Does Alcohol Abuse Impact Blood Pressure?
Blood circulation is important for health but nobody really think about how alcohol abuse and blood pressure are related. When taking into account the impact of alcohol on the brain and body, it is important to understand why excessive amounts of alcohol can impact the cardiovascular system, blood, and overall health. Learn more about the effects of alcohol on the body and how to navigate health challenges in recovery.
Effects of Drinking on Blood Pressure
Binge drinking, or drinking a lot of drinks in a short period of time, can impact a person’s health long term. Temporarily, they might experience hypertension in their blood but this temporary spike can set off a chain of events in the body that has devastating consequences. This may include hypertension, a dangerous condition where a person is at higher risk of stroke, heart attack, or death. Longer-term negative effects of excessive drinking over time, not just binge drinking, can include liver damage, hypertension that does not go away with quitting drinking, and heart failure. The body cannot sustain the level of toxins in the body from drinking and starts to experience heart issues over time. Cardiovascular systems may start to pump up which are linked to hypertension. Strokes, aneurysms, and artery diseases or blockages may occur due to blood vessels not being able to function properly.
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High blood pressure is only one symptom of a larger problem for people who drink too much. Heavy drinking can lead to average pressure increases in the blood and set off other issues in the body like liver disease, kidney issues, and mental health disorders for some people. It is not advisable for a person who has been drinking a long time just quit cold turkey because they may run the risk of harming their body in worse ways. Stopping cold turkey can put the body on high alert that something is wrong and lead to spikes in systolic and diastolic pressures in the arteries. Benefits to the body from medication may or may not be seen right away, if at all, if a person has been drinking too long. The key is to stop drinking before it gets to a point where a person has suffered irreversible damage to the arteries.
Alcoholism is a serious disease which needs support from professionals in most cases to recover. Alcohol abuse can derail a person’s life and recovery if they are not careful. They need to figure out how to ask for help and let go of denial. Family and friends are essential to this process. Medication can be given to deal with high blood pressure, mental health issues, and other health challenges associated with addiction. The key is to ask for help and start down the path of recovery as soon as possible.
The Palmetto Center is based on a Therapeutic Community model. We help people learn how to live free of addiction. Our community support provides structure while trained counselors offer life skills training and therapeutic techniques to help you move past addiction. Our program provides special focus for professionals including chiropractors, nurses, doctors, lawyers, and more who need help with addiction recovery. Call us to find out more: 866-848-3001.
