Effects Alcohol Has on Organ Systems

The Effect’s Alcohol Has on Organ Systems

Abstract

In the following paper that you will be reading discusses how the gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and nervous system functions. It identifies the organs within that organ system and it describes how each system is effected by a life style choice; alcohol.

Alcohol is probably the most common recreational drug. It’s become an accepted part of our lives, and can be found all over the world. The concern over the adverse effects of alcohol developed during the ninetieth century (Stimmel, 2002).   Mild to moderate drinking is not as harmful as excessive consumption. The excessive consumption and dependency of alcohol is associated with several adverse psychological and physical effects (Stimmel, 2002). It has been estimated that approximately ninety percent of people consume it at some age and thirty percent develop alcohol related disorders. Alcohol dependence is observed in ten percent of men and three to five percent of women (Yazan, Francesca, n.d.). It does not digest in the stomach like most foods or liquids; it goes straight into the blood stream affecting every body system and many organs. (Stimmel, 2002).   Due to excessive drinking, the three main organ systems that are affected are as follows, the digestive, cardiovascular, and the nervous system.
The digestive tract is a tubular structure starting from the mouth that extends to the anus. It consists of the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, large intestine, small intestine, rectum and the anus. The liver, pancreas, and salivary glands are the accessory glands. Inside this tube is a lining called the mucosa. In the mouth, stomach, and small intestine, the mucosa contains tiny glands that produce juices to help digest foods .The liver and the pancreas produce digestive juices that reach the intestine through small tubes. In addition, parts of other organ systems (for instance, nerves and blood vessels) play a major role in the digestive...