Beer alcoholism is a term for a painful craving for beer. Although the concept is not an official diagnosis, this does not remove the severity of the problem. Beer abuse is not considered as a separate type of alcoholism, but it is recognized as the fastest and shortest path to alcohol addiction. The peculiarity of beer alcoholism is that it develops rapidly and gradually, since beer is considered a harmless low-alcohol drink and is not taken seriously by many.
This attitude towards beer is explained by the following reasons:
Advertising forms the idea of beer as a companion of an easy and successful life, an indispensable attribute of friendly meetings and feasts;
Society perceives a person with a bottle of beer calmly, the drinker is not fully aware of the danger;
The drink really has some relaxing effect and quite pleasant taste.
Beer alcoholism is considered by many to be less harmful to health than other types of addiction. Meanwhile, the disease is spreading rapidly, the number of people suffering from this disease is huge, while people do not believe that they need treatment.
It is very difficult to determine the presence of such a diagnosis in the early stages, later there are more clear indicators of a painful craving for beer.
Signs and symptoms of beer alcoholism
Signs of alcoholic beer addiction are in many ways similar to “vodka” alcoholism, since the point is not in the drink itself, but in the alcohol that it contains. But patients with a painful addiction to beer usually have a more neglected appearance at the time of contact with a specialist than lovers of stronger drinks.
Characteristic signs of beer alcoholism:
Loose body;
Overweight;
Noisy, heavy breathing;
bags under the eyes;
bluish complexion;
The presence of an unremovable specific smell of pickled apples or acetone, which indicates a violation of the functions of the pancreas, as well as an increased level of sugar in the blood.
In addition, such patients complain of weakness, pain in the lumbar region and right hypochondrium. In men, there is a sharp decrease in potency or its absence, there are problems with fertilization.
Under the influence of beer, the male hormone – testosterone – ceases to be produced and is replaced by a female one, which leads to the growth of the mammary glands in men, the expansion of the pelvis and the formation of obesity.
Symptoms of psychological dependence on beer are as follows:
The need for a constant increase in the dose of the drink to obtain the initial effect of its effects;
Frequent consumption of beer in large quantities;
Lack of access to a drink causes irritation, aggressiveness;
Intoxication is accompanied by loss of memory;
Control over the situation disappears, a person begins to drink beer regardless of the place, time and company;
Night insomnia is replaced by daytime sleepiness;
In the morning there is a desire to hangover;
Can’t relax, cheer up without beer;
It is not possible to reduce the volume of drinking, and it exceeds a liter per day.
Matching more than two points is a signal of the possible presence of the disease.
Withdrawal syndrome from drinking beer is similar to the usual hangover, but getting rid of its manifestations is much more difficult.
Here are some of them:
persistent diarrhea;
Poor health and extensive swelling;
Severe headaches.
For beer alcoholism, periods of binge drinking are not typical, but the patient is applied to the bottle several times a day, so the state of sobriety does not have time to set in, therefore, such people are intoxicated for weeks, months, and sometimes even years.
Consequences of beer alcoholism
Beer has a terrible destructive effect on the body. In terms of harmfulness, it can only be compared with moonshine, since only in them during alcoholic fermentation are the toxic compounds associated with alcohol preserved in full: fusel oils, aldehydes, methanol, ethers. It is worth considering that beer can contain up to 14% alcohol, so it is not always reasonable to consider it a low-alcohol drink. Addiction develops three times faster than when using another alcohol, and psychologically a person does not feel danger and does not struggle with addiction.
The consequences of the systematic abuse of beer affect all organs and systems of the body:
Heart – this organ greatly increases in size with beer alcoholism, there is even a special term “Bavarian heart”, which means that the heart walls and cavities have expanded, become thicker, and necrosis has developed in the heart muscle. This effect is explained by the high concentration of cobalt, which exceeds the norm by 10 times. A large volume of alcohol taken and its saturation with carbon dioxide negatively affects the work of the heart. Once in the body, beer literally overwhelms the circulatory system, causing expansion of blood vessels and the boundaries of the heart. A “kapron stocking” syndrome appears, in which the heart muscle significantly increases in size, becomes flabby, sags and pumps blood worse;
Brain – the cells of this organ die due to alcohol, enter the bloodstream, then the kidneys and are excreted in the urine. With beer alcoholism, the destructive effect is even greater than with the use of vodka, because in beer, in addition to other harmful substances, there is a semblance of cadaverine poison – cadaverine. The systematic use of a foamy drink reduces a person’s learning ability, intelligence indicators fall. Without proper treatment, beer alcoholism is fraught with dementia;
Nervous system – beer is different in that it contains psychoactive substances that can produce a slight stupefying effect. Consequently, a person is exposed not only to the effects of alcohol, but also to sedatives. Over time, without beer, it is impossible to relax and calm down. Doses of the drink grow, alcoholic excesses occur, memory deteriorates. Narcologists equate beer with drugs and note its ability to provoke aggressiveness, which explains numerous examples of beer gatherings ending with murders, fights, robberies and rapes;
Hormonal background – toxic substances and salts of heavy metals contained in beer change the endocrine system. The production of testosterone in men is suppressed, which leads to the feminization of the male population. Fat accumulates on the hips and sides, the mammary glands grow, the pelvis expands. Women who drink beer frequently are at risk of infertility or cancer. Their voices grow coarse and “beer mustaches” appear. If a nursing mother drinks beer, her child may begin to have epileptic convulsions;
Childbearing functions – beer alcoholism provokes changes in the testicles and ovaries. The seminiferous tubules are reborn and the connective tissues of the parenchyma of the testicles grow. The toxic effect on the adrenal glands inhibits the production of androgens, which are responsible for sexual desire, as a result, its decrease or complete absence is observed;
Digestive tract – his organs are in continuous tension, especially the liver. The systematic consumption of beer leads to a weakening of the infectious barrier, the occurrence of foci of inflammation and cirrhosis. “Palpable liver” is one of the most common symptoms associated with beer alcoholism. Ethyl alcohol irritates the mucous membranes of the stomach, provokes inflammation and gastritis. The self-defense mechanisms of the stomach try to cope with the situation and produce more mucus until they atrophy. As a result, digestion is disturbed, food stagnates in the intestines, causing severe pain. It has been proven that excessive consumption of beer contributes to the development of colon cancer;
Kidneys – beer has a pronounced diuretic effect and helps to flush out useful substances from the body: proteins, amino acids, trace elements and vitamins (for example, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C). This leads to numerous health problems. Violated under the influence of beer and acid-base balance, which causes the kidneys to work in emergency mode. This situation leads to the fact that the renal vessels become thinner and there is a threat of hemorrhage.
[Video] Narcologist Shurov V.A. – what is the harm from beer and the consequences of abuse?