Beer Addiction: Its Effects and Recovery

Last Updated: August 7, 2019

Beer Addiction and Side Effects

The beer has been around for quite a while, and although the alcoholic drink is just better refined these days and sold in much more acceptable packaging, it’s nearly as old as the modern man. From the taverns in the castles of old to the pub and bars of today, beer has always been around.

Considered by some to be the most widely consumed drink in the world, beer is made by a process called brewing which involves the fermentation of the starch content of materials, usually grains of cereal. Most producers of beer are fond of using malted barley for their fermentations, but there are alternate sources of the starch in food crops such as rice, wheat, corn, etc.

Drinking beer can have moderate health benefits, such as:

• Antioxidants in beer help prevent heart diseases and infections
• Its silicon content prevents Alzheimer’s disease and promotes bone health
• Regulates blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke
• Lowers blood cholesterol level
• Lowers the risk of developing diabetes
• Yeast content helps treat dandruff infections

Beer is alcoholic in nature and the effects of beer alcoholism are not lost on a lot of people but are the effects just restricted to that – the alcoholism and the hangover after?  Many studies seem to think this is not the case, with some extolling it for its great benefits while others are condemning it and consider it something to be rid of, even going as far as urging people to give it up entirely.

Benefits of Beer

The advocates for beer have undergone extensive research to highlight various reasons why beer is beneficial to our health. This has succeeded in altering some perspectives on beer and beer consumption. These reasons are valid provided that beer is consumed moderately at about one can of beer daily. This way, it is believed, you would be keeping beer alcoholism in check and enjoy only the positive effects without developing an alcoholic behavior. Some of the health benefits of beer are:

  • Beer is very instrumental in the reduction of heart disease and infections because it contains natural antioxidants.
  • Beer is one of the proven ways to prevent Alzheimer’s disease because of the high silicon content which shields the brain from the effects of blood aluminum.
  • Beer consumption lowers the risk of diabetes because alcohol increases the insulin activity of the body.
  • It could help in the prevention of the formation of kidney stones. However, one should be aware of the effects of binge drinking.
  • The Risk of cancer is minimized with consumers of the product.
  • Beer drinkers usually have low levels of cholesterol compared to non-consumers.
  • Beer is a natural manager of human blood pressure.
  • Due to the silicon content in beer, bone health is guaranteed.
  • High yeast content makes beer a natural treatment (and natural predator) to your dandruff infections.
  • It helps in reducing the rate of stroke incidences in its consumers.

Sure enough, these studies have just focused on only the moderate drinkers of beer and not on those that consume can after can to the point of beer alcoholism. This means that there is very wide room for anomalies to arise from excessive consumption of beer. It is important to know them to prevent alcohol addiction.

Negative Effects of Beer

 

It is common knowledge that beer has a way of making fools of people that is very peculiar. While there would be the argument that every other brand of alcohol does the same thing, beer has its own funny way of messing with the human body both physiologically and psychologically. Asides from some of the benefits that can accrue from beer consumption, beer can have equally negative effects on the health and some of the most critical ones are hereby highlighted:

  • Inducing low blood sugar into the blood system which results in weight gain.
  • Loss of body fluid leading to dehydration.
  • Filling you up with empty calories.
  • Barley from beer is injurious to the health of celiac disease sufferers.
  • Simulation of illness by the body the day after consumption (the hangover).
  • Impairment of motor skills of the consumer which could lead to falls, trips, and other accidents, or worse, death.
  • The increment of the acid reflux of the body.
  • Simulation of false strength and courage in the consumer that can lead to making dangerous decisions.
  • Developing alcohol tolerance.

Short-term effects of drinking beer include:

• Low blood sugar level
• Dehydration
• Filling up the body with empty calories
• Barley content can be harmful to celiac disease sufferers
• Hangover
• Motor skill impairment
• Acid reflux
• Feeling of false strength and courage that leads to dangerous decision-making

The long-term effects of drinking beer include:

• Reduces activity of the central nervous system
• Attention and coordination impairment
• Acid reflux and heartburn
• Elevated blood pressure
• Abdominal obesity or also known as “beer belly”

The Downsides of Drinking Beer

How to Cure Beer Addiction

Beer, like any other alcoholic drink, can be very addictive and after what can be seen about the negative effects of beer, a lot of heavy beer drinkers usually want to get out of their unhealthy habit but find this virtually impossible because they have become addicted to the product already, which is especially widespread in college drinking communities. They find it very hard to stop outright or significantly reduce their intake but no matter how hard this might seem, there is actually hope because, with proper research and studies, it has been shown that beer addiction can actually be cured.  To stop drinking beer or to reduce one’s consumption, a very realistic plan that one could follow advises to:

  • Remove all materials and things that could tempt you into drinking some more beer from your home and offices. This includes the bars and bar wares too.
  • Let people around you know what you are doing. This way, they would be able to keep a monitoring eye on your progress and also assist you in your goal by not suggesting you have a beer with them, for example.
  • Make your new stand clear by declaring your home and other personal spaces off limits for the consumption of beer. You could even take it up a notch by refusing to attend events where beer is freely served.
  • Be wary of the people you socialize with because peer pressure could easily lure you back down that path.
  • If you have tried to give up drinking beer before, review your previous plans to stop drinking beer and see what worked and what didn’t. Make reflections also on the negative effects of the beer to your health and let them be motivation for you.
  • If all of these personal steps don’t seem to work due to the seriousness of the beer addiction, there are other options that involve checking into help centers where the addiction can be tackled by professionals.

Recovery is a long hard road and it will take dedication and commitment to finally get to the point where your beer addiction is gotten rid of but it is certainly a worthwhile endeavor. There are many treatments for alcoholism and anyone can find the approach that fits their needs. The alcohol rehab centers provide various approaches to the recovery. One of the most popular methods is an alcohol outpatient treatment. The patients do not need to reside in the facility, they just come to visit the counselor or one of the alcohol support groups.

Author

Marixie Ann Manarang-Obsioma

Content Writer

Marixie Ann Manarang-Obsioma is a licensed Medical Technologist (Medical Laboratory Science) and an undergraduate of Doctor of Medicine (MD). She took her Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Technology at Angeles University Foundation and graduated with flying colors.

The combination of having a good medical background, being a mom, and wanting to help people, especially the elderly has cultivated her passion for working in remote areas with love and compassion.
Marixie likes to travel, read, and watch movies.


Medical review by Brian Obodeze

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