is it true that alcoholics have thinner blood ? if they stop drinking does their blood thicken ??
485186
Thinner is a relative term. They have less oxygenated blood. They also can have clotting problems. Their blood would definately improve if they stop drinking.
115227
You are starting on a never-ending-circle. You panic, you drink, since alcohol is a "downer" you buzz, but then you come down, get depressed, then panic about getting depressed or because you drank. Do you see where I'm headed? I've been there-done that. Please seek anxiety medication from a licensed medical professonal.
336020
It's true only to a degree. Because alcohol is metabolized mainly by the liver, it's the size of the liver that really counts. Although a person who used to be thin and is now fat (with essentially the same liver) will dilute the alcohol a bit more in the extra tissue, it isn't enough to make a real difference.\n\nSo, other than bigger people having a bigger liver to metabolize alcohol faster, it isn't as much a factor as tolerance would be in relation to how drunk you are. Of course, drunk in that sense is 'ability to function' and not the legal deffinition of 'percentage alcohol in the bloodstream'.
359055
If your questioning it, it's probably a problem.  There are many websites that will give a list of criteria to meet to actually be labeled an "alcoholic".....but generally speaking if it interferes with relationships or work, causes money issues, is something that is lied about or attempted to be hidden, drinking alone, and regularity are pretty good indicators. People don't have to be falling down drunk to be considered an alcoholic.  It's often what happens behind closed doors that will lead to the problem. If your asking out of concern for someone you care about please check alanon websites and support groups.  Alcoholism will effect everyone around it. The hardest part is when you realize someone may have a problem with alcohol and they aren't willing to own it or admit it. Good luck.
638359
Lots of stuff.  Alcohol is a poison --if you drink enough.  It dehydrates you , so i imagine the brain is also dehydrated.  i understand that heavy drinking can kill brain cells, but i don't know how much that source considered to be "heavy."
1034614
There are different forms of alcoholism.....you don't have to drink everyday to be considered an alcoholic.  How it affects you....if you can't stop at having just one or two drinks for example, or if you have blackouts and can't remember what you did the day after is another form of alcoholism.  Needing to drink every day is definitely a form of alcoholism.  It definitely sounds like your friend is in denial.  You could mention to him that you feel that his health is in jeporady, but only he can want to help himself.  It takes alot of courage and determine to overcome this disease.  I know that for a fact.  My father died at the age of 36 from alcoholism and my family tried for years and we had him in many programs, but he just could not overcome the desire or will power to stop.  I am 50 years old and I know for a fact that I could if I allowed myself to get in trouble with alcohol.  If I have more than 3 drinks at a time, I have blackouts and become deathly ill.... that is a form of alcoholism.  Try to encourage your friend to get help and "be there for him", but make him understand that he has to want to STOP!
297912
Retain or regain?  If you don't have problems while on alcohol, then yes, you will be retain the ability.  If you want to regain erection, it is possible- but it will probably take some time.  Alcohol can do some funny things to your circulatory and endocrine systems which will have some long reaching effects.  If you have been a long term user/abuser of alcohol then your body will need to reset its endorphin response, as well as letting some of the hypertensive (high blood pressure) effects subside.  \n\nAdvice:  try a good de-tox diet- low fat, high fiber, and antioxidants to repair some of the damaging effects of alcohol.  And also get some cardio exercise for a while- the exercise will increase your feelings of well being, will help you stay off alcohol, as well as improving your general hydraulics.
155277
I think it could contrtibute to it, I suppose, but not cause it.  Too much red wine is more likely to cause cirrhosis of the liver.
812341
Alcohol is in alcohol.  Ethanol.  The water and fruit juice and all that stuff is pretty benign (but will make you fat if you drink too much of it.)\n\nAlcohol in moderate quantities is not a problem.  Excessive alcohol can cause problems with your liver, heart, brain, judgment, driving, etc.
677552
Anything high in iron helps to build red blood cells, but does nothing for blood pressure. Potassium can help lower blood pressure, but I have no idea if Guinness has a lot of potassium. She could get the same results with vegetables or vitamins, so it is probably an excuse. Nothing is wrong with drinking one beer a day, though. In fact, doctors now say that ONE alcoholic beverage per day can help prevent heart attacks in the same way aspirin does, by thinning the blood. However, more than ONE per day can be detrimental to a person's health. If she is having one a day, I wouldn't worry about it.
849465
There are several people in my life with drinking problems, my Grandpa  is the only success story I know of. They say that there is never a cured alcoholic, they are recovering for the rest of their lives. Alcoholism is a disease, and many people take it lightly because drinking is socially accepted. The way my Gpa stopped was by getting really, really drunk beyond the point of sickness, and he says his secret to 'recovery' was just remembering the feeling of that night. He immediately stopped drinking, and started chewing gum incessedly. He did attend AA mtgs and said that suprisingly, they really did help. He also said that the fact that my Gma attended the alinon mtgs helped alot bc he didn't feel as if he was all alone. You have to remain patient and not stress out the alcoholic to the point that they would want to drink. Remove all alcohol from the house, even if its a wine cooler. Living with an alcoholic is a very difficult thing. I hope this brings some insight. Good Luck
531281
"Alcohol also affects the brain. Killing large amounts of brain cells the more and more the person consumes. This leads to short-term memory loss and eventually what people call "wet brain". This is when the alcoholic's brain no longer functions properly. This is a pre-vegetable state. The alcoholic can no longer put coherent sentences together or even function their bowels or bladder correctly."\nhttp://www.spencerrecovery.com/alcoholism-effects.html\n\n"Alcohol has a special affinity for nervous tissue, and as a result chiefly of its direct contact, but partly from its effects on the blood current, the working cells of the brain shrink, the supporting structure hardens, the cerebrospinal fluid, which should act as a protective water-jacket, increases in quantity and exerts injurious pressure. giving the familiar picture of "wet brain" so common in the autopsy room of hospitals caring for large numbers of habitual drunkards. Existing in a less degree, these brain changes are objectively shown in the impaired mental power, the muscular trembling, the shambling gait, and the lack of moral sense of the chronic drinker."\nhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01274a.htm\n\nI'd say both of those sites together provide a vivid explanation.
493758
In the first place Viagra is not a blood thinner,and as far as blood thinners your blood doesn't clot as fast as it normally would.You should consult your doctor or whoever prescribe this type of medication
317020
Data from 51 studies showed a 20% decrease in heart disease risk when 0 to 2 alcoholic drinks were consumed per day, and light to moderate alcohol consumption was associated with an approximately 20% reduction in (ischemic) stroke risk. Some studies showed up to a 32% heart disease risk reduction while others showed no such beneficial effect, leading researchers to surmise that factors such as diet, exercise, or socioeconomic status might have been at work. However, red wine's chemical composition (alcohol and polyphenolic compounds, such as flavonoids and resveratrol) appears to help maintain healthy blood vessels. Regular alcohol consumption also appears to increase good (HDL) cholesterol by about 12%, and to carry away the bad (LDL) cholesterol so that it doesn't deposit itself in the blood vessels. In addition, those who consume light to moderate alcohol have less of the proteins that encourage blood clots to form. In spite of all this evidence, the researchers concluded that the evidence is still insufficient as light alcohol consumption has also been frequently shown to contribute to cardiovascular disorders and recommending alcohol use is risky due to other alcohol-related health concerns. The American Heart Association recommends discussing this with your physician.   The effect of alcohol on the brain is also being studied. A newly-released study of more than 11,000 nurses that was led by Harvard Medical School researchers definitively linked alcohol consumption and the brain with their finding that one drink or less per day prevents cognitive decline in women. Presumably, the same would apply to men, but requires further study.
531202
About a year ago I was under a lot of stress and had two siezures in the same night. My doctor said it might have been stress related mixed with alcohol consumption. She told me just not to drink when I was stressed and I haven't had anymore. Of course, if you have been having them often, I would contact your doctor.
764761
I'll tell you one thing. It does more harm than benefit. Here's something I found that may help:\n\nHow does heavy drinking harm the heart?\n\nFor starters, large amounts of alcohol (more than two drinks a day) can raise your blood pressure to unhealthy levels. If, for example, you drink the equivalent of a six-pack of beer, a pint of whiskey, or a bottle and a half of wine every day for 10 years, that drinking will almost certainly damage parts of your heart. The result is often cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart muscle becomes weakened. In fact, after blocked arteries, alcohol is the second most common cause of cardiomyopathy in the United States.\n\n\n\nDamaged hearts can't pump efficiently. They're also susceptible to blood clots and strange rhythms (arrhythmia), especially during alcohol binges. (Some doctors call these arrhythmia episodes "holiday heart.") If you keep drinking, the consequences are severe. About half of all alcoholics who keep drinking after developing cardiomyopathy die within four years.\n\n\n\nThe good news is that much of the damage is reversible. When alcoholics with cardiomyopathy abstain from drinking, blood pressure drops and the heart can quickly grow stronger. Best of all, more than 90 percent of them will still be alive four years later.\n\n\n\nHeavy drinking -- usually described as three or more drinks a day -- over long periods of time has also been linked to hypertension (high blood pressure), stroke, cardiac arrhythmia, and sudden death.
1126830
With long alcohol abuse they will have broken blood vessels looking like tiny red veins in their face, sometimes a bulbous nose.  a true alcoholic detests sweets of any kind.  Some have a swollen midsection even though they rarely eat.