Is your health being neglected for just one more?
We are all familiar with enjoying a beer during a braai or celebrating a milestone with a bottle of champagne. But what happens when the limit gets exceeded?
According to the South African Medical Journal (SAMJ), “South Africa surpasses the limit of alcohol intake by 5 billion litres every year, each person consuming an average of 9 and 10 litres of pure alcohol.”
A report in 2011 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed, “This is among the highest per capita consumption rates in the world and it is continuing to rise.”
The excessive consumption of alcohol should thus not be taken lightly as this is a serious problem in South Africa. Not only does this lead to fatal car accidents resulting in unpredictable deaths, but also other health issues resulting in death.
According to WebMD, these health risks include anemia, cancer, cardiovascular disease, cirrhosis, dementia, depression, seizures, gout, pancreatitis, high blood pressure, infectious disease and nerve damage.
Alcoholism signs and symptoms (Source: HelpGuide.org):
• If drinking makes you feel regretful.
• Making a secret of your drinking habits.
• If the people closest to you are concerned about your drinking.
• Drinking in order to unwind.
• When you don’t remember your actions while you were drinking.
• Drinking more than you initially wanted to on a regular basis.
• It’s never too late to stop and start living a healthy life.
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