The duration of a human life depends on a large number of factors. As a rule, we are talking about the individual characteristics of the body and the negative effects coming from outside. With regards to how many years alcoholics live. If you think logically, excessive enthusiasm for alcohol-containing drinks is the reason for the development of many pathologies, some of which, as a rule, are fatal. But according to statistics, things are not so simple. Among alcoholics, long-livers are also found. The following factors affect the life expectancy of people who are addicted to alcohol-containing drinks, as well as the main causes of death of these individuals.
Signs of Alcoholism
It is important to understand that this is not just a bad habit. Alcoholism is a serious disease that is very difficult to treat. In medicine, this term refers to addiction to drinks, which contain ethyl alcohol, against the background of the use of which an intoxication process develops in the body.
There are a large number of provoking factors under the influence of which a person becomes a drunken alcoholic. Conventionally, all causes can be divided into biological, psychological and social.
The clinical manifestations of the disease depend on the stage of the disease. At the initial stage of development, a person drinks alcohol to relieve stress. The dosage is still small (1-2 glasses), but regular. Gradually, a person gets used to the daily use of alcohol-containing drinks. Unnoticed, 1-2 glasses or glasses turn into 3-4. The situation becomes dangerous when there is always a bottle of alcoholic drink at home or at work, hidden in case of a stressful situation.
Over time, dosage control is lost. At the same time, drinks are becoming stronger, wine or champagne is no longer suitable to relax. A person becomes conflicted and extremely irritable. This stage is a fine line. A person can stop and stop drinking or he turns into a drunken alcoholic. At this time, any factor can become provocative: a quarrel in the family, dismissal from work, etc.
In the second and third stages, the patient may experience the following alcohol syndromes:
- "Delirium tremens". Diagnosed most often. In medicine, this syndrome is called "alcohol delirium." It comes with the use of vodka. As a rule, "delirium tremens" occurs in middle-aged people suffering from alcoholism for more than 10 years. The syndrome is developing rapidly. The first symptoms of delirium are: insomnia, excessive sweating, tremors, incoherent and fast speech, mood swings, palpitations, hallucinations. As for the latter, alcoholics most often see images of animals or dead people. When hallucinations occur, patients feel fear, they try to defend themselves. At this time, alcoholics become socially dangerous, as they destroy everything in its path and get lost in space. The duration of this condition can vary from 2 days to a week. Sometimes delirium tremens is delayed.
- Alcoholic hallucinosis. This syndrome is the second most common diagnosis. It is characterized by the occurrence of various kinds of hallucinations in patients, mainly during the period of falling asleep at night. Alcoholics hear frightening voices that can frighten, insult, or even command them to do something. Against this background, patients develop persecution mania. The duration of hallucinosis is, on average, 2-4 days.
- Alcoholic delusional psychosis. It occurs less often. The main symptom of the syndrome is paranoia. Patients are sure that they want to kill, rob, etc. Husbands are often confident that their wives are unfaithful to them. At the same time, a clear picture of adultery arises in the head of an alcoholic, they become obsessed. The behavior of such people is aggressive.
Against the background of the use of alcohol-containing drinks, signs of damage to the heart, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and nervous system gradually appear.
The effect of alcohol on the body
Dangerous addiction cannot but affect health. How many years alcoholics live has been largely determined by the degree of damage to organs and systems.
The consequences of drinking alcohol:
- Disruption of the heart and blood vessels. It is diagnosed in 95% of people who drink. At the initial stage of the development of the disease, disorders are found in 37% of alcoholics. The constant intake of ethanol in the body provokes the development of dystrophy and obesity of the heart muscle. It becomes flabby and ceases to contract normally. Regarding how much, on average, live alcoholics (and smokers) suffering from diseases of the cardiovascular system. According to statistics, these people most often die at the age of about 50 years. The main causes of death are stroke and heart attack, triggered by the use of drinks containing ethyl alcohol.
- The defeat of the digestive system. The main “blow" is taken by the liver, pancreas and intestines. As a rule, the following pathologies are diagnosed in alcoholics: vitamin deficiency, persistent diarrhea, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic necrosis, hepatitis, cirrhosis, ascites, jaundice, and liver cancer. Regarding how much an alcoholic lives with a gastrointestinal tract lesion. The most dangerous conditions are pancreatic necrosis and cirrhosis. In the first case, we are talking about the necrosis of pancreatic cells. In such a situation, a fatal outcome occurs after 5-10 years of regular use of alcohol-containing drinks. Most often, alcoholics show cirrhosis of the liver. Symptoms of the disease: pain in the right hypochondrium (their intensity increases during binge), dry mouth, bitter taste in the morning, bloating, skin and sclera become yellowish, a sharp decrease in body weight, venous network, swelling of the limbs, nausea, vomiting. Regarding how many alcoholics live with cirrhosis. This is a precancerous condition, the prognosis of which depends on several factors. In the stage of decompensation, only a fifth of patients live more than 5 years. Half of alcoholics in a compensated form have existed for more than 10 years. Cirrhosis resulting from alcoholic hepatitis has a more favorable prognosis. Doctors have established that the minimum lifespan for this disease is 3 years.
- Damage to the kidneys. It can occur in both acute and chronic form. Most often, alcoholics are diagnosed with pyelonephritis and glomerulonephritis. Urine in patients becomes dark, its volumes are significantly reduced. The most dangerous are the consequences of the use of perfume liquids (for example, cologne). In this case, renal failure most often develops. Regarding how much an alcoholic lives with this ailment. Mortality in this case is extremely high. Fatal outcome occurs very quickly. This is due to the fact that against the background of renal failure, strokes and heart attacks are three times more likely to occur. If an organ transplant is necessary, this usually does not happen, since alcoholics prefer not to seek medical help.
- Violation of the nervous system. Every third drinker is diagnosed with polyneuropathy. This is a condition characterized by a decrease or complete loss of sensitivity. The person’s muscles weaken, his gait becomes shaky and uncertain.
Thus, ethyl alcohol has a powerful negative effect on the body. At the same time, how much, on average, an alcoholic lives on, directly depends on the degree of damage to the systems.
Statistical data
The Russian Federation takes the 4th position in the ranking of countries with a drinking population. About 3 million alcoholics have been identified in the Russian Federation, and this is only according to official statistics. 85% of accidents are committed by drunk drivers. The life of a third of alcoholics ends due to an accident. In 17 and 14 percent, respectively, the cause of death is cirrhosis and heart disease.
Factors affecting the lifespan of alcoholics
In the past, a lengthy and large-scale study was conducted, in which 2000 people of pre- and retirement age took part. The purpose of the experiment is to find out how much an alcoholic drinks every day. The duration of the study was 20 years.
The results of the experiment, at first glance, are stunning:
- Persons who consumed alcohol-containing drinks often, but in moderate doses, were long-livers.
- The life of alcoholics was cut short a few years earlier.
- The first to die were people who did not drink drinks containing ethyl alcohol at all.
It is important to understand that a number of social factors influence how many years drunken alcoholics live. The results of this experiment only at first glance indicate the use of small doses of alcohol-containing drinks.
The long life of a drunken alcoholic usually surprises others. But there are reasons for this:
- A person drinks a lot, but drinks he gets extremely expensive and high quality.
- An alcoholic during a feast abundantly bites.
- The human body is so heavily alcoholized that the tissues become simply immune to the vital activity of infectious agents.
- Staying in stressful situations has been proven to shorten life expectancy. Alcoholics, as a rule, are indifferent to everything, due to which their psycho-emotional state is in most cases stable.
According to statistics, there are few centenarians among teetotalers. But this is due to a large number of diseases that are getting younger every year and pose a serious threat to health. In addition, among teetotalers, there are many people who have refused a harmful addiction. Even after the successful treatment of alcoholism, the life expectancy of such people is reduced.
There are several other factors that pose a danger to a person who drinks alcohol. If an alcoholic is intoxicated, his life may end due to:
- Fight, stabbing. Many addicts die during quarrels and fights.
- Accident. A drunk person is a danger not only to himself, but also to other participants in the movement.
- Household injuries.
- Accidents. An alcoholic misunderstands reality, especially during hallucinations.
Separately, it is worth highlighting suicide. Paranoia, delirium tremens, schizophrenia - just a small list of provoking factors that push a person to suicide.
How many alcoholics live
As mentioned above, a lot of circumstances affect this. There are no statistics on the basis of which it is possible to determine exactly how much an alcoholic lives, he drinks every day or abuses from time to time.
Alcohol-containing drinks are poison in any case. Almost half of the visits to doctors are associated with the occurrence of diseases, the development of which is provoked by the regular use of alcohol. In addition, every third person dies precisely because of his addiction.
Regarding how much an alcoholic lives, if he drinks every day. In most cases, death occurs at 45-55 years. At the same time, a quarter of all alcoholics do not survive to this age.
An exception to the rule are centenarians. Among alcoholics there are few of them. Life expectancy increases if a person consumes exclusively high-quality alcoholic beverages, and his diet is balanced. In addition, the following factors are crucial:
- High pain threshold.
- Decreased blood viscosity.
- Stress resistance.
- Strong immunity.
So how long does a drunken alcoholic live under all of the above conditions? As a rule, such people die between 70 and 75 years old.
Separately, you should pay attention to drinks made from hops and malt. There is no term “beer alcoholism” in narcology, but in practice a large number of people suffer from it. It is important to remember that this drink also contains ethyl alcohol. Even if you drink only beer, alcohol tolerance will still increase.
The consequences of drinking this drink are also sad. Most often, the following pathologies are diagnosed in beer alcoholics:
- Damage to the heart muscle.
- Obesity.
- The precancerous state of the liver (how many alcoholics live with cirrhosis described above).
- Increased production of female sex hormones. A natural consequence is the expansion of the pelvis and the growth of the mammary glands.
- Colon cancer
Regarding how much beer alcoholics live. Under adverse social conditions, they usually die at the age of 55-60 years. With the use of quality drinks and good nutrition, this period increases, on average, by 10 years.
The main causes of death of drinking women
In narcology, alcoholism is usually divided by gender. According to statistics, every 8th woman who abuse alcohol, suffers from cancer. In this case, the mammary glands and organs of the reproductive system are most often affected.
Death also often occurs for the following reasons:
- The exhaustion of the body.
- Pathology of the liver and gall bladder of a chronic nature.
- Diseases of the nervous system resulting from the death of brain cells.
Regarding how many women alcoholics live. From the moment of gaining dependence, a fatal outcome occurs, on average, after 10 years.
The main causes of death for drinking men
Representatives of the stronger sex, abusing alcohol-containing drinks, live longer than women. The main causes of their death:
- Cancer of the digestive system.
- Stroke, heart attack.
- Cancer of the oral cavity.
- Kidney and liver disease.
- Pathology of the brain.
As for how many alcoholic men live, the statistics are disappointing. If the disease is at the initial stage of development, doctors predict death at the age of 45-50 years. If we are talking about a drunken chronic disease, this period is reduced by about 10 years.
Regarding how many alcoholic men live, if the disease is at the last stage. In such situations, the body is destroyed so much that it is impossible to restore it by any methods. In this case, the forecast is a maximum of 2-3 years.
How to get rid of addiction: medical advice
If a person has realized the dangers of alcohol, he has already stepped on the path to rectifying the situation. In such cases, it is important not to doubt, but, overcoming all difficulties, get rid of the disease.
Doctors advise to adhere to the following algorithm of actions:
- In any little thing, it is recommended to seek motivation. For example, after refusing alcohol, the situation in the family improved.
- Seek help from a narcologist. It is very difficult to defeat alcoholism on your own. With the help of modern methods, a doctor can easily get out of binge.
- Change your social circle. If friends or colleagues abuse alcohol-containing drinks, the chances of recovery are extremely small.
- If the craving for alcohol is unbearable, it is allowed to take medications that cause an aversion to it. Examples of funds: Colme, Biotredin.
The most important thing is faith in one's own strength. It is also important to talk with your loved ones so that in difficult times they provide psychological support.
How to prolong the life of an alcoholic
Many addicts are afraid of the terrible statistics. Their loved ones are also often horrified by the data on how much alcoholics live if they drink (both men and women). Everything is not so sad if the process of rethinking the situation has begun for addicted people.
The first step is a complete rejection of alcohol. At this stage, the help of doctors and the support of loved ones is very important. In the future, it is necessary to cleanse the body and take all possible measures to restore it. It is important to cure all existing diseases and follow the principles of a healthy lifestyle.
Finally
Alcoholism is a dangerous disease. Against the background of the use of alcohol-containing drinks, body tissues are destroyed. With regards to how many years alcoholics live. Men tend to die between the ages of 45 and 55. In women, a fatal outcome occurs, on average, 10 years after the development of addiction. Among alcoholics there are also centenarians. But even they rarely "reach" to 75 years. A large number of factors affect the life span of an alcoholic; the basic are social conditions.