With parties happening all over Sydney this month, Oktoberfest is an event to enjoy but we also need to be cautious of binge drinking.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking is a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. This typically happens when men consume 5 or more drinks, and when women consume 4 or more drinks, in about 2 hours.
Binge drinking can have a negative impact on your:
- Brain – Difficulty walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction times, impaired memory, coma or death
- Kidneys- affect the ability to filter blood, Long-term misuse can cause cell damage and enlargement of the kidneys
- Bowel- blocks absorption of essential vitamins
- Heart- weaken heart muscles & can deprive the body of blood
- Pancreas- alcoholic pancreatitis
- Stomach- bloating, vomiting, gastritis, causing loss of appetite, nausea and stomach pain, inflammation and bleeding
- Immune System- reducing immunity
- Liver- range of diseases
- Your looks – Acne and psoriasis, skin conditions, Facial redness, flushing and rosacea, wrinkles and weight gain
- Sleep- diminishes quality of sleep
- Fertility – can affect your chances of conceiving.
Commonly, chronic and excessive alcohol consumption can lead to a range of liver problems from an asymptomatic fatty liver to alcoholic hepatitis to end stage liver function.
And it is simple. The more you drink, the greater the risk of liver damage.
Symptoms of liver diseases include
- weakness and fatigue
- Weight loss
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Yellow discoloration of the skin (jaundice).
Your doctor may then recommend:
- Blood tests. A group of blood tests called liver function tests can be used to diagnose liver disease
- Imaging tests. CT scan, MRI and ultrasound can show liver damage.
- Tissue analysis. Removing a tissue sample (biopsy) from your liver may help diagnose liver disease.
Drinkwise https://drinkwise.org.au/
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