Although smoking is best known for causing lung cancer, this habit is also among the biggest threats to your skin. Next to sun and chemicals, tobacco is one of the major accelerators of your skin natural aging process, and it is thought to be one of the fastest acting threats. Young people start showing signs of early skin aging after as little as 10 years of smoking. If you think this is a long period of time, you should keep in mind that many young people start smoking in their teen years (16-19 year olds) and are still below 30 when the first signs appear. Smoking causes the narrowing of blood vessels throughout your body, including those that supply the outermost layers of the skin with oxygen and nutrients. Thus, your skin is slowly starved of vital oxygen and other substances, such as immunity-boosting Vitamin A. Alcohol has a similar effect by destroying the body supply of Vitamin A. This will lower the role of skin as the first line of defense against bacteria and infections.
Alcohol is often mentioned in one breath with drugs, especially when the subject is abuse or addiction. More often, alcohol is referred to as a separate substance and in fact, its abuse is often discussed separately from that of drugs. But can alcohol be considered a drug? Drug defined: If a textbook definition is used, a drug may be defined as a substance that has an effect on living cells and their function and is also used for medical purposes for the diagnosis, prevention and cure of disorders and diseases. As such, alcohol may not be considered as a drug since it is not used directly to effect a cure. However, it is also a substance that can have similar effects to drugs to disinfect, act as an analgesic, a tranquilizer or rarely, a stimulant. The link between alcohol and drugs: Alcohol is said to possibly be a contributor to health as some are some drugs, but alcohol, like some drugs can be addictive. When used in moderate amounts, alcohol has been said to improve cardiovascular health. However, health experts discourage non-drinkers to start drinking alcohol for the sole reason of benefiting the heart. They recommend that other methods such as exercising and eating a good diet, should be considered as the first line of defense.
The body responds to a perceived stressor by releasing hormones into the body. These hormones are adrenaline and cortisol. They give the body a boost of energy and mobilize the body’s immune, nervous and cardiovascular systems for increased activity. The aim is to get the body to adapt to a situation, that could be physical, like an illness or wound, or could be mental like a bout of depression or anxiety. After the body perceives that the stressor has been dealt with, the hormones are reduced and the body goes back to it’s normal state. This is known as homeostasis. This is the goal of the multitude of systems, specifically the nervous system, that are responsible for running the the body. When there is confusion in the body as to when to return to homeostasis, the secretion of adrenaline and cortisol continue. If this continues for any length of time, the metabolism of the body can change, the cardiovascular system can be overworked and prone to illness and the immune system can become confused and start acting abnormally or sluggishly. All this is bad news for the individual involved and can lead to health problems.
Alcohol can also lead to: Dementia – memory loss, rather like Alzheimer’s dementia. Psychosis – long- term drinkers can start to hear voices. Dependence – if you stop drinking, you get withdrawal symptoms such as shaking, nervousness and (sometimes) seeing things that aren’t there. Suicide – 40% of men who try to kill themselves have had a long- standing alcohol problem. – 70% of those who succeed in killing themselves have drunk alcohol before doing so. What is the connection between depression and alcohol? We know that there is a connection – self-harm and suicide are much more common in people with alcohol problems.
There are ways to recognize people who have alcohol problems. If you are concerned about your drinking habits or those of someone close to you, here are a few ways to determine if alcohol is indeed a problem: If you are a woman who has more than seven drinks a week or more than three drinks at a party, bar or celebration, you may be drinking too much. The same is true for a man who has more than 14 drinks a week or more than four drinks at a party, bar or celebration. For those over 65, more than seven drinks a week or three drinks per occasion could mean you are drinking too much. Think that you or a loved one or friend may be in the drinking heavily category? If you are a woman who is drinking more than three drinks every day or 21 drinks per week, the answer is, “yes.” Men who consume more than five drinks a day or thirty-five a week also fit into the drinking heavily category.
Economic factors greatly affect a person’s drinking patterns. High profiled businessmen drink at their exclusive men’s club. Suburban dwellers drink at home parties with friends, family and neighbors. There are those who drink at local taverns. Even culture affects a person’s predisposition to alcoholism. Studies show that the Irish and the Poles are among the cultural group with the highest incidence rate of alcoholism in the United States. The Italians, Greeks and Jews on the other hand show the least number of alcoholics despite their heavy alcohol consumption. People in specific work groups have also shown high incidences of alcoholism. These include bartenders, night-club operators, liquor salesmen and seamen. The list of people who have been lured by alcohol can go on and every year the number is rising. It is your responsibility to say no and not become part of the statistics. Personal discipline and awareness can be your guiding rule. Countless homes and happy families have been ruined by irresponsible drinking. Alcoholism has taken so many successful careers, happy marriages and promising futures. Alcoholism at its worst has taken great many lives most often innocent ones.
There are psychical and mental diseases. Alcoholism and drug addiction are mental diseases. It falls into the category of obsession – compulsion disorder. Is O.C.B. classified as a disease? There is evidence of studies that has been going on for years that show it can be hereditary. Studies in the 90′s show there is a gene that predisposes one to be a alcoholic, but they have a chose. Sometimes all it takes is a few times drinking to unleash the obsession, the compulsion to have a drink comes next. Over time that O.C. becomes stronger and they give up the ability to stop on their own. Some people do stop on their own, very few, most continue on the road where their lives are centered on getting and using more. They may cover it up with denial,that “I can handle it” or ” I can stop when I want to”, as they pour another drink. Some people feel they control their drinking by only having a few when they come home from work, but through out the day that’s all they think about (obsession) the compulsion is when they come home from work “to unwind”, and they may do this for years and never miss work and their life is not unmanageable, They are called functional alcoholics. Over time they will be taking “liquid lunches”, just a few to hold them over, or it may be in their desk,locker or car. It is not a personality or weak will person as to why they drink. Look how many presidents, C.E.O.’s, famous people are alcoholics.?
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