The English word ‘Alcohol’ comes from the Arabic ‘al-kuḥl’ which translates to ‘the kohl’. In early use, the term referred to powders, specifically kohl. Kohl is synonymous to Kajal, but the ingredients for the two are very different.
Some sources state that the Alcohol is a derivative of the Arabic ‘al-ġūl’ or ‘al-ġawl’. The Arabic ġūl refers to a desert demon believed to devour corpses. It is the origin of the English word ‘ghoul’. So, al-ġūl means ‘Body eating spirit’.
The mid-16th century French form of alcool, have been taken very seriously by today’s society, that it is “All Cool” to consume alcohol.
It is very easy to come across warnings that smoking cigarettes is injurious to health. Smoking scenes in movies and videos require to display a statutory warning.
And smoking marijuana (weed, pot, ganja or gāṁjā – whatever you want to call it) is a criminal offence in India.
But, it seems like alcohol has been ignored altogether. In reality, alcohol does far more damage to your cognitive functions and to your overall health.
Why is it so? The answer probably lies in the economics. As per a 2017 post in Forbes.com, India is the third largest alcohol market in the world, with an overall retail market size of ₹2,37,000 crore per year.
Expanding the number for a better perspective - ₹23,71,07,50,00,000.00/- only.
A global study has found that alcohol consumption in India has risen by a whopping 55% over a period of 20 years, from 1992 to 2012.
The Cycle
To tackle the stress of a hectic life, people have moved towards the support of various chemicals. Caffeine to keep you energized through the weekdays, nicotine to give you short kicks, alcohol in the weekend to forget the mundane week and curing the hangover on the Sundays. In order to be ready for the great circus. The show must go on…
In recent times, many people have developed this fatalistic philosophy that an intoxicant is essential to tide over the stress and anxieties in life.
A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2017, showed in details how brain problems are related to consumption of alcohol.
Among many other observations, the study found that the more people drank, the more atrophy occurred in the brain’s hippocampus. The hippocampus is a seahorse shaped structure in the brain that plays a key role in storing memories.
People who drank 17 standard drinks or more per week, were at the highest risk. Even people who drank in moderation saw an elevated risk of changes to cognitive functions.
Most of you must be aware of the damages it can do to your physical health. But, you may not realize the damage it can do your mental health. Any level of deterioration in mental health cannot be easily measured. Even if there are noticeable changes, people tend to attribute it to the natural aging process.
As mentioned earlier, alcohol does damage to the Hippocampus, which in turn is closely linked to many cases of depression. Also, depression can lead one to alcohol. This can form a vicious cycle.
Even moderate drinkers exhibit damage to the Hippocampus. It causes a host of problems such as Memory Loss, Blackouts, Slurred Speech and Blurred Vision.
Adverse Effects caused by Alcohol are due to –
- Oxidative Stress
- Generation of Free Radicals
- Depletion of Glutathione (GSH) – an important antioxidant capable of preventing damage to important cellular components.
- Damage to Mitochondria – the powerhouse of the cells.
- Increased Cytokine induced injury.
The Harmful Effects of Alcohol on the Body
When you drink alcohol, it is absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed across your body. No part of your body remains unaffected. It adversely affects almost every system.
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