How long does an alcoholic live: the effect of alcohol on the body, symptoms of liver cirrhosis, medical advice

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How long does an alcoholic live: the effect of alcohol on the body, symptoms of liver cirrhosis, medical advice
How long does an alcoholic live: the effect of alcohol on the body, symptoms of liver cirrhosis, medical advice

Video: How long does an alcoholic live: the effect of alcohol on the body, symptoms of liver cirrhosis, medical advice

Video: How long does an alcoholic live: the effect of alcohol on the body, symptoms of liver cirrhosis, medical advice
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The duration of human life depends on a large number of factors. As a rule, we are talking about the individual characteristics of the body and negative influences coming from outside. With regards to how many years alcoholics live. If you think logically, excessive passion for alcohol-containing drinks is the cause of the development of many pathologies, some of which, as a rule, end in death. But, according to statistics, it's not that simple. There are also long-livers among alcoholics. Below are the factors that affect the life expectancy of people who are addicted to drinking alcohol, as well as the main causes of death in these individuals.

Harmful addiction
Harmful addiction

Signs of alcoholism

It is important to understand that this is not just a bad habit. Alcoholism is a serious disease that is very difficult to treat. In medicine under this termis understood as an addiction to drinks that contain ethyl alcohol, against the background of the use of which an intoxication process develops in the body.

There are a large number of provoking factors under the influence of which a person becomes a drunken alcoholic. Conventionally, all causes can be divided into biological, psychological and social.

Clinical manifestations of the disease depend on the stage of the disease. At the initial stage of development, a person consumes alcoholic beverages in order to relieve stress. The dosage is still small (1-2 glasses), but regular. Gradually, a person gets used to the daily use of alcoholic beverages. Imperceptibly 1-2 glasses or glasses turn into 3-4. The situation becomes dangerous when there is always a bottle of alcohol at home or at work, tucked away in case of a stressful situation.

Over time control over the dosage is lost. At the same time, drinks are getting stronger, wine or champagne is no longer suitable in order to relax. The person becomes conflicted and extremely irritable. This stage is a fine line. A person can stop and stop drinking, or he turns into a drunken alcoholic. At this time, any factor can become a provoking factor: a quarrel in the family, dismissal from work, etc.

At the second and third stages, the patient may develop the following alcohol syndromes:

  • "Delirium tremens". Most frequently diagnosed. In medicine, this syndrome is called "alcoholic delirium". Comes with the use of vodka. Usually,"Delirium tremens" occurs in middle-aged people suffering from alcoholism for more than 10 years. The syndrome develops rapidly. The first symptoms of delirium are: insomnia, excessive sweating, tremors, incoherent and rapid speech, mood swings, increased heart rate, hallucinations. As for the latter, alcoholics most often see images of animals or dead people. When hallucinations occur, patients feel fear, they try to defend themselves. At this time, alcoholics become socially dangerous, as they destroy everything in their path and get lost in space. The duration of this condition can vary from 2 days to a week. Sometimes the delirium tremens drags on.
  • Alcoholic hallucinosis. This syndrome is the second most frequently diagnosed. It is characterized by the occurrence in patients of various kinds of hallucinations, mainly during the period of falling asleep at night. Alcoholics hear intimidating voices that can frighten, insult, or even order them to do something. Against this background, patients develop persecution mania. The duration of hallucinosis is, on average, 2-4 days.
  • Alcoholic delusional psychosis. Occurs the least. The main symptom of the syndrome is paranoia. Patients are sure that they want to kill, rob, etc. Husbands are often sure that their wives are unfaithful to them. At the same time, clear pictures of adultery appear in the head of an alcoholic, they become obsessed. The behavior of such people is aggressive.

After drinking alcohol-containing drinks, signs of damage gradually appearheart, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and nervous system.

Regular drinking
Regular drinking

The effect of alcohol on the body

Dangerous addiction cannot but affect he alth. How many years alcoholics live is largely determined by the degree of damage to organs and systems.

Consequences of drinking alcohol:

  • Violation of the heart and blood vessels. It is diagnosed in 95% of drinking people. At the initial stage of the development of the disease, disorders are found in 37% of alcoholics. The constant intake of ethanol in the body provokes the development of dystrophy and obesity of the heart muscle. It becomes flabby and ceases to contract normally. With regards to how long, on average, alcoholics (and smokers) who suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system live. According to statistics, such people most often die at the age of about 50 years. The main causes of death are stroke and heart attack, provoked by the use of drinks containing ethyl alcohol.
  • The defeat of the digestive system. The main "blow" takes on the liver, pancreas and intestines. As a rule, the following pathologies are diagnosed in alcoholics: beriberi, persistent diarrhea, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic necrosis, hepatitis, cirrhosis, ascites, jaundice, liver cancer. Regarding how long an alcoholic lives with damage to the gastrointestinal tract. The most dangerous conditions are pancreatic necrosis and cirrhosis. In the first case, we are talking about the necrosis of pancreatic cells. In a similar situation, a lethal outcome occurs in 5-10 years.regular consumption of alcoholic beverages. Most often, alcoholics have cirrhosis of the liver. Symptoms of the disease: pain in the right hypochondrium (their intensity increases during binge), dryness of the oral mucosa, bitter taste in the morning, bloating, skin and sclera become yellowish, a sharp decrease in body weight, a venous network appears, swelling of the extremities, nausea, vomiting. With regards to how long alcoholics live with cirrhosis of the liver. This is a precancerous condition, the prognosis of which depends on several factors. In the stage of decompensation, only a fifth of patients live more than 5 years. Half of alcoholics with a compensated form have existed for more than 10 years. Cirrhosis, which is a consequence of alcoholic hepatitis, has a more favorable prognosis. Doctors have determined that the minimum life expectancy for this disease is 3 years.
  • Kidney damage. It can occur in both acute and chronic forms. Most often, alcoholics are diagnosed with pyelonephritis and glomerulonephritis. Urine in patients becomes dark, its volume is significantly reduced. The most dangerous are the consequences of the use of perfume liquids (for example, cologne). In this case, kidney failure most often develops. Regarding how long an alcoholic lives with this disease. Mortality in this case is extremely high. Lethal outcome occurs very quickly. This is due to the fact that against the background of renal failure, strokes and heart attacks occur three times more often. If an organ transplant is necessary, this usually does not happen, becausehow alcoholics choose not to seek medical help.
  • Violation of the nervous system. Every third drinking person is diagnosed with polyneuropathy. This is a condition characterized by a decrease or complete loss of sensitivity. A person's muscles weaken, his gait becomes shaky and uncertain.

Thus, ethyl alcohol has a powerful negative effect on the body. At the same time, how long, on average, an alcoholic lives, directly depends on the degree of damage to the systems.

Cirrhosis of the liver
Cirrhosis of the liver

Statistics

The Russian Federation occupies the 4th position in the ranking of countries with a drinking population. About 3 million alcoholics have been identified in the Russian Federation, and this is only according to official statistics. 85% of road accidents are caused by drunk drivers. The life of a third of alcoholics is cut short by an accident. In 17 and 14 percent, respectively, cirrhosis and heart disease become the cause of death.

Factors affecting the life expectancy of alcoholics

In the past, a long and large-scale study was conducted, in which 2,000 people of pre- and retirement age took part. The purpose of the experiment is to find out how long an alcoholic who drinks every day lives. The duration of the study was 20 years.

The results of the experiment, at first glance, are stunning:

  • Persons who drank alcohol frequently but in moderation were long-lived.
  • The lives of alcoholics ended a few years early.
  • The first to die were people whodid not drink any drinks containing ethyl alcohol.

It is important to understand that how many years drunken alcoholics live is influenced by a number of social factors. The results of this experiment only at first glance indicate the benefits of small doses of alcoholic beverages.

The long life of a drunkard is usually surprising to others. But there are reasons for this:

  • A person drinks a lot, but he gets extremely expensive and high-quality drinks.
  • An alcoholic eats a lot during a feast.
  • The human body is so heavily intoxicated that the tissues become simply immune to the vital activity of infectious agents.
  • Stressful situations have been proven to shorten life expectancy. Alcoholics, as a rule, experience indifference to everything, due to which their psycho-emotional state is stable in most cases.

According to statistics, there are few centenarians among teetotalers. But this is due to a large number of diseases that are getting younger every year and pose a serious threat to he alth. In addition, among the teetotalers there are many people who have given up harmful addictions. Even after successful treatment for alcoholism, the life expectancy of such people is reduced.

There are several more factors that pose a danger to a person who consumes alcohol-containing drinks. If an alcoholic is in a state of intoxication, his life can be cut short due to:

  • Fight, stabbing. Manyaddicts die during quarrels and fights.
  • accident. A drunk person is a danger not only to himself, but also to other road users.
  • Domestic injuries.
  • Accidents. An alcoholic misperceives reality, especially during hallucinations.

Separately worth highlighting suicide. Paranoia, delirium tremens, schizophrenia are just a small list of provoking factors that push a person to commit suicide.

Bad habit
Bad habit

How long do alcoholics live

As mentioned above, there are many factors involved. There are no statistics on the basis of which it is possible to accurately determine how long an alcoholic lives, whether he drinks every day or abuses from time to time.

Alcoholic drinks are poison anyway. Almost half of the visits to doctors are associated with the occurrence of diseases, the development of which is provoked by the regular use of alcohol. In addition, every third person dies precisely because of their addiction.

Regarding how long an alcoholic lives if he drinks every day. In most cases, death occurs at 45-55 years of age. At the same time, a quarter of all alcoholics do not live up to this age.

An exception to the rule are centenarians. There are few of them among alcoholics. Life expectancy increases if a person consumes exclusively high-quality alcoholic beverages, and his diet is balanced. In addition, the following factors are critical:

  • High pain threshold.
  • Decrease in blood viscosity.
  • Stress resistance.
  • Strong immunity.

So how long does a drunken alcoholic live if all of the above conditions are met? As a rule, such people die between the ages of 70 and 75.

Separately, you should pay attention to drinks made from hops and m alt. There is no term “beer alcoholism” in narcology, but in practice a large number of people suffer from it. It is important to remember that this drink also contains ethyl alcohol. Even if you drink only beer, alcohol tolerance will still increase.

The consequences of drinking this drink are also sad. Most often, the following pathologies are diagnosed in beer alcoholics:

  • Heart muscle damage.
  • Obesity.
  • Precancerous condition of the liver (how long alcoholics with cirrhosis live is described above).
  • Increased production of female sex hormones. The natural consequence is the expansion of the pelvis and the growth of the mammary glands.
  • Colon cancer.

Regarding how long beer alcoholics live. Under adverse social and living conditions, they usually die at the age of 55-60 years. With the use of quality drinks and good nutrition, this period increases, on average, by 10 years.

beer alcoholism
beer alcoholism

Top causes of death for female drinkers

In narcology, alcoholism is usually divided by gender. According to statistics, every 8th woman who abuses alcohol suffers from cancer. Atthis most often affects the mammary glands and organs of the reproductive system.

Death also often occurs for the following reasons:

  • Depletion of the body.
  • Pathologies of the liver and gallbladder of a chronic nature.
  • Diseases of the nervous system resulting from the death of brain cells.

Regarding how long female alcoholics live. From the moment of addiction, death occurs, on average, after 10 years.

Top causes of death for male drinkers

Stronger sex who abuse alcohol-containing drinks live longer than women. The main causes of their deaths:

  • Cancer of the digestive system.
  • Stroke, heart attack.
  • Oral cancer.
  • Diseases of the kidneys and liver.
  • Pathologies of the brain.

As for how long male alcoholics live, the statistics are disappointing. If the disease is at the initial stage of development, doctors predict death at the age of 45-50 years. If we are talking about binge chronic disease, this period is reduced by about 10 years.

Regarding how long male alcoholics live if the disease is in the last stage. In such situations, the body is destroyed so much that it is impossible to restore it by any means. In this case, the forecast is a maximum of 2-3 years.

Narcologist's consultation
Narcologist's consultation

How to get rid of addiction: medical advice

If a person has realized the harm of alcohol, he has already set foot on the path of correctionsituations. In such cases, it is important not to doubt, but, overcoming all difficulties, get rid of the disease.

Doctors advise to adhere to the following algorithm of actions:

  • It is recommended to look for motivation in every little thing. For example, after giving up alcohol, the situation in the family improved.
  • Seek help from a narcologist. It is very difficult to overcome alcoholism on your own. With the help of modern methods, the doctor can easily get out of binge.
  • Change social circle. If friends or colleagues abuse alcohol, the chances of recovery are extremely small.
  • If the craving for alcohol is unbearable, it is allowed to take medications that cause disgust for it. Examples of funds: "Kolme", "Biotredin".

The most important thing is faith in one's own strength. It is also important to talk with your loved ones so that in difficult times they provide psychological support.

How to prolong the life of an alcoholic

Many addicts are afraid of scary statistics. Their loved ones are also often horrified by the data on how long alcoholics live if they drink (both men and women). Everything is not so sad if addicted people have started the process of rethinking the situation.

The first step is to give up alcohol completely. At this stage, the help of doctors and the support of loved ones is very important. In the future, it is necessary to cleanse the body and take all possible measures to restore it. It is important to cure all existing diseases and follow the principles of a he althy lifestyle.

Getting rid of alcoholism
Getting rid of alcoholism

In conclusion

Alcoholism is a dangerous disease. Against the background of the use of alcohol-containing drinks, body tissues are destroyed. With regards to how many years alcoholics live. Men tend to die between the ages of 45 and 55. In women, death occurs, on average, 10 years after the development of addiction. There are also long-livers among alcoholics. But even they rarely "hold out" to 75 years. A large number of factors affect the life expectancy of an alcoholic, the main ones being social conditions.

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