Introduction
Alcohol consumption can have various effects on the people who consume it. The effects may be social, psychological, physiological and medical. Some alcoholic brands (like wine) may have positive effects on our health while others (like spirits) may have negative effects. The duration in which a person consumes alcohol determines the intensity of the negative effects of alcohol on the person. One negative effect of alcohol is the damage of body organs like the liver and the colon, when consumed for a long period of time (Cooper, 2000).
Discussion
Alcohol is categorized as a depressant due to its ability to slow down the nervous system thereby reducing sensitivity to pain through inducement of sleep like feeling. Some of the immediate impacts of alcohol misuse include lack or loss of one’s awareness, distortion of reality, loss of coordination of the brain activities and one’s motor skills (Toppness, 2011). When used for a long time, it leads to addiction, as well as social and economic irresponsibilities by the addicted individuals (Toppness, 2011).
Research has shown that alcohol consumption is a risk factor to colon cancer. However, the type of alcohol brand matters. While wine may have positive impacts in preventing colon cancer, hard liquor like spirits have been found to increase the chances of alcoholics developing colon cancer. Prolonged alcohol consumption also leads to colon irritation, which in turn leads to diarrhoea and constipation (Toppness, 2011). This can make the individuals lose their appetite and become malnourished. Such individuals may end up being socially and economically irresponsible, which may further lead to depression. The depressed individuals become prone to suicide because their thinking and reasoning becomes impaired, and to them, life loses meaning.
Nursing intervention
Patients who are addicted to alcohol consumption need to be shown love and care not rebuke and contempt. This is one aspect of the nursing profession and other professions like social work. We should show them love and care through talking to them in a courteous manner, and showing them that they are able to come out of their situation.
Many alcohol addicts have their symptoms as adaptive. This means that they develop or acquire some behaviour which helps them cope with the problems they are facing; one such behaviour is alcohol consumption, which later develops into alcohol misuse or abuse. For example, some may assume or think that other people hate them because they are poor or are of low social status. This is an external pressure to them, and in order for them to safeguard their ego, they engage in alcohol consumption in order to cope in staying with the people who hate them. Our intervention should therefore be centred on behaviour and attitude change.
We should show them that alcohol consumption is not the solution to their problems and help them gain the courage to face life the way it is. We should help them acquire new behaviours which are not depended on alcohol. For instance, they could be helped to boost their people’s skills, their confidence as well as improve on their hygiene, which would boost their self-esteem. These interventions could be done in a community setting or at their homes. In severe cases of addiction, they should be taken to rehabilitation, where they could be helped to recover from withdrawal symptoms.
Conclusion
Even though alcohol can have many negative effects on our bodies, it is a good component of our diet when used properly in the right quantities and frequencies. For instance, it makes our meals complete apart from being used as a social drink. Alcohol consumption therefore becomes dangerous to us and our bodies when we misuse it. Alcohol consumption is regarded as a risk factor in causing colon cancer because it causes diarrhoea and inflammation of the colon. The link is however not clearly established and therefore the need for more research to establish the relationship between alcohol consumption and colon cancer (Hales, 2008).
References
Cooper, D.B. (2000). Alcohol Use. Abingdon OX14 1AA: Radcliffe Publishing.
Hales, D. (2008). An Invitation to Health. New York: Cengage Learning.
Toppness, H. (2011). Alcohol Effects on the Colon. Web.