Britain’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released shocking figures on deaths due to alcohol. In Britain, in the year 2023, 10,473 people died directly due to drinking alcohol. In the year 2022, 10,048 people died here due to drinking alcohol. In 2019, 7,565 people died due to drinking alcohol. This means that deaths due to alcohol have increased by 38% in 4 years. The ONS has also clarified that the health conditions that led to the deaths of these people were directly caused by alcohol consumption.
Global Alcohol Consumption: A Serious Concern
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 3 million people die every year due to drinking alcohol all over the world. This means that alcohol is directly responsible for 1 in every 20 deaths in the world. These figures are a matter of concern for India because people in our country drink 5-6 billion liters of alcohol every year.
Alcohol Consumption in India
According to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, about 16 crore people in the age group of 10 to 75 years in India drink alcohol. In this, more than 5.7 crore people are addicted to alcohol and they need help to get rid of it. Therefore, the risk of death due to alcohol is very high in India.
Drinking Alcohol Causes Fatal Diseases
According to WHO, every drop of alcohol is extremely harmful. This means that every drop of alcohol takes you a few steps closer to death. If someone is drinking even a sip of alcohol, it gets mixed into the blood stream and reaches our brain within the next minute. Then within 5 minutes this alcohol reaches the liver, where the liver digests it. During this period the liver gets badly damaged.
Apart from this, WHO has included alcohol in the list of number 1 carcinogen. Carcinogen means those elements which cause cancer. This means that alcohol is one of the biggest causes of cancer. All major organs of the body are affected by this.
The Positive Impact of Quitting Alcohol
Dr. Pallavi Garg says that quitting alcohol can cause problems in the beginning. Due to this, withdrawal symptoms may appear. There may be a lot of restlessness for a few days. Symptoms like anxiety and depression may appear. In this, you can control yourself by thinking that these symptoms are very less compared to the daily harm caused to the body due to alcohol. Liver recovery starts first after quitting alcohol. After this heart and brain improve.
Drinking Alcohol Can Cause Liver Failure
Yes, only the liver is responsible for digesting alcohol. Therefore, its greatest impact is on the liver. However, the first thing to recover after quitting alcohol is the liver. However, it is also important to understand that drinking alcohol affects every part of our body including the liver. Actually, alcohol reaches all the parts of the body through blood vessels. Therefore all parts of the body are affected.
Does Alcohol Help You Sleep Better?
No, this is a myth. Alcohol is a sedative. It means something that takes us into a relaxing and peaceful mode. This is the reason why one falls asleep relatively prematurely after drinking alcohol.
That’s why people have the misconception that drinking alcohol helps them sleep faster and better. Whereas everything is the opposite. As our liver begins to break down alcohol at night, the quality of our sleep begins to deteriorate. Due to this, you may wake up several times during the night. Due to alcohol intoxication one may feel unconscious, but deep sleep does not occur.
Quitting Alcohol Suddenly Leads to Death
This is a myth. However, if someone is addicted to alcohol for a very long time then he may face some health problems if he suddenly quits alcohol. If the symptoms are not reducing with the passage of time, consult a doctor. If someone is addicted to alcohol, then the normal symptoms of hangover are visible for a few hours after the intoxication subsides. After this, as time passes, these may turn into withdrawal symptoms.
Every sip of alcohol has an effect on our brain. This continues as long as the last drop of alcohol remains in our blood. Therefore quitting alcohol has a deep impact on the brain. Quitting alcohol can cause restlessness. Due to this it may become difficult to sleep. Due to this, symptoms like anxiety and depression may also appear.
Recovery Timeline After Quitting Alcohol
Everyone’s recovery time may be different. Dr. Pallavi Garg says that as soon as the liver digests the last drop of alcohol, its recovery starts. After this, mental health improves in about 3 months and heart health improves in 6 months. After about a year, the risk of cancer becomes equal to that of people who do not drink alcohol.
