Prevention, treatment and consequences of beer alcoholism. Beer heart: symptoms and treatment of the harmful effects of a foamy drink

Over the past twenty years, beer has become a popular drink among large quantity consumers. Young people are especially addicted to it. A new serious problem has appeared in society. When drinking beer in excessive quantities, the processes responsible for the normal functioning of all organs and systems begin to fail. In principle, any alcohol leads to such consequences. All body systems are negatively affected, including the cardiovascular system.

Beer cannot be classified as safe products. As for beer alcoholism, it comes with serious illnesses, one of which is beer (bull) heart. The affected organ lacks vitamin B, which leads to pathological growth of the heart muscle, and this cannot but affect the work of cardio-vascular system. But few people guess about such a diagnosis, because at the initial stage of beer alcoholism, dangerous symptoms do not appear.

What is beer heart - signs and symptoms of the disease

The effect of beer on the human body

When drinking beer, not only the drink itself enters the body. The decomposition products of the main component - hops - are added to it. These are monoamines and cannabinoids, due to which the process of dullness occurs, as well as drug intoxication. If you combine all these elements, the result is beer addiction, which leads to alcoholism.

The habit of drinking beer, which develops into an addiction to an intoxicating drink, is the most complex type of alcoholism, in comparison with dependence on the same vodka.

At widely used beer (and some individuals need at least two liters per evening), the body is subjected to a colossal load, which in intensity is comparable to the overload during training of professional athletes.

Alcohol has a negative effect on the heart and vascular system. In the meantime, the body needs to pass this poisonous liquid through itself, which is filtered through the kidneys and liver. For these bodies alcohol poisoning also does not pass without a trace.

The relationship between the heart and well-being

The presence of a beer heart leads to problems that affect not only the cardiovascular system.

TO high blood pressure, arrhythmia and rapid contraction of the heart muscle, you can add the following symptoms:

after minor physical exertion, shortness of breath begins and the pulse increases significantly;
problems with potency appear;
liver enlargement occurs.

If these symptoms have been diagnosed, then it is necessary to take an x-ray, which will show whether the heart has enlarged or not.

What does this disease lead to?

Today there are many ways to get rid of alcoholism. This is both the Dovzhenko method and folk remedies, health care experienced narcologists and psychotherapists.

The last few years can be described in two words - the beer boom. Moreover, both adult lovers of the foamy drink and representatives of the younger generation, including teenagers, take part in it. IN Lately, beer has become one of the favorite drinks among women who do not consider it hazardous to health.

The “alcohol limit” is an illusory concept invented by society. On the body healthy person, half a liter of beer, they won’t provide strong influence, which cannot be said about people with chronic diseases. A person with heart problems, together with drinking 0.5 beer, begins to feel worse. Gas affects the rapid absorption of not only alcohol, but also liquid. Because of this, the vascular bed becomes overfilled and the load on the heart becomes greater.

By the way, beer contains cobalt, an excess of which is very dangerous for human body. The effect of the substance is extremely toxic and can lead to:

pulmonary edema;
thyroid disorders;
increased blood pressure;
malfunctions nervous system;
abnormalities in the functioning of the heart.

Constant consumption of beer has a strong effect on the heart muscle. If the organ constantly works in such an intensive mode, this will lead to its growth. In order to compensate for the weakness of contractions, a large heart is formed, which is also called a beer heart or a bull heart.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of this disease is difficult because symptoms often indicate other cardiovascular diseases. Plus, patients do not always mention that they regularly drank beer. The prognosis for such patients is very disappointing. Because it turns out that the disease has reached stage II or III by this point and nothing can be corrected. At the same time, a person is no longer able to refuse to use the foam potion, so the probability of death in the next five years is close to 100%.

Beer heart disease poses a great danger to human life, and in particular to problems with the heart and circulatory system. It occurs against the background of alcohol abuse. The very concept of “beer alcoholism” is absent in medicine. But the fact that beer is drunk en masse creates a big problem in the fight against alcoholism.

Beer like any other alcoholic drink, if used in large quantities and not observing the measure leads to disruption of all processes in the body, negatively affecting the functioning of all organs, including the heart. It is generally accepted that beer, being a low-alcohol product, cannot cause addiction. However, this is far from the case, and beer alcoholism is proof of this. The heart is under severe stress, constant failures occur, which leads to a dangerous illness, one of which is an enlarged heart from beer abuse.

Alcoholics lack the concept of a proper lifestyle, the need to exercise and develop spiritually. The only entertainment is getting the next portion of the potion to remove hangover syndrome and uplifting mood. Drinking strong alcohol Everyday life It is unlikely to be acceptable, but a couple of glasses of beer will be perceived normally by society. However, if the alcohol is weak, this does not mean that it is harmless. He, just like strong alcohol, leads to addiction, and subsequently to complications in the functioning of internal organs. In the photo, the difference between a healthy and a beer heart is very noticeable. This is due to constant poisoning of the body with alcohol, At the same time, there is no normal nutrition, and this leads to vitamin deficiency, and in particular to a lack of thiamine. The heart muscle grows, and problems appear in the functioning of this system. At the initial stage of the disease, problems are not identified and symptoms do not cause concern.

Naturally, alcoholism due to the consumption of strong alcohol is more difficult and difficult for the patient, but with beer abuse the consequences can be much more insidious, since the alcoholic drink is not strong.

Beer is a high-calorie product.

Fans of this drink can be seen by:

A bulging “beer” belly.
Hormonal imbalances accompany lovers of this drink.
Body hair loss.
Excess weight.
Phlebeurysm.

These are not all the complications of beer abuse. Decreased intelligence and lack of mood are caused by disturbances in the functioning of the brain.

Taking a large amount of this drink puts a lot of stress on the entire body. The liver cannot cope with its excretory function, the heart experiences the same stress as during strength sports training. In the presence of congenital anomalies, the heart muscle begins to grow. The heart increases in volume.

After drinking a foamy drink, your legs may hurt. Swelling occurs. Alcohol narrows the small blood vessels, and large ones expand. Circulatory system Because of this, the legs suffer greatly and varicose veins appear.

Non-alcoholic beer is also harmful, since it also contains alcohol, although in small quantities. Alcoholics begin their next binge with a glass of non-alcoholic beer.

Beer contains gas and alcohol. Alcohol is quickly absorbed into the stomach and spreads into the blood thanks to the gas, which leads to rapid intoxication and increased stress on the heart. Fans of a foamy drink receive a dose of alcohol gradually, since it is impossible to do this quickly.

Stages

This type of alcoholism goes through several stages. The first and most harmless at first glance stage passes without visible changes. A person is able to control the amount of alcohol he drinks, but this leads to an increase in the amount of drinks he drinks, as it manifests itself in high spirits and positive emotions. There are no symptoms of addiction yet. The initial stage is manifested in a weakening of control over the beer drunk, and strong alcohol is often added to this drink. Drinking beer every day does not give positive emotions, but it allows a person to maintain a constant presence of alcohol in the body. The photo already shows significant changes in the heart muscle, with a tendency to grow. At the last stage of beer alcoholism, a person completely lacks will. Drinking becomes the main purpose of life. He cannot imagine further existence without a glass of alcohol, intoxication sets in quickly, aggression and fog appear. At this stage, symptoms of liver and brain diseases may appear. The heart reaches its maximum size.

Symptoms of beer alcoholism manifest themselves in a number of signs:

Ultimately, beer alcoholism leads to serious disturbances in the functioning of the heart. Its walls thicken, the vessels become fragile, and the supply of oxygen decreases because of this. The person becomes irritable. All this is beer heart syndrome. Patients experience heart pain, shortness of breath, rapid fatigue, and arrhythmia. Weakening of heart function leads to the development of heart failure, which, in turn, leads to cardiac arrest.

Diagnosing beer heart disease is very difficult. The symptoms of the disease are very similar to the symptoms of other heart diseases and patients do not tell their doctor about the abuse of the foamy drink. What’s worse is that when symptoms appear, the patient is in the second or even third stage of the disease and he cannot imagine giving up beer.

Stages of disease development:

The heart is already sick;
Increased in size;
Heart failure is present.
The consequence of this is a stroke.
And if the heart muscle is very weakened, then death can occur.

If the disease does not progress, then it is possible to restore the main functions of the heart and prolong the patient’s life.

Beer addiction is mainly psychological. And giving up the foamy drink won’t be difficult. It is necessary to gradually give up drinking beer, thereby replacing it with a more productive pastime. Drug treatment together with psychotherapy are effective methods in the fight against beer alcoholism. There must be a clear intention to quit drinking, and if it is serious, then eventually the person will come to a healthy lifestyle without alcoholic drinks. The main thing is to believe in yourself and support your loved ones.

Heart pain after drinking alcohol is one of the common symptoms that occurs when a drinker is hungover. In most cases, the characteristic pain in the heart goes away the next day, so many people simply do not pay much attention to this deviation. However, there are also pathologies in which pain in the heart after drinking alcohol is considered a fairly serious signal indicating irreparable violations.

The fact that many people have heart pain after drinking is not surprising, because the effect of beer, champagne and other alcohol on the body is tantamount to poison. When ethanol (an element found in most alcoholic drinks) enters the arteries and blood vessels, it mixes with the blood and is gradually transported to all internal organs of a person (including the heart), destroying them along the way.

Heart pain after alcohol

The arteries themselves, depending on the amount of alcohol consumed, can narrow or widen, which also has a negative effect on the body. When the arteries narrow, the pressure in the circulatory system increases significantly, as a result of which the heart works several times more intensely than usual, and, accordingly, it also wears out much faster.

Another reason why the heart hurts after alcohol, even in small doses, is the presence in the human body of any pathology associated with the cardiovascular system, such as:

insufficiency of coronary vessels;
atherosclerosis;
ischemia;
cardiomyopathy.

In the presence of such diseases, the patient needs to completely abstain from beer, vodka, champagne, wine and other alcoholic beverages, since even a small amount of them can provoke serious complications of cardiac pathologies, leading to death.

Exacerbation of ischemia after drinking alcohol

Important! Very often, pain in the heart area occurs during chronic alcoholism, since prolonged exposure to ethanol on the organ causes its walls to become covered with a thick layer of fat. As a result of such deviations, the heart loses the ability to contract normally, and even in the absence of any physical activity, it works at full capacity. It should also be noted that after a binge, the drinker’s heart hurts precisely for this reason.

Associated symptoms of heart pain that occurs under the influence of alcohol

Heart pain after alcohol never occurs on its own; it is usually accompanied by a number of characteristic signs and symptoms, such as:

Shortness of breath (occurs even at rest).
Labored breathing. After drinking excessive amounts of beer, champagne and other alcoholic drinks that contain gases, a person may breathe heavily or even suffocate from suffocation.
Arrhythmia. In the presence of such a concomitant symptom, the heart usually tingles. Drawing and aching pains, as a rule, are not characteristic of arrhythmias.
Feeling of tightness in the chest area.

All of the above symptoms very often accompany heart pain during a hangover, and in some cases they may well provoke loss of consciousness in the drinker.

Shortness of breath as a concomitant symptom of heart pain after alcohol

You should also separately highlight symptoms such as arrhythmia and shortness of breath, since they are directly related to heart rate and blood pressure. In some cases, such abnormalities lead to a serious lack of oxygen in the brain, which, in turn, can trigger a stroke. Based on this, it follows that pain in the heart after alcohol can lead to death, so you should absolutely not ignore such symptoms.

Pain in the heart that occurs when alcohol affects other organs

There are many causes of heart pain from a hangover, and they are not always associated with the cardiovascular system. Often, for example, the heart hurts after drinking alcohol due to disorders in the liver, stomach or pancreas, which in fact is considered an equally alarming symptom.

Negative effects of alcohol on other organs

Of course, with the negative impact of alcohol on the above organs, their direct connection with the heart will not be observed, and the occurrence of heart pain from a hangover will only be an impulse received from the affected area. However, it is possible to determine exactly what causes chest pain only with the help of modern diagnostics.

Serious diseases resulting from the negative effects of alcohol on the heart

Among all the symptoms in which a person’s heart hurts from a hangover, arrhythmia is considered the most dangerous, since it has a direct connection with the heart and accurately indicates its unstable functioning. However, the heart hurts in different ways after alcohol, and depending on the nature of the pain, tentative conclusions can be drawn about the presence of a serious pathology in the body. For example, the most dangerous signs, along with anemia, are:

Pain that occurs suddenly in the sternum and lasts a short period of time.
Spontaneous fainting.
Constant dizziness. If a person has severe heart pain in this condition, it is recommended to immediately go to the hospital for professional help. Otherwise, the patient may die within a few days.
Attacks of shortness of breath that occur for no reason.
Cloudiness of mind. Alcoholic drinks cause hallucinations and feelings of causeless fear, panic. This condition most often occurs in people with serious alcohol dependence.

Important! If a person with a hangover has a heartache and experiences the above symptoms, he is advised to immediately contact ambulance, since most likely the patient begins to develop serious cardiac pathology.

Heart failure

The most common serious pathology that occurs in people who drink alcohol is heart failure. While drinking alcohol, the heart gradually collapses and ceases to cope with its natural purpose, as a result of which the rest of the human organs do not receive sufficient quantity blood.

In addition to the fact that a patient with heart failure has a heart ache after drinking alcohol, he may also experience other symptoms characteristic of this pathology, namely:

blue discoloration of some areas of the skin;
severe shortness of breath (most often occurs at night or in the morning);
formation of cold sweat on the forehead;
the appearance of foamy sputum on the lips.

With such symptoms, many people have a question: “What can I take so that my heart stops hurting so much and the other symptoms subside somewhat?” And the answer to it is quite simple: if such symptoms are detected, you should immediately call an ambulance, since if you delay the treatment of heart failure, the pathology will very soon lead to death. However, it is strictly not recommended to take any medications without consulting a doctor, as they can cause serious complications.

If a person’s heart hurts after heavy drinking, but no other characteristic symptoms are observed, in such a situation the following must be done:

Completely prohibit yourself from drinking any alcoholic beverages.
Measure blood pressure and take the necessary medications aimed at narrowing or dilating blood vessels (if the pressure is low, then the vessels must be narrowed, and if high, they must be dilated).
In the very near future, undergo an ECG and ultrasound of the heart to determine the cause of the pain.

Important! If the patient has a serious cardiac pathology, self-medication is not recommended under any circumstances. A course of therapy in such situations should be undertaken exclusively under the supervision of a doctor, otherwise the consequences of improper treatment can be irreversible, even death.

How does heart pain manifest? Defining characteristics and distinctive features

The role of the cardiovascular system in the functioning of the body cannot be overestimated. Due to her normal operation organs and tissues are saturated with oxygen and nutrients. Any failures are immediately reflected in the general condition of the body, the activity of its organs and systems.

The cardiovascular system is influenced by many factors.

These include:

ecology;
heredity and genetic predisposition;
lifestyle, including diet, nutrition and habits.

Among other things, the activity of the cardiovascular system is undermined by alcohol consumption. There are, of course, drinks moderate consumption which not only does not harm, but also has a beneficial effect on hematopoiesis, vascular activity and blood flow. Red wine and cognac can be considered relatively beneficial for the heart.

However, other drinks, including beer, strictly bad influence . It is beer that we will talk about in this article.

5 facts about the effect of the drink on the cardiovascular system

There is a common belief that beer is less harmful to the body than alcohol. strong varieties. Experts have repeatedly stated that this statement is wrong. Moreover, drinking beer is often not only more addictive, but also more harmful to the body. Why is beer dangerous for the cardiovascular system?

Beer consumption has a gradual effect on the body, leading to often irreparable consequences.

Increases the load on the heart muscle. Drinking beer increases the load on the heart. When consuming 2 liters of beer, the load volume approximately doubles, which has a significant impact on his condition. The main load falls on the left ventricle, which performs the function of pushing blood into the aorta.
Increases blood pressure. Constant load on the left ventricle leads to increased blood pressure and, as a consequence, to hypertension.
Promotes the development of atherosclerosis. Hypertension greatly increases the possibility of developing vascular atherosclerosis, which, in turn, is fraught with ischemic disease.
Increases the risk of other diseases. Following coronary disease, angina pectoris and heart failure appear, and the risk of myocardial infarction increases many times over.
Contains cobalt. The danger of beer is mainly associated, firstly, with the content of cobalt in the composition, which destroys the walls of the heart, and secondly, with the low alcohol content and, as a consequence, large volumes of consumption.

All the described problems eventually lead to the so-called “beer heart.”

Beer Heart Syndrome - what is it (PHOTO)

The effect of abuse of beer and drinks based on it leads to the so-called “Beer Heart”, which refers to the following symptoms and the presence of diseases:

Initially, the heart increases in size. The walls thicken and the mitochondria become smaller, causing disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system.
Development of myocardial dystrophy. Symptoms of myocardial dystrophy appear, associated with metabolic disorders. The process of tissue respiration is disrupted, pain in the heart is felt, with minor physical activity shortness of breath appears, fatigue increases, and signs of tachycardia are felt. At this stage, the disease is still reversible. Subsequently, atrophy of myocardial fibers occurs, for which in most cases there is no treatment. Heart failure develops.
Development of alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Changes in the structure of the heart muscle that occur under the influence of intoxication and the presence of cobalt lead to the onset of alcoholic cardiomyopathy. The disease is characterized by rapid development. In 3 weeks, an apparently healthy person actually becomes disabled. Symptoms, in addition to disorders of the cardiovascular system, include coughing, diarrhea, choking, pain in the abdomen and lungs. This stage is the final stage in the development of pathology caused by beer abuse. The life expectancy of such patients rarely exceeds 3 years due to the increased likelihood of cardiac arrest.

Check out the photo of the heart of a beer alcoholic:

Now let's talk about the symptoms of the disease.

Main symptom: chest pain after drinking an intoxicating drink

The difficulties of this disease are also associated with its low diagnostic ability. The symptoms are very similar to other cardiovascular diseases.

The key to a correct diagnosis is to inform your doctor about long-term abuse of beer and beer-based drinks.

Typically, the following symptoms are present:

increase in heart size in a person drinking beer
presence of heart failure
arrhythmia.

One of the symptoms of the disease may be characteristic pain in the heart area that occurs when drinking beer. If they occur, immediate contact with a specialist and complete abstinence from the drink are required.

For what diseases should you not drink it?

It is obvious that drinking beer with already identified cardiovascular diseases, is fraught with deterioration of the condition, an abrupt increase in pressure, the progress of existing diseases and the development of new ones.

Arrhythmia. Thus, with arrhythmia, drinking beer, in addition to placing a critical load on the heart muscle, contributes to a deterioration in the functioning of the central nervous system, causing fainting, dizziness, and impaired lung function.
Angina pectoris. Consumption of beer during angina pectoris is dangerous due to attacks and progression of the disease, since liver dysfunction due to alcohol intoxication prevents the removal of cholesterol plaques and contributes to the development of the disease that is the root cause of angina pectoris, that is, vascular atherosclerosis that occurs due to the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels.
Ischemia. With coronary artery disease, beer consumption greatly increases the risk of heart attacks, heart attacks and strokes.

Drinking alcohol in the presence of identified diseases of the cardiovascular system nullifies efforts to treat them. In addition, combining medications with alcohol is not allowed, since together they can lead to unforeseen consequences, for example, collapse when combining alcohol with medications designed to normalize blood pressure and vascular activity.

The harm of traditional snacks

Problems from beer consumption are also associated with low-quality snacks: chips, crackers, other fried and fatty food. In addition to the fact that such foods cause obesity, which also worsens heart rate, harm associated with high content salt, which contributes to increasing pressure due to swelling and increased water content in the body.

Another danger comes from eating it as a snack. smoked products. They often carcinogens present- cancer-causing substances. In addition, the load on the liver and kidneys increases, which further complicates the work of the heart due to the ever-increasing load on it.

What to replace - 5 options

Despite the obvious harm to the heart associated with drinking alcohol, there are alcoholic drinks, the consumption of which in small doses is more likely to benefit the body.

1. Dry red wine

The benefits of red wine are due to its beneficial effect on blood formation and the condition of the walls of blood vessels due to counteracting the deposition of cholesterol plaques on them and normalizing blood flow.

The impetus for studying the effect of wine on the heart was the so-called “French paradox”, formulated in the low mortality rate of the French from heart disease.

Consumption of 200 ml of dry red wine per day prevents the risk of developing atherosclerosis, hypertension and myocardial infarction, therefore it is a good alternative to beer.

2. Cognac

Cognac in small quantities has positive influence on the blood vessels of the brain, strengthens the heart muscle and promotes better absorption useful substances from the food eaten.

In addition, it is better to replace fatty meat with fats contained in nuts, since they provide more benefits and are not deposited on the walls of blood vessels. Among the most important nuts for the heart the following should be highlighted:

hazelnut;
hazelnut;
cashew nuts;
almond;
pistachios (low salt);
cashew nuts;
peanut;
Brazilian nut;
cedar;
hazel

5. Dried fruits

This is due to the high preservation of useful substances in them.

Fresh vegetables are useful only in season; the rest of the time, pesticides can be used to grow them; frozen and processed fruits lose a lot valuable qualities, while dried fruits allow the body to nourish them throughout the year.

Video on the topic

Now we invite you to watch the video:

Thus, to minimize harm to the body, alcohol consumed should be limited in quantity in accordance with the recommendations of specialists and consumed from drinks, the harm from which is largely devalued by the benefits for blood formation, blood vessels and the absorption of nutrients from products necessary for consumption to maintain and restoration of the function of the cardiovascular system.

Beer alcoholism (gambrinism) is a condition characterized by a pathological addiction to beer. In the international classification of diseases, this term is not considered as a separate diagnosis, but is used quite often in everyday life. Gambrinism has the same symptoms as addiction to other types of alcohol, but it is much more difficult to treat. This is due to the fact that beer is not perceived as a “real” alcoholic drink, which can be painfully addictive.

Causes of the disease

Addiction to beer develops much more slowly than to strong alcoholic drinks.

In the minds of many, a clear attitude has taken hold: “Beer is not alcohol!” It's not like that at all. Beer alcoholism does not provoke drunken fights, brawls and alcoholic coma. This drink has a calming effect on the body, so it is customary to drink a bottle or two at the end of a hard day at work. Over time, a psychological dominant is formed, which is based on the attitude “rest = beer.” The dose increases, palimpsests appear, and over time, stronger alcoholic drinks are mixed in.

Beer alcoholism is rapidly gaining momentum due to the widespread availability of this drink. Beer is inexpensive, and the media actively spread the myth that this drink promotes relaxation and quenches thirst. Also, beer production companies often organize promotions (two bottles for the price of one, a liter as a gift), which further contributes to its popularization.

Manifestations

Beer alcoholism develops over several years of systematic use.

At the beginning, there are no manifestations that would indicate a developing addiction: a person experiences relaxation and calmness after 1-2 bottles a day. But there are symptoms that can help determine the likelihood of beer alcoholism:

Drinking more than 1 liter of drink per day;
Slow growth of subcutaneous fat in the abdominal area, female-type fat deposition;
Restlessness and aggressiveness during periods when it is not possible to drink;
Weakness, frequent headaches;
Problems with potency;
Sleep rhythm disturbance (drowsiness during the day, wakefulness at night);
It is difficult for a person to relax without drinking beer;
The habit of drinking beer in the morning to get rid of a hangover.

Progressive beer alcoholism provokes significant fat deposition in the abdominal area in men. Beer itself is quite low in calories, but contributes to a sharp increase in appetite. And the snacks that are usually eaten with it (chips, crackers, nuts) contain great amount calories. And since large volumes of beer contribute to an increase in the volume of the stomach, the amount of food absorbed increases with the increase in fluid intake. Accordingly, the fact that beer makes your stomach grow is incorrect. Abdominal obesity comes from an abundance of unhealthy snacks.

Effect on hormonal profile

Beer alcoholism negatively affects the body of both men and women. This drink contains phytoestrogens. Of these, 10% are active forms, and 90% are latent. Only 30% of the population has the necessary bacteria in the intestines to activate these phytoestrogens. In addition to increasing the concentration of estradiol in male body, they reduce testosterone production by 7-10%. The following symptoms of male feminization appear: enlarged mammary glands, female-type fat deposition (abdomen, thighs), changes in the timbre of the voice and the appearance of hysterical notes in the character. Under the influence of estradiol, sperm production decreases, as well as their activity and motility. Accordingly, the likelihood of fertilization decreases, and as the condition progresses, infertility may develop.

In women, the symptoms are somewhat different: menstrual irregularities, lack of ovulation and, as a result, infertility. Excessive amounts of estradiol provoke the proliferation of vaginal epithelial cells and lead to an increased risk of developing cancer.

Bavarian heart

This is the most dangerous consequence of drinking beer. The cause of the “beer heart” was the addition of cobalt as a foam stabilizer. At the same time, the heart increases in size, its walls are wider than normal, and the cavities are dilated. The number of mitochondria in cardiomyocytes decreases, which leads to a decrease in the contractility of the heart muscle. The symptoms of this condition are the same as for heart failure: shortness of breath, chest pain, increased fatigue, palpitations, swelling. Beer alcoholism is also manifested by “nylon stocking” changes in the heart muscle.

Impact on other organs and systems

Photo of a human brain after autopsy. On the left is a healthy person, on the right is someone who abused alcohol.

The liver of a person who is addicted to drinking beer suffers no less than the heart. Long-term and systematic use of this drink causes alcoholic hepatitis, and in the future, cirrhosis of the liver. It occurs due to a discrepancy between the amount of incoming toxic substances and the filtration capacity of the liver. Alcohol destroys hepatocytes, reducing their number, and further reduces the barrier function of the liver.

Particular symptoms of beer abuse are pain in the epigastric region, loss of appetite and dyspeptic disorders. Ethanol irritates the gastric mucosa and leads to gastritis. Cobalt, which negatively affects the heart muscle, also causes colon cancer and nonspecific inflammatory bowel disease.

Beer, like any alcohol, destroys cells of the cerebral cortex and provokes the occurrence of progressive alcoholic encephalopathy. The consequences of this can be very different: from disruption of the functioning of various analyzers to the development of dementia.

Impact on the body of expectant mothers

There are no multiple answers to the question: “Can pregnant women drink beer?”

Pregnant women should not drink any type of alcohol, even in the smallest doses. Beer negatively affects the development of the fetus throughout pregnancy. First, it causes fetal hypoxemia, the symptoms of which appear during the development of the child and after birth. Secondly, it should be remembered that toxic substances are eliminated from the fetus’s body much more slowly than from the mother’s body. Children are born with insufficient weight, the degree of development of the musculoskeletal system. Drinking beer in the first trimester of pregnancy (the first 12 weeks from the moment of conception) provokes disruption of the development and formation of basic systems and organs, which subsequently leads to developmental delays, the formation of intrauterine defects, and in the worst cases, intrauterine fetal death. Beer consumption is the cause of fetoplacental insufficiency, which leads to a lack of nutrition for the fetus necessary products nutrition.

Women who continue to drink beer in the third trimester of pregnancy often suffer from withdrawal syndrome: tremors of the limbs, an irresistible desire to drink.

So-called non-alcoholic beer is also not an option for a pregnant woman. It contains alcohol, but minimum quantities. However, this may be enough for the fetus. To give such a product the taste and smell of real beer, it is widely used chemical additives and preservatives. They have an even more pronounced teratogenic effect than regular beer. Also, do not forget about the harmful effects of this drink on all other organs and systems of the expectant mother.

Based on this information, pregnant women should not even ask the question: “Can pregnant women drink beer?”

Therapy

Relatives of patients with beer alcoholism ask the doctor about how to stop drinking beer at home or using folk remedies. This is due to the fact that many people do not consider beer as alcohol, which can cause addiction. And beer alcoholism, accordingly, is a serious disease.

Beer alcoholism is very difficult to treat. The success of treatment is guaranteed by complete and immediate cessation of any alcoholic beverages. The patient must be explained the dangers of “cultural libations.” This is due to the fact that the metabolism is disturbed and the patient will never have a normal reaction to beer again.

Treatment includes both drug therapy and psychotherapeutic measures and should continue until all symptoms of the disease disappear

Prevention

Preventive measures should be carried out at different levels. This includes both personal prevention and prevention at the state level.

It is better to nip beer alcoholism in the bud, especially for young people, who are very susceptible to the influence of the media and the authority of friends.

Personal prevention is aimed at developing a conscious perception of oneself as an individual and part of society. A person must work on his personal and leadership qualities and willpower. It is also advisable to limit yourself from communicating with people suffering from alcoholism. After all, it’s better not to take this path than to later ask the question: “How to stop drinking beer?”

Prevention at the state level consists of promoting and popularizing a healthy lifestyle. Also good results brings a ban on advertising of alcoholic beverages and the sale of beer to minors.