We all enjoy a drink now and then, but when drinking becomes excessive – more than 5 drinks in 2 hours for men or 4 for women – it leads to a cascade of physiological and mental health concerns.
While many may understand the invisible effects of alcohol, how it takes a toll on the brain, liver, pancreas, and heart, the visible effects are surprisingly overlooked. This can be because they are mistaken for other health-related issues or are considered too trivial to pay attention to. But when you look closely, within yourself or a loved one, these visible effects can tell a deeper story, allowing you or a loved one to seek the care you need and deserve.
Why Alcohol Affects the Body Physically?
It is very challenging to stop at just one drink. But the effects of alcohol on your brain and body begin with one drink, even if you do not notice it. But it is when drinking becomes heavy and chronic that it takes a serious toll on the body. As alcohol is broken down by the liver, excessive alcohol can lead to inflammation and scarring of the liver, an irreversible and potentially fatal condition. In fact, it can even increase blood pressure and damage the heart. Furthermore, heavy alcohol use or alcohol use disorder has also been linked with several cancers of the mouth, esophagus, breast, liver, colon, and rectum.
While this takes time to notice, more visible physical signs of alcoholism on the face, skin, and body are also a matter of concern.
Physical Signs of Alcoholism – Face
Flushing of the Skin – Your face is the most visible part of your body. The physical signs of alcoholism in the face also become most noticeable first. Alcohol contains toxins known as acetaldehydes – these toxins build up in the body and cause the blood vessels to dilate, which is why the redness is quite visible on the face.
Eyes – As with the blood vessels in the skin, blood vessels in the eye can also dilate, giving rise to infamous bloodshot eyes.
Dental Changes – Alcoholism leads to poor dental hygiene, resulting in rotting and delicate teeth. It can also lead to tooth decay.
Dehydration – As alcohol dehydrates your body every time you drink, your face can soon begin to look too dry, puffy, and wrinkly way ahead of time.
Physical Signs of Alcoholism – Skin
The physical signs of alcoholism are noticeable on the skin rather quickly as well. After all, the skin is the largest organ in the body, and alcoholism is known to hit the different organs of the body the hardest. As we told you before, acetaldehydes dilate the blood vessels in your body. Over a period of excessive drinking, these vessels keep dilating, leading to spider veins in the body.
Alcoholism also dehydrates the body every time you drink, which means that the skin on the body will begin to look dry and wrinkly, just like the skin on the face.
In fact, one of the biggest tell-tale signs of liver damage due to alcohol is visible on the skin. While liver damage does not become immediately noticeable, its effects can be felt on the skin. Jaundice is a sign of liver troubles where the skin becomes yellowish in color because of the build-up of bilirubin in the body, present in bile, which is a fluid produced by the liver to aid digestion.
Broader Physical Signs of Alcoholism Beyond the Skin and Face
Neurological Changes – Alcoholism changes the brain structure and functioning, leading to visible neurological symptoms like tremors, shaky hands, and impaired coordination.
Weight Changes – One serving of alcohol contains an estimated 100-150 calories. Excessive drinking leads to weight gain and other changes in physical appearance, like a beer belly and bloating.
Malnutrition – Alcohol depletes the body of its nutrients, and the person often prioritizes alcohol over food. So it leads to malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies.
Hair – As the body becomes depleted of its nutrients, the hair begins to lose its shine and quality. It becomes dry and brittle.
Immune System – Alcohol weakens the immune system, which leads to a greater risk of infections. This means wounds take time to heal and, in some cases, this can lead to sores or abscesses over the body.
Disheveled Appearance – As alcoholism takes over life, a person neglects everything in favor of alcohol. This means a lack of hygiene and self-care, leading to a shabby, disheveled appearance.
When Physical Signs May Indicate a Serious Problem
Alcoholism may leave invisible scars, but visible signs can be just as telling about what’s happening inside your body. Take the liver for example. It is a miraculous organ, known for its recovery threshold. However, this does not mean it can go on forever. Jaundice is one of the signs of liver damage caused by alcoholism. When you find changes in the skin tone, like the yellowing of the skin, do not dismiss it. Look deeper.
Other signs like spider veins, wounds, sores, abscesses, poor dental hygiene, and consistent disheveled appearance must not be dismissed as signs of some general sickness either. They are indicators of what alcoholism is doing to the brain and body, day by day, with every drink.
If you observe these signs in yourself or a loved one, it is important to:
- Educate Yourself: The more you know, the better it is. Your understanding of alcoholism best helps you to communicate and seek care.
- Open Communication: Foster open communication where you listen to your loved one and understand their underlying problems instead of confronting or blaming them.
- Encourage/Seek Treatment: Knowing when to seek treatment is a brave step in itself. But you may need to contact licensed and trained mental health specialists like psychotherapists and psychiatrists for more practice advice and direction.
Can These Physical Signs Be Reversed?
Alcoholism can make you feel like you are caught in a spider’s web, out of which there is no escape. It chips away at your mind and body little by little, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Severe as this sounds, it does not have to be this way. Alcoholism or alcohol use disorder can be effectively treated with medically supervised detoxification (detox), psychotherapy, medication management, and social support. When you receive personalized care for alcoholism, you can begin to move toward recovery and sobriety.
In sobriety, you immediately notice that you are losing weight in the absence of all those alcohol calories. Moreover, when you drink plenty of water and other electrolyte beverages to keep your body hydrated, your skin and hair begin to look healthy as well.
Nutrition in recovery is one of the prime things that your doctor will look into. As you regain those lost nutrients with a nutritious diet and begin to exercise, your body will begin to heal. Your liver begins to repair itself, and so does your immune system. Furthermore, your heart health will also improve. When the body begins to heal on the inside, it will show on the outside as well. Bloodshot eyes, wounds, sores, abscesses, shaky limbs, and gait – all of these signs will slowly subside over time.
Listen to What Your Body Is Telling You
Do not ignore what your body is telling you – please listen. What you may dismiss as temporary physical signs of alcoholism can indicate a deeper problem of misuse and dependence.
The signs of alcoholism are physical, too. If you or someone you know is showing these signs, then recovery is never too early or too late. Take the first step and reach out to Skyline Recovery today. We are here for you in this journey – to the end and beyond!
