Health expert warn alcohol lovers

....Dr. Singh says persistent heavy drinking can not only cause severe and potentially fatal health problems but also damage organs and have life-threatening consequences.

 
By Francis Maingaila
Lusaka - (20-07-22- Zambia24) A health expert from Texila American University Dr. Amit Singh has warned of the devastating effects of the indiscriminate intake of alcohol
Dr. Singh, a Dean in the School of Medicine at Texila American University told Zambia24 in a statement that alcoholism is characterized by chronic and problematic drinking that causes significant dysfunction and distress in the person’s life.
He said persistent heavy drinking can not only cause severe and potentially fatal health problems but also damage organs and have life-threatening consequences.
An estimated 88,000 people aged 20–39 years die every year due to alcohol abuse.
In Zambia, it is estimated that 49.3% of the population above age 15 indulge in heavy drinking (five or more drinks) on at least one occasion in the past 30 days (60.1% for men and 24.8% for women).
"A Euromonitor Report of 2018 has ranked Zambia as a country with the highest per capita consumption of alcohol in the region. "
He said alcohol consumption is a causal factor in more than 200 diseases, injuries, and other health conditions.
He was of the view that drinking alcohol is associated with a risk of developing health problems such as mental and behavioral disorders, including alcohol dependence, and major non-communicable diseases such as liver cirrhosis, some cancers, and cardiovascular diseases.
He observed that a significant proportion of the disease burden attributable to alcohol consumption arises from unintentional and intentional injuries, including those due to road traffic crashes, violence, and suicide.
He said alcohol is not only responsible for multiple diseases and fatty liver disease, as well as Liver Cirrhosis, which is the major effect of Chronic alcoholism, but also chronic alcohol consumption, which can lead to high blood pressure and increased risk of diabetes and obesity.
He regretted that people who drink heavily are also more likely to have an unhealthy diet and to exercise less which can further lead to alcoholic cardiomyopathy, also known as alcoholic heart disease, which occurs when the heart becomes large and thin.
According to Dr. Singh, this increases the risk of heart failure and symptoms usually don’t occur until the heart begins to fail.
Some people develop alcohol-related pancreatitis after drinking a few alcoholic beverages a day for an extended period. Others develop the disease only after drinking heavily, such as five or more beverages a day for multiple weeks."
Dr. Singh believes there is a link between alcohol and cancers of the pancreas, bladder, prostate, stomach, uterus, and ovaries.
He said alcohol consumption by the expectant mother may cause Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and pre-term birth complications.
In Zambia, where the average life expectancy is 62. yrs, Dr. Singh observed the majority of the population is considered a youth, or under 30.
He said the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS with alcohol abuse among young people has become a “double threat”.
He observed abstinence is the common treatment for all diseases caused by alcohol.
In most cases, Dr. Singh suggested abstaining from alcohol can relieve symptoms or prevent symptoms from worsening whereas in other cases, alcohol causes permanent and irreversible damage.
He said the best way to prevent alcohol-related diseases is to abstain from alcohol or to limit drinking to moderate amounts on infrequent occasions.
In 2014, about 16 million people ages 18 and older suffered from an addiction to alcohol. But only about 9% of this population received treatment for alcoholism.
One way to keep drinking in check, Dr. Singh observed, is to limit yourself to a moderate level of alcohol consumption.
He said moderate drinking is no more than 2 drinks per day for men and no more than 1 drink per day for women.
However, Dr. Singh suggested, that if you consistently have more than a few drinks per day, you increase your risk for adverse health effects, addiction, and memory lapses.
He said persistent heavy drinking can not only cause severe and potentially fatal health problems but also damage organs and have life-threatening consequences.
An estimation of 88,000 people aged between 20–39 years die every year due to alcohol abuse.
In Zambia, it is estimated that 49.3% of the population above age 15 indulge in heavy drinking (five or more drinks) on at least one occasion in the past 30 days (60.1% for men and 24.8% for women).
He said the Euromonitor Report of 2018 has ranked Zambia as a country with the highest per capita consumption of alcohol in the region.
He said alcohol consumption is a causal factor in more than 200 diseases, injuries, and other health conditions.
He was of the view that drinking alcohol is associated with a risk of developing health problems such as mental and behavioral disorders, including alcohol dependence, and major non-communicable diseases such as liver cirrhosis, some cancers, and cardiovascular diseases.
He observed that a significant proportion of the disease burden attributable to alcohol consumption arises from unintentional and intentional injuries, including those due to road traffic crashes, violence, and suicide.
He said alcohol is not only responsible for multiple diseases and fatty liver disease, as well as Liver Cirrhosis, which is the major effect of Chronic alcoholism, but also chronic alcohol consumption, which can lead to high blood pressure and increased risk of diabetes and obesity.
He regretted that people who drink heavily are also more likely to have an unhealthy diet and to exercise less which can further lead to alcoholic cardiomyopathy, also known as alcoholic heart disease, which occurs when the heart becomes large and thin.
According to Dr. Singh, this increases the risk of heart failure and symptoms usually don’t occur until the heart begins to fail.
Some people develop alcohol-related pancreatitis after drinking a few alcoholic beverages a day for an extended period. Others develop the disease only after drinking heavily, such as five or more beverages a day for multiple weeks."
Dr. Singh believes there is a link between alcohol and cancers of the pancreas, bladder, prostate, stomach, uterus, and ovaries.
He said alcohol consumption by the expectant mother may cause Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and pre-term birth complications.
In Zambia, where the average life expectancy is 62. yrs, Dr. Singh observed the majority of the population is considered a youth, or under 30.
He said the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS with alcohol abuse among young people has become a “double threat”.
He observed abstinence is the common treatment for all diseases caused by alcohol.
In most cases, Dr. Singh suggested abstaining from alcohol can relieve symptoms or prevent symptoms from worsening whereas in other cases, alcohol causes permanent and irreversible damage.
He said the best way to prevent alcohol-related diseases is to abstain from alcohol or to limit drinking to moderate amounts on infrequent occasions.