Alcohol

Being a teacher I enter my classes and see the future, the coming generation, those who will form the society we will live in tomorrow. I look at them and I see an increase of loss of values, loss of orientation, loss of sense. All of these are visible via many symptoms among which a very alarming one is the increase of alcohol abuse among students. Not all are into drinking of course, but over the years the number of those who are, has remarkably grown. I have found this a bit disturbing, so I was prompted to do some research on it.

Almost all peoples on earth have ever since thousands of years produced alcoholic drinks, as those were known to disinhibit, to relax and intoxicate. Yet only in the Middle Ages and after developing the knowledge on how to store and distill alcohol, its importance as an available drug grew. In the 19^th century the abuse of alcohol became so severe that many measures were taken in European countries to decrease alcohol consumption. In the States this was the time of Prohibition. Today in many countries alcohol celebrates an almost unlimited availability. Some already consider it the number 1 drug.

In our societies many would drink "to your health" which is in fact funny enough as alcohol is known as cytotoxin, which has a harming effect on organs and organ systems. An acute and chronic alcohol abuse colors your face red and makes your lips and eyelids swell. It increases the risk of mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, colon and even breast cancer, causes heartburn and stomach ulcer, grows a fatty liver, promotes alcoholic Hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. Indicated pancreatitis, intestinal occlusion and kidney failure can equally finally lead to death. Alcohol abuse affects almost all blood vessels which then cause what is known as the drinker's nose or more harmfully hemorrhoids, varicose, arteriosclerosis or hypertension. Even the heart muscle is affected. Erythrocytes production is disturbed, wound healing is impaired. The damage caused on the nervous system shows up on numbness mainly of the legs, disorder of perception and muscle spasms. The memory is interrupted and so is fine movement, attention, ability to concentrate. Depressions are frequent and psychosis is a late consequence. Even the reproductive system is harmed by alcohol abuse as it goes with a loss in libido and fertility.