5.17 - Alcohol

The effects of alcohol

• Alcohol is a drug, and drinking too much of it harms the body.
• Most alcohol is broken down in the liver, where enzymes break the alcohol down.
• Some of the products of this breakdown are toxic, so the liver itself is damaged by dealing with alcohol.

Cirrhosis

1. Drinking heavily over a long period kills liver cells, and scar tissue forms in their place - this scarring is called cirrhosis.
2. As more of the liver becomes scarred:
   • Blood can no longer flow through it properly.
   • It can no longer carry out its normal job of cleaning the blood.
3. As a result, dangerous substances begin to build up and damage the rest of the body.

Other effects of heavy drinking

• Raised blood pressure
• Several types of cancer