Drinking is known to be a social activity one can do with friends, peers, and even family. We do it during lively gatherings, a night out on the town, or just as a means to have fun. After all, unwinding with alcohol and good talk with friends can be a great way to release stress and have a bit of enjoyment before another stressful day at work or at home.
When drinking is coupled with driving, though, circumstances can change and things can take a turn for the worse. You may have heard that drunk driving is a serious offense in a lot of states, and driving while intoxicated and driving under the influence have serious penalties under the rule of law.
However, if you are having a hard time coming to terms with exactly why drunk driving is highly discouraged, perhaps it might be helpful to look at it from a legal perspective and from a health perspective. If you have driven drunk before and you think it’s something you can do every now and then then it is important to realize that there are especially intense repercussions that this may have on your health.
Below are the top five long-term effects of drunk driving to your health:
1. Alcohol is Very Powerful
According to the National Health Service, alcohol misuse or alcohol abuse has both short term and long term risks to the body, as alcohol is in itself a chemical powerful enough to have a wide range of effects on various parts of the body. Those who misuse alcohol notice changes not just when getting drunk, but also long-term in the heart, the bones, and the brain.
When it comes to long-term effects of drunk driving, the five listed below aren’t necessarily the only effects of drunk driving to your health. These are perhaps the most common ones, and the ones that can put you at the most risk. Do remember that the points below are made under the assumption that you have normal alcohol tolerance. It’s important to consult a physician first to determine if there are other factors of alcohol you should be aware of that can affect your system. If you’re looking into the legal implications of this situation, you may click here.
2. Recklessness, Negligence and Carelessness
According to the Balance, human error is a huge element in when it comes to car accidents. If driving under the influence is taken into account, then it’s likely that drunk driving increases the chances of accidents happening due to carelessness, negligence, and recklessness.
For instance, a wide variety of gadgets such as DVD players, music players, and phones can be a source of great distraction for drivers. People think they are very capable of multitasking, but it’s already difficult to manage the multiple tasks involving in driving as it is.
3. A More Fragile Body
Another long term effect of alcohol is its impact on the immune system, as alcohol can make you more susceptible to various ailments and infections. Not only that, but constant consumption of alcohol can make your bones weaker, which means breaking or fracturing them are much easier to do. This can be an extreme health risk when it comes to accidents.
4. A Weaker Heart
When you constantly subject yourself to drinking, and even driving while drunk, not only do you put yourself at risk in the moment, but it you’re also transforming your heart into a deadly timer. This is because heavy drinking can increase blood cholesterol and blood pressure levels, which are a factor in strokes and heart attacks.
This is especially risky if the person involved already has a history of poor vision, heart attacks, strokes, and seizures. These medical conditions might be uncontrollable, but it might be safer to be aware of these risks and see if there’s some way to avoid driving when you know you’re close to being agitated because of these conditions.
5. Many Common Short-Term Risks
Perhaps another concerning long term effect of drunk driving to your health isn’t related to driving while drunk per se, but on the things surrounding it. When you frequently get drunk, the chances of you drunk driving and doing other risky activities become more frequent in the long term. While the odds of things like accidents happening are low, continuously putting yourself at risk by getting drunk is like poking luck with a stick.
- A lot of injuries and accidents in England are, in fact, related to alcohol, with 10 percent of visits to the accident and emergency departments caused by some form of alcohol-related condition.
- The stereotype of people getting drunk and getting in fights is somewhat nrealistic. There are 1.2 million incidents in England annually that turn violent partly because participants were drunk.
Be Wary of “Kindling”
If you’ve decided to stop drinking all of a sudden, then it might not be a good idea to frequently drive. This is because the impact of withdrawal symptoms can take a toll on your body quite suddenly. Part of this is something called “kindling,” where the impact of removing alcohol from the system worsens the withdrawal symptoms associated with it.
This means symptoms such as convulsions, agitation, seizures, and tremors can be commonplace. This is courtesy of the excessive excitability that occurs in the brain when alcohol isn’t found in the body.
Contact a Professional For Help
The long-term effects above may be things you may or may not be experiencing if you’re a regular drinker. However, if you do drive drunk and you continue indulging in this behavior, then the repercussions above might start taking a toll in your physical health. Should these be left unchecked, you may experience irreparable damage to your health. If you have any concerns regarding drunk driving, especially from a legal perspective, you may click here for more information. It may also help if you consult other professionals who know how other aspects of drunk driving can affect other parts of your life.
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