who have insufficient or complete lack of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. For people who are good at drinking, if they drink too much and too fast, and exceed the decomposition capacity of the two enzymes, they may get drunk.

In reality, a person's alcohol tolerance can be improved through exercise, but the improvement is generally not significant, because the human enzyme system has genetic factors, and the quantity and ratio of the above two enzymes are determined. Therefore, "alcohol tolerance" can also be inherited. Different races have different alcohol tolerance. In recent years, a series of studies have confirmed that alcoholism is also related to genetics. In the United States, many babies are born "alcoholics" at Telford Hospital, and the parents of these "little alcoholics" are all alcoholics. It has also been found that alcoholics lack a substance called neferol in their brains, and drinking can make up for the deficiency of this substance. Therefore, alcoholics often find it difficult to control themselves after drinking, and the degree to which the white blood cells in their blood react with chemical enzymes is much stronger than that of normal people.

Alcohol poisoning: According to measurements, about 5 minutes after drinking liquor, alcohol will enter the blood and flow throughout the body, poisoning human tissues, organs and various systems. Drinking a large amount of alcohol in a short period of time can lead to alcohol poisoning. After poisoning, the cerebral cortex is first affected, causing the nerves to have a brief period of excitement and incoherent speech; then the cerebral cortex is in a state of anesthesia, with abnormal speech and behavior, and drowsiness and unconsciousness. If it progresses further and the vital centers become paralyzed, the heart and breathing will stop, leading to death.