You are a tribute to all things reasonable – your days are devoted to wise decisions, an excess of movement and a careful diet. You battle calories (and always win). You dismiss all temptations. Food is an enemy that can be easily conquered, and exercise is considered a reward. There’s pride in your reflection. There’s assurance in a glance. You are far above the common mistakes and fat soaked arteries. You are instead a marvel of good sense.

And yet you come home from work, stumble to the kitchen and reach immediately for the nearest source of alcohol – enjoying wine, beer, and all the little tastes between. This is a mistake and one you’re not even aware of.

Alcohol is a drug. This is an easy truth. It is also one few care to admit (most individuals prefer to offer that name only to the stronger heroin and barbiturates). And, when you choose to over-indulge in your sips, you provide your body with far more than that shiver of relaxation. You instead offer terrible effects – ones your body is not meant to sustain against.

Simply explained, the abuse of alcohol leads to many dangers within the heart. While there has been proof that occasional tastes can help to stimulate platelets, the countering consequences easily overwhelm that. Individuals who drink daily will see rises in blood pressure, a sudden enlarging of the ventricles, increased fat cells and the possibility for a stroke. The mild rewards that can be experienced are quickly undone by the potential worries.

It is therefore vital that all individuals limit their consumption of alcohol (or manage to cease drinking altogether). Implementing this idea can be difficult, however, and institutions like Rehab-International.org are therefore recommended. Support will be needed and treatment should be sought.

Alcoholism is a form of substance abuse. If left ignored, it can also be a fatality.