The consequences of Your Alcoholic Binge to Your Body

It is no surprise to anyone, least of all to the drinker that the consequences of drinking too much alcohol are painful.

Too much alcohol impairs our ability to make sound judgments and we may do things or say things we would not do if we were sober. Once sobered, the painful reminder of just how much over our limit we were, start to make them known in the form of a hangover.

The statistics are alarming! 75% of all those who consume alcohol have experienced at least one hangover. Of those who drink on a regular basis, 15% of them have a hangover once a month, and 25% of college students have at least one hangover a week.

The consequences in the form of a hangover may go something like this:

You awake not knowing where you are or who you are with

Your head is pounding

You can't stand light or sound

The last thing you want to do is eat

You are horribly nauseous or may have already vomited before you were aware of it

There is an intense wave of fatigue battering your body

You are desperately thirsty and experience symptoms of dehydration including dry mouth, dry eyes and you feel weak.

Concentrating on anything is difficult, getting yourself dressed and to work seems impossible

You are feeling very anxious about everything

Hangover symptoms vary from person to person and even from event to event for the same person. Hangover symptoms depend on the number of drinks you consumed and how quickly you consumed them. It also depends on if you mixed your drinks or drank dark alcoholic beverages. Those who drank on an empty stomach will feel the symptoms with more intensity as well those who lack sleep, or did any physical activity during their drinking like dancing, or having sex. Those who were already dehydrated before they started drinking and those in poor health will also experience more intense hangover symptoms.

Your hangover intensity will how well you will be able to function the next day. If the symptoms are mild you will more than likely be able to get yourself up, dressed and off to work, or whatever it is that you do during the day. Moderate hangover symptoms will definitely slow you down and make you feel lousy. You will more than likely be late for work or school. If your symptoms are severe you will be lucky to be able to get into an upright position anytime soon and may require assistance from a family member or roommate. The worse case scenario is that your hangover is a more serious situation that may land you in the hospital or worse. If you feel tremors, are severely dehydrated or see blood in your vomit, get medical attention quickly.

Alcohol is a poison that can cause irreversible damage to your liver. Heavy drinking causes 33,000 UK deaths each year.

Drinking can lead to casual sex, which can lead to unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. So, it may not just be a hangover that you will be dealing with after your drinking fun is done.

One long-term symptom just very well be bone mass loss because alcohol affects the way calcium is processed by the body. Too many hangovers may mean too much bone mass loss.

Drunk driving is a consequence of drinking which may come before the hangover. In 2005 there were 16,885 alcohol-related vehicular fatalities in the U.S.

If you are going to drink alcohol, learn how to do so responsibly so that not only will you not suffer the consequences of too much to drink, but also neither will anyone else.